IRG: US Reverse-Engineering Iran’s Shahed Drone After Battlefield Successes

By Staff, Agencies

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard [IRG] says the United States is seeking to exploit and replicate Iran’s drone technology after images emerged suggesting Washington has copied the Iranian Shahed-136 unmanned aircraft.

IRG spokesman Ali-Mohammad Naeini made the remarks in comments to Mehr News Agency, responding to reports showing US efforts to reproduce the Iranian-designed drone. He said Iran’s military achievements, driven by domestic capabilities and the expertise of young Iranian specialists, are tangible realities rather than political slogans and have been clearly demonstrated in recent conflicts.

Naeini noted that Iran’s technological progress becomes evident when an Iranian drone penetrates multiple layers of air defense, flies more than 2,000 kilometers, avoids detection even near the “Israeli” Iron Dome system, and strikes its target with precision. Such performance, he said, reflects a remarkable level of technological sophistication that has drawn global attention.

He added that “Israel” continues to struggle to understand why its defenses have failed to stop Iran’s missile attacks. According to Naeini, during missile operations conducted in multiple waves, Iranian missiles were able to evade interception and hit designated targets accurately despite the enemy’s extensive deployment of advanced aerial, missile, drone and air-defense systems.

Commenting on reports of a US-made replica of the Shahed drone, Naeini said such efforts amount to an implicit admission of failure by Iran’s adversaries. He argued that it is natural for opponents to try to understand how Iran developed these capabilities and to attempt to benefit from its technological advances.

The Wall Street Journal reported last week that the US military is deploying a kamikaze drone in West Asia that has been copied and reverse-engineered from the Iranian Shahed-136. In parallel, US Central Command [CENTCOM] has announced the establishment of the Scorpion Strike Task Force, a unit operating Low-cost Unmanned Combat Attack Systems [LUCAS], which consist of one-way attack drones.

The Shahed-136 is known for its compact design and low radar signature, characteristics that make early detection and interception difficult, particularly when used in swarm attacks. Its low production cost and simple launch requirements have made it an effective platform for overwhelming and degrading enemy air-defense networks. The drone is typically deployed alongside other offensive systems and is often used as an initial strike tool to weaken air defenses ahead of missile or precision-guided weapon attacks.