The HESA Shahed 136, also known by its Russian designation Geran-2, is an Iranian-designed loitering munition, also referred to as a kamikaze drone or suicide drone, in the form of an autonomous pusher-propelled drone. It is designed and manufactured by the Iranian state-owned corporation HESA in association with Shahed Aviation Industries.
A Shahed 136 at an exhibition
Shahed 136 side view
Five Shahed 136s displayed in a deployment truck
Fragments of an Shahed 136 collected by the US Navy on 16 November 2022 in the Arabian Sea
A loitering munition, also known as a suicide drone, kamikaze drone, or exploding drone, is a kind of aerial weapon with a built-in warhead that is typically designed to loiter around a target area until a target is located, then attack the target by crashing into it. Loitering munitions enable faster reaction times against hidden targets that emerge for short periods without placing high-value platforms near the target area and also allow more selective targeting as the attack can be changed mid-flight or aborted.
An Iranian HESA Shahed 136 long range loitering munition
Northrop AGM-136 Tacit Rainbow on display at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force in Dayton, Ohio
IAI Harpy first-generation loitering munition for SEAD role
Loitering Munitions HERO (UVision Air Ltd, Israel), DSEI 2019, London