Archiv: Shahed-136 drone (Iran) / LUCAS drone (US copy) / Geran (Russian copy)


05.05.2026 - 01:14 [ David Hearst / Middle East Eye ]

Saudi Arabia and its allies must curb the growing Israeli-Emirati axis

(4 May 2026 16:12 BST | Last update: 2 hours 57 mins ago)

Iranian sources told MEE that Iranian intelligence had established the Emirati role in the attacks went beyond hosting US bases.

One official said: „Iranian intelligence believes the UAE also made some of its own air facilities available for operations against Iran.“ Abu Dhabi has served as an advanced platform for Israeli interests in the region, the official said.

He suggested this included „deception operations“ – false-flag Israeli attacks on Oman and at least one other country intended to look like Iranian ones.

Iran also believes that cooperation included the use of the AI infrastructure within the UAE to support data collection and analysis for US and Israeli targeting.

If Iran were to be invaded, the UAE would be treated as an aggressor, one diplomat told MEE.

That the UAE has gone way beyond its Gulf neighbours in supporting the US and Israeli attack on Iran, is down to one man, its President Mohammed bin Zayed, often referred to by the acronym MBZ.

08.04.2026 - 17:23 [ IndianExpress.com ]

‘Shahed-type drone’ that hit British air base in Cyprus was not launched from Iran: UK Defence Ministry

(March 5, 2026)

UK officials said that there were no injuries and “minimal” damage but the Iranian made drone strike has brought the conflict onto European soil.

In a statement on Wednesday, the UK Ministry of Defence said: “The Ministry of Defence can confirm that a Shahed-like drone which targeted RAF Akrotiri at midnight on 2nd March was not launched from Iran. In the last 24 hours, the UK has resupplied air defence systemns to British and allied bases across the reigion– including UK-built air defence missiles.”

08.04.2026 - 17:19 [ CNN ]

Russia built a massive drone factory to pump out Iranian-designed drones. Now it’s leaving Tehran out in the cold

(August 28, 2025)

“Finally, something no one else has,” a Russian journalist says during a TV documentary on the country’s largest drone factory. “Such mass production of two-stroke engines doesn’t exist anywhere else in Russia.”

The factory in question, Alabuga, 600 miles east of Moscow in Russia’s Tatarstan region, has been pumping out increasing numbers of the Iranian-designed Shahed-136 attack drone (known in Russia as Geran), but the man behind the site believes this may be one of its greatest achievements.

08.04.2026 - 17:11 [ Kurier.at ]

Die USA greifen den Iran mit seinen eigenen Waffen an

(March 6, 2026)

Nun haben auch die USA ihre eigene Version der Kamikaze-Drohne gebaut – die LUCAS-Drohne. Sie ist ein Nachbau der iranischen Shahed. Ihren ersten großen Einsatz flog sie ausgerechnet im US-israelischen Krieg gegen den Iran.

Die USA dürften wohl an abgestürzte Shaheds – die seit einigen Jahren von Russland und dem Iran eingesetzt werden – gekommen sein und sie erfolgreich rekonstruiert haben. Die LUCAS-Drohne basiert auf den gewonnenen Kenntnissen.

08.04.2026 - 17:06 [ Independent.co.uk ]

The new low-cost drones the US has quietly introduced to Iran conflict

(March 5, 2026)

In the opening salvoes of the attack, the US quietly introduced its Low-Cost Uncrewed Combat Attack System (Lucas), a one-way attack drone modelled on the cheap technology that Iran itself has been developing since the 1980s. Those Shahed drones were said to have been inspired by technology developed by Israel, which has co-led the assault with the US.

08.04.2026 - 17:02 [ DefenseOne.com ]

Shahed drone meets clone in US war on Iran

(February 28, 2026)

The Feb. 28 strikes saw the first combat use of the LUCAS, a near-copy of Iran’s cheap and effective Shahed-136.

05.03.2026 - 15:51 [ CNN ]

European powers move to defend Cyprus after drone attack on island

Spain is sending its Cristóbal Colón frigate to Cyprus as part of a joint deployment with the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle and vessels from the Greek Navy, the country’s defense ministry said in a statement Thursday.

The Cristóbal Colón is Spain’s “most technologically advanced frigate,” said the ministry, which added that the deployment shows the country’s “commitment to defending the European Union and its eastern border.”

05.03.2026 - 15:47 [ Middle East Eye ]

UK says drone attack on Cyprus base was not launched from Iran

A drone which hit Britain‘s Royal Air Force Akrotiri base in Cyprus was not launched from Iran as many had initially assumed, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has revealed.

Officials reportedly believe the „Shahed-type drone“ evaded detection by flying low and slow on Sunday. It hit a hangar used by American U-2 spy planes and burst into flames.

There were no casualties and the MoD said there was „no damage to equipment inside the hangar“.

But the UK has still not confirmed where exactly the drone was launched from – and who was responsible.