The US Central Command, a vital player in Middle East security, is now flying a clone of an Iranian drone. The US drone is a copy of the Shaheed 136, the same drone the Russians used for their home-built Gerans (Geran 1 and Geran 2) that have been heavily used in Ukraine.
The Shaheed 136 is a one-way loitering munition attack drone. It uses a piston engine driving a pusher propeller, which gives it a characteristic, loud “moped” or “lawnmower” sound.
The US version is manufactured by SpektreWorks and known as the FLM 136. According to the company, it was cloned from a copy of the Shaheed drone that either came from the Middle East or from Ukraine. It can fly for six hours, powered by a 215cc carbureted internal-combustion engine.
The FLM 136 in flight
The Shaheed costs between US$20,000 to $50,000 per unit. The US version, dubbed LUCAS (Low-Cost Uncrewed Combat Attack System) program, may be priced at $35,000 per unit. It is more difficult to put a price tag on the Russian Geran, but it is probably in the same range.
The price may not include a rocket booster on launch or the non-recurring R&D investment to make a US copy. Like the Shaheed and the Geran, the US model uses GPS for guidance. It is known that the Russians have made major changes in the GPS guidance package, featuring sophisticated anti-jam antennas, and have added artificial intelligence capabilities to its Geran 2 model. The latest Russian models also have been optimized for swarming operations.
Geran 2
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The Geran 2 uses a Nvidia-made Jetson processor which can easily be obtained through third parties. The original Shaheed drone apparently did not have a Jetson processor and lacked AI capabilities. The electronics of the FLM 136 have not been revealed.
The Nvidia Jetson processor found in a crashed Geran 2 drone
The US model predates Geran 2 and is likely entirely based on the Iranian Shaheed, making it less sophisticated than current combat models fielded by Russia. Russian modifications are fairly extensive and include improved construction materials, coatings for radar suppression and to reduce visual signatures, and improved propulsion packages.
The Limback 550e
Iran home-produced the Shaheed’s motor. It is a copy of the Limback 550e (Germany), which Iran designated as the MADO 550, a four cylinder, 50 horsepower two stroke engine.
The Russian engine (which may now be replaced with local production) is a Chinese copy of the Limback 550e. The motor for the FLM 136 is similar, but no official description of its source or model number is available.
The Shaheed carries a high-explosive warhead, typically around 30-50 kg (66-110 lbs), though variants can include heavier 90 kg payloads or specialized fragmentation-high explosive-incendiary (HE-I) or thermobaric (fuel-air explosive).
Geran 2 is similar and it is likely the FLM 136 also has similar payloads. Recently the Russians have modified some versions of the Geran 2 to carry specialized small short-range rockets capable of destroying enemy drones, helicopters and some fixed wing aircraft. The Russians have also added cameras and sensors, making the Geran more capable. Reports say that the Russians may also soon have a Geran 3 powered by a small jet engine.
CENTCOM’s version of the Shaheed is probably more than adequate for its current operating environment, which spans the Middle East, Central Asia and Northeast Africa, including Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and Jordan.
It would not be good enough in Ukraine, which has Western air defenses and where the Russians had to upgrade the Gerans to avoid layered air defenses and sophisticated jamming. We don’t yet know all the parameters of the FLM 136 or whether it is an upgrade of the Shaheed or merely a copy.
As the Russians have learned the hard way, to be effective, your loitering munitions and other drones need to be continually upgraded. New types of loitering munitions also are needed, such as the Russian Lancet, a loitering munition produced by the ZALA Aero Group (part of Kalashnikov Concern).
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The US AeroVironment Switchblade (300 and 600 models) were first used in Ukraine in 2023, but the model’s effectiveness is questionable. Israel’s Harop is perhaps the most famous.
Introduced in 2009, it is an electro-optically guided attack weapon. Azerbaijan used it effectively in the Nagorno-Karabakh war. Harop is deployed in Germany, India, Singapore and Turkey.
ZALA Lancet loitering munition
FLM 136 is deployed with a new CENTCOM task force called Scorpion Strike, which is now on station in the Middle East.
CENTCOM’s adoption of an Iranian drone clone is a remarkable shift from the old Pentagon mindset of not building on anything invented abroad (also known as the “not invented here” syndrome). There is a lot more out there that can be acquired, but whether the Pentagon will do so is in question.
Former US Deputy Undersecretary of Defense Stephen Bryen is a senior special correspondent at Asia Times. This article first appeared on his Weapons and Strategy Substack newsletter and is republished with permission.
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