UKRAINE, Jun 25 — After one of the latest Russian air attacks, the remains of a new Shahed-136 attack drone with a thermal imaging camera and module that “allows automatic targeting via machine vision” were found in Ukraine, wrote Ukrainian media Militarnyi on June 24, based on the information from a Telegram channel eRadar, which published photos of the drone’s components.  

Four-component CRPA antenna from the Tallysman satellite navigation system found in the drone debris, as well as a Latin serial number, writes Militarnyi, indicate that the weapon was most likely made in Iran. Experts also note that this drone’s flight can be controlled from a ground control station (not only fly on the pre-planned route based on GPS). 

They refer to another Telegram channel, Colonel GS, that points attention to the NVIDIA Jetson Orin board integrated with the drone’s thermal imaging optical module — that’s the technology used for automatic thermal targeting.

A week ago, eRadar wrote, based on the found remnants of another Shahed-136 drone, that, for the first time since 2023, Iran began sending already-assembled drones to Russia instead of components for Moscow’s Geran modification. 

Russia hits Ukraine with Shahed drones, both Iranian-made and modified into domestic Geran, almost every day—Kharkiv Oblast was targeted with both this night; these Russian attacks injured nine people. 

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