Russia producing attack drone with China's help, Reuters reports
Russia began production of a new long-range attack drone, the Garpiya-A1, in 2023.Garpiya“harpies” in Russian), which includes Chinese technology and has already been used in the conflict against Ukraine, according to two European intelligence sources and documents seen by Reuters.
IEMZ Kupol, a subsidiary of Russian arms giant Almaz-Antey, produced more than 2,500 Garpiyas from July 2023 to July 2024, according to documents seen by Reuters, including a production contract, company letters and financial documents. IEMZ Kupol and Almaz-Antey did not respond to a request for comment when contacted by Reuters.
The drone was deployed against civilian and military targets in Ukraine. It caused material damage, as well as casualties among the population and the Ukrainian armed forces, according to the two sources, who requested anonymity. They also asked that some details of the documents, including dates, not be disclosed.
The sources showed Reuters images of a destroyed Garpiya, without giving further details. The images, believed to have come from Ukraine, could not be independently verified by Reuters.
If this is the situation, “This could indicate that Russia is now relying more on domestic production and, clearly, on China, given that both sides in the conflict depend on Chinese components for drone production.”notes Samuel Bendett, from the American think tank Center for a New American Security, based in Washington.
Russia has so far relied mainly on Iranian technology. Iran has supplied more than a thousand Shahed-136 kamikaze drones to Russia since the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in May 2023. The authorities in Tehran, who deny delivering drones to Russia, have declined to comment on the reports about the Garpiya-A1.
The Russian Defense Ministry declined to comment. China's Foreign Ministry said in a statement to Reuters that Beijing strictly controls the transfer of military technology, including drones. “Regarding the Ukrainian crisis, China has always promoted peace talks and political settlement”he says. He adds that trade with Russia is not subject to any restrictions.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg last week called on China to end its military assistance to Russia, stressing that it was playing a major role in the continuing conflict.
The Garpiya-A1 is “very close to the Shahed”but it is powered by a Limbach L550 E engine, according to the European Intelligence Agency, which provided information to Reuters. The engine, which is German-designed and manufactured, is now produced in China by Xiamen Limbach. The company declined to comment.
Reuters has seen a contract worth more than 1 billion rubles (10 million euros) signed in the first quarter of 2023 between the Russian Defense Ministry and IEMZ Kupol for the development of a drone production site.
The Garpiya-A1 drones are produced at a former cement plant in Izhevsk, Udmurtia, western Russia. The plant was acquired by IEMZ Kupol in 2020. Video captures reviewed by Reuters on the Telegram messaging service attest to the existence and operation of this production site.
A prototype of the Garpiya was tested in the first half of 2023, according to company documents. Production reached several hundred units in the second half of 2023 and was approaching 2,000 units in the first half of 2024, according to the European Intelligence Agency, already cited.
The Garpiya, which weighs just under 300 kilograms, has a maximum range of 1,500 kilometers, the contract states, which brings it close to the capabilities of the Shahed-136.
THE Washington Post reported in August that Russia was planning to increase production of a domestic version of the Shahed-136, the Geran-2, in Elabuga, Tatarstan.
Documents dated Q2 2023 show that Russian supplier TSK Vektor transferred spare parts imported from China to IEMZ Kupol. When contacted, TSK Vektor did not respond.
A third document obtained by Reuters – a purchase order between TSK Vektor and Koupol, dating back to the first quarter of 2024 – details the delivery of 100 axles, carburetors and other Limbach L550 E engine parts sold by two Chinese companies: Juhang Aviation Technology and Redlepus Vector Industries, both based in Shenzhen.
Juhang, who is under the threat of British sanctionssince February, and americansince May, and Redlepus did not respond to requests for comment from Reuters. According to customs data, from April 2022 to December 2023, TSK Vektor imported $36.3 million worth of parts from Juhang Aviation Technology and $6.2 million worth of components from Redlepus TSK Vector Industrial Shenzhen Co Ltd. The items included aircraft engine parts, electronic modules, connectors, semiconductors, sockets and other components identified primarily for “civil use” And “industrial use”.
Source: Lemonde
