Inside a Downed Shahed-136 Drone: How Commercial Parts Power Russia's Deadly Drones

A detailed teardown of a recovered camera from a downed Shahed-136 drone in Ukraine has revealed its construction. The analysis shows a mix of readily available parts and specialised components. Experts examined the gimbal, electronics, and camera system used in these Iranian-made drones. The Shahed-136 drones, deployed by Russia in Ukraine, have undergone design changes since entering service. Some variants now include a gimbal-mounted camera for surveillance and targeting. This particular model also features a thermal camera, allowing night-time operations.

The teardown exposed off-the-shelf parts in the camera system. The power supply and relay boards were standard development boards, easily found online. Even the gimbal assembly appeared to come from AliExpress, containing Western-made components. Inside, the setup relied on an Artix-7 FPGA-based board and a Hi3519 system-on-chip to process the camera feed.

In contrast, other drone systems like the air data computer and Russian missile components showed more custom-built hardware. Most Shahed-136 attacks on Ukraine occur at night, often in coordinated swarms. The findings highlight the drone’s reliance on commercial electronics for its camera system. While some parts remain custom-made, the use of accessible components raises questions about supply chains and countermeasures. Ukraine continues to recover and analyse downed drones to better understand their capabilities.