Political scientist: Iran - backward state militarily and technically

Iran produces obsolete military equipment, drones produced in Iran cannot influence the course of the war in Ukraine, Ukrainian political scientist Yuri Reichel told Report.

He was commenting on reports about the use of Iranian drones by the Russian Armed Forces in Ukraine.

“It turned out that this is a very low-quality weapon. Foreign media write that these drones have a declared range of 2,500 km, but if it is launched at 2,500 km, then its payload is 100 grams. If it is launched at a distance of 300-350 km, then the payload increases to 1.5-2 kg. That is, this is not a weapon on the battlefield,” the political scientist noted.

He said that unlike Western kamikaze drones, Iranian drones can only be used for strikes in the rear against civilian targets that do not have status protection. He added that the Iranian drones themselves are of extremely poor quality and are easily shot down by ordinary small arms. “They are not controlled by radio, they are not launched in a certain direction and go like a projectile, they cannot deviate from a given direction. In addition, Iranian drones fly at low altitude,” the expert said.

“Now the algorithms for combating Iranian drones are being processed. Russia shouldn’t have ordered almost 2,500 drones from Iran,” Yuri Reichel noted, adding that Iran is a backward state militarily and technically, and what the country produces is the military equipment of the past, including in relation to UAVs.

According to the Ukrainian political scientist, Iran, selling weapons to Russia, is primarily guided by the desire to make money. “Iranian drones are not so expensive, but you can earn extra money. The second factor is a psychological moment. If Ukraine is supported by the West, then Iran should support the one who is against the West. Now it is Russia. So Iran needs to support Russia, this is beneficial for Tehran now,” Reichel says.

According to the political scientist, Iran is also very stressed by the strengthening of Azerbaijan in the South Caucasus, especially after the restoration of territorial integrity as a result of victory in the 44-day war. “Cooperation between Baku and Ankara is only getting stronger, which greatly worries the Iranian side. Iran joined Russia so that Russia would help it resolve issues in the South Caucasus in the future,” he said.