Tehran claims to be ‘self-sufficient’ in building drone engines

Iranian Defense Minister Mohammad Reza Gharaei Ashtiani said recently that Iran is “designing and manufacturing airplane and drone engines; the country is self-sufficient in this field,” according to reports in pro-government Iranian Fars News media.

He also praised Qatar and noted Iran’s ongoing talks with Doha about potential cooperation. One of the links between them is Hamas: Doha hosts the terrorist group’s leaders, while Tehran backs it. After October 7, Ashtiani met Hamas members in the Qatari capital.

According to the report, the defense minister said that Iran’s defense exports are growing, which has resulted in a major increase over the last two years. He did not mention Russia, but Tehran has been exporting Shahed 136 drones to Moscow, which uses drones against Ukraine, in a war that is becoming more and more deadly.

The BBC reported that UK Defense Secretary Grant Schapps canceled a planned trip to Odesa last week because of missile threats from Germany; it was not clear if the threats also included drones.

Iran is increasing its drone and missile arsenal and is prodding its proxies to attack Israel, shipping in the Red Sea, and US soldiers in Iraq and Syria. In late January, Iranian-backed Kataib Hezbollah killed three American soldiers in Jordan with drones. “We have achieved self-sufficiency in the field of drone engine manufacturing and we are also pursuing [production of] heavier engines,” Ashtiani said.

Iran used to source drone engine materials from the West

Engines are an essential part of drones. In the past, Iran imported many parts for drones from abroad, sourcing these materials from the West. Many of these engines or other components, such as gyroscopes, could be seen as “dual use,” and therefore not necessarily flagged as military use. Iran also reached out to Chinese firms to build engines. The engine production in Iran is important for its drone warfare program.

“Next year, we will have very good progress in the space sector and expand the range of activities with the Simorgh satellite launcher,” Ashtiani said. “We have had about 4 to 5 times growth in the defense exports sector. This growth will expand in the future, and with the innovations and new armaments being produced, these exports will increase further,” he said.

Ashtiani also highlighted Iran’s desire to expand defense ties with other countries, pointing out the “potential for cooperation with other nations, specifically Qatar’s influence in the region,” and noting that his talks with Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al Thani “during his recent visit to Doha covered various regional issues,” according to Tasnim News.

“Discussions were held on the development of cooperation and the work that can be done as a basis for expanding cooperation,” the report said, “and we will pursue this path with other countries as well.”

Seth Frantzman is the author of Drone Wars: Pioneers, Killing Machine, Artificial Intelligence and the Battle for the Future (Bombardier 2021) and an adjunct fellow at The Foundation for Defense of Democracies.