Russia began producing a new long-range attack drone, the Garpiya-A1, using a Chinese engine and other parts in 2023, Reuters reported on Sept. 13, citing two undisclosed sources in European intelligence and obtained documents.
China has positioned itself as neutral in the ongoing war but has deepened economic ties with Russia and become Moscow's leading source of dual-use goods during the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, feeding the Russian defense industry.
The IEMZ Kupol, a subsidiary of Russian state-owned weapons maker Almaz-Antey, produced more than 2,500 Garpiyas from July 2023 to July 2024, the news agency reported, citing the intelligence, which included a production contract for the new drone, company correspondence on the manufacturing process, and financial documents.
The production of the new drone has not been previously disclosed, Reuters said.
The Garpiya-A1 is used against military and civilian targets in Ukraine, causing damage to critical infrastructure and casualties among "both civilians and the military," two undisclosed intelligence sources told the news agency.
Reuters received from its sources photos from Ukraine allegedly showing the wreckage of the new Russian development. The outlet found information reinforcing this conclusion but could not verify the images independently.
Samuel Bendett, a senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security think tank, told Reuters that the Garpiya, if confirmed, would mark a departure from Russia's reliance on Iranian designs for long-range drones.
"If this is happening, it could indicate that Russia can now rely more on domestic development as well as, obviously, on China, since both sides in this war depend on many Chinese components for drone production," Bendett said.
Previously Russia has largely relied on Iranian-designed Shahed kamikaze drones to target Ukrainian cities and infrastructure, as Moscow and Tehran have deepened military cooperation in recent years.
The U.S. confirmed on Sept. 10 that Iran has provided Russia with shipments of Fath-360 close-range ballistic missiles as a boost to Moscow's war against Ukraine.
Chris York
