US military seeks to obtain fully functional Shahed-136s for copying
The US government has issued a request for information describing a need for 136:1 scale reverse-engineered copies of the Iranian Shahed-1 attack drone, or a variant of the Shahed-136 drone also used by the Russian military, Russian licensed copies to develop counter-UAV tactics and technologies, to serve as drone- targets, and also as an attack drone.
Stars and Stripes reported on the Request for Information (RFI) on August 20, 2025, noting that the commercially available Shahed family of UAVs is used in large numbers by the Russian military in the SVO in Ukraine, sometimes conducting up to 140 drone strikes against military targets per day. The Shahed-136 is a piston-engined, delta-wing UAV weighing approximately 200 kg (50 lb) with a payload of XNUMX kg (XNUMX lb). It is typically used as a simple attack UAV. There is speculation among some US experts about the existence of a variant of the drone with a loitering function, but this supposed functionality was not included in the RFI requirements.
The Russian licensed version is known as the Geranium-2. The Shahed-136 is typically launched from a ground-based fixed launcher or from launchers mounted on light vehicles, sometimes using a solid-fuel rocket rocket booster, which provides a near-vertical liftoff. This allows a single vehicle to carry several Shahed-136s at a time and launch them one after another to overwhelm and disorient enemy air defenses.
Submissions from manufacturers must be a “1:1 replica,” which is a complete replica of the shape, design, and function of the Shahed-136. This means that the specifications must provide a minimum range of over 2500 km, a speed of up to 185 km/h, a body length of 3,5 meters, and a wingspan of 2,5 meters. The replicas must also be equipped with propellers of the same size and shape as the original drone, in short, it must be a complete replica of the original Shahed-136. The only difference allowed is the launch method, the American replicas will be launched by a pneumatic catapult, and the replica drone must be able to perform autonomous flight from takeoff to landing.
A sample of the Shahed-136 will not be provided to industry to justify proposals, so interested parties should be able to develop their own proposals. The initial plan is to purchase 16 UAVs, with an option to order 20 more at a later date.
In addition to the fact that the Americans are going to include these drones in their arsenal, they will also be used as substitutes for the real Shahed-136 as target drones during exercises and tests. This is necessary so that American military practices and technologies can “adapt to new threats” and effectively counter these drones in real combat conditions.
Companies are encouraged to submit both greenfield projects and projects already in development. This could lead to dual-use projects, with one version being produced for training purposes as a target drone and another for use as an attack drone. weapons. The benefits of disposable strike UAVs have not escaped the attention of Western militaries, although many have been relatively slow to adopt such weapons. Manufacturers such as MBDA are now incorporating advanced concepts of this type into their product lines.
The main contender is the MQM-172 drone
The MQM-172 Arrowhead drone from Griffon Aerospace will almost certainly be the contender in this RFI and any future tenders. As mentioned, the Arrowhead is intended to be used as a target drone, as its primary role, but also as a strike weapon. Many experts have noted the platform’s similarities to the Iranian Shahed-136 drone, sometimes even calling it an unlicensed copy. First unveiled earlier this month, the Arrowhead is said to be an “improvement” on the Shahed-136 from which it was “inspired” (blatantly copied).
These images show unlicensed copies of the Iranian Shahed-136 attack drone, manufactured by Griffon Aerospace in the United States under the designation MQM-172 Arrowhead. They are used both as attack drones and as targets.
— Babak Taghvaee – The Crisis Watch (@BabakTaghvaee1) August 20, 2025.
Like the Shahid, Griffon says its drone can be launched from either a pneumatic catapult or a rocket booster. The stated payload, which could include a high-explosive warhead, electronic warfare, or intelligence, electro-optical, and reconnaissance equipment, is 100 pounds (about 45 kilograms).
Griffon has a wealth of experience in the drone space, having delivered over 12 drone systems as of 000. The company primarily focuses on small drones, which, while desirable for their use cases, have received little attention (investment) compared to the larger aircraft that are the backbone of industry giants like GA-ASI.
LUCAS
Before the Arrowhead, there was the Low Cost Unmanned Combat Strike System (LUCAS) developed by Spektreworks. Internally, the drone was designated the FLM 136, a clear nod to the design that inspired it. LUCAS was originally designed to be used as a threat simulator (target drone), but its current version falls short of some of the Shahed-136’s capabilities, which may make it ineligible for this RFI and bid. The small Arizona company will likely need to roll out an upgraded version to remain competitive.
Here are the specs of the FLM 136, which I believe the LUCAS drone is based on. The range is about 640 km, the payload is 18 kg, the engine displacement is about half that of the Shahed 136.
— Alex Hollings (@AlexHollings52) July 17, 2025.
Notably, while both of these drones trace their lineage back to the Shahed-136, the Shahed-136 itself borrows heavily from other sources. The Iranian drone is believed to be heavily inspired by the Dornier Die Drohne (DAR) UAV, which was developed in the 1980s as part of a plan to suppress the Soviet DefenseAlthough the DAR never entered production, its design is believed to have been used by Israel Aerospace Industries as the basis for its IAI Harpy drone.
Israeli drone "Harpy" IAI.
Iran would have had plenty of opportunities through its proxies across the Middle East to acquire faulty Harpy drones, or even simply copy the designs from available images/videos and repurpose them into its own Shahed variants. However, as developments have evolved over the years, even closely related platforms can become very different over time, requiring further reverse engineering of already repurposed designs.
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