Iranian drone found in Ukraine contains parts from several western companies

A CNN exclusive report last month revealed that a drone launched into Ukraine by Russia was made in Iran, but contained parts from about a dozen US and western manufacturers, highlighting an ongoing issue with Iran obtaining western military supplies.

The report, published in late December, showed the single Iranian drone was made of 82 percent US-manufactured parts.

The drone was taken apart by a UK-based research company, Conflict Armament Research, which also found parts from Canada, Austria, and Switzerland, as well as some from eastern countries including China, Japan, and Taiwan.

A task force has been formed in Washington, DC, to investigate how so many US-made parts are making their way to Iran, which is currently supplying the Kremlin with arms for use in the ongoing assault on Ukraine that began almost a year ago.

CNN reported that the western-made parts that are being found include equipment from GPS modules to drone engines. 

According to the New York Times, the White House began ramping up its efforts to examine the presence of US-made weapons technology in Iran last month. Experts told CNN the task force will have an uphill battle as it attempts to identify the exact path the tech is taking from the United States to Iran and Russia, because Iran often uses third party companies as a front for purchasing the supplies for the Iranian government.

“American companies should be doing a lot more to track their supply chains,” said cybersecurity expert Dmitri Alperovitch. 

He also pointed out that the US government must improve its enforcement capabilities when it comes to arms and tech trading. “We have to beef up the resources for enforcement of our sanctions to achieve the desired effect,” Alperovitch said.