Chinese Parts Help Iran Supply Drones to Russia Quickly, Investigators Say

Chinese Parts Help Iran Supply Drones to Russia Quickly, Investigators Say

After Ukraine downed an Iranian drone, a Chinese part in the weapon showed it had been built and sent to Russian forces in three months

Wall Street Journal -June 12th, 2023

When Western researchers examined an Iranian drone brought down over Ukraine this spring, they said they made an important discovery: One Chinese-made part was manufactured this year.

The revelation shows that Chinese parts have continued to flow to Iran, providing the building blocks for its drone program, despite increasing pressure from the U.S. to choke off the global supply chain. And it demonstrates how quickly Iran is able to help Russia with its war in Ukraine, needing just three months to make and supply Moscow with weapons that have terrorized Ukraine’s civilian population.

Investigators said an Iranian drone brought down by Ukrainian forces in April contained a voltage converter that appeared to have been made in China in mid-January. It marks the first time a part made in 2023 has been found in the drones by researchers with Conflict Armament Research, a U.K.-based group that tracks global weapons supply chains.

The finding shows how quickly Iran can build and ship drones to Russia. The Chinese part was made in January, shipped to Iran, installed and then sent to Russia and used against Ukraine in April.

The war in Ukraine has created strains on global weapons supplies. The U.S. and its allies backing Ukraine have struggled to provide Kyiv with the enormous supply of military firepower it needs to fight Russian forces.

Russia turned to Iran last year to help meet its own need for weapons in Ukraine, and its use of Iranian drones is the most far-reaching example of the deepening military cooperation between the two countries.

Russia has launched more than 700 drones to target power plants, cities and military targets, according to the Ukrainian military.

While Ukraine says it has been able to largely neutralize the drone threat, the persistent use of drones is straining the country’s air defenses.

Last month, the Biden administration said that Russia had depleted its supply of Iranian drones and that Russia had asked Tehran to send it more. Last week, the White House said that Iran had recently sent hundreds of drones to Russia on ships going across the Caspian Sea.

Discovery of the 2023 Chinese part puts a spotlight on the challenges the U.S. and its allies face in trying to stop the flow of parts from around the world to Iran’s drone factories.