Debris of the Shahed drone. Photo: Defense Express

Defense Express has reported that Russia has begun installing SpaceX’s Starlink satellite communications on Shahed-136 combat drones.

source: Defense Express

Details: Starlink equipment was spotted on one of the drones shot down by Ukrainian forces during a Russian attack on the night of September 24-25.

Advertising:

Defense Express released photos showing a satellite dish with a serial number that investigators hope to use to trace the Starlink terminal’s supply channels.

The terminal’s numbers and QR code have been censored.

Photo: Defense Express

By equipping the Shaheds with satellite communication systems, Russia can receive powerful feedback from these drones, transmit data from them and change flight tasks from any distance.

Defense Express stressed that this development transforms a Shahed drone primarily into a reconnaissance tool.

With Starlink, the Russians can deploy a Shahed drone as an extremely long-range loitering munition, which, with an additional camera, offers additional reconnaissance capabilities and can even attack moving targets.

The choice for this purpose probably fell on Shahed missiles with their range (around 2,000 km) and the considerable space available in the fuselage.

Defense Express also noted that while Starlink is not operational and is not sold in Russia, the Russians are getting it through third countries.

Support UP or become our patron!