China supplies tech behind Russia's faster Shahed drones

China is providing Russia with the technology and components necessary to upgrade its Shahed drones, making them faster and harder to track, according to The Wall Street Journal's report on August 25. The upgraded drones now resemble missiles, reaching speeds of approximately 480 kilometers per hour, nearly three times faster than previous versions.

Ukrainian officials who have inspected destroyed drones attribute the enhancements to Chinese companies supplying engines. Both U.S. officials and analysts confirm China's longstanding role as one of the primary suppliers of Shahed drone parts, such as engines, servo motors, and gyroscopes. Ukrainian researcher Oleksandr Zaruba highlights that newer drones increasingly incorporate Chinese-made antennas, modems, and SIM cards, which enable route adjustments via local networks.

Ukrainian authorities have identified Chinese telecommunications firm Telefly as the producer of turbojet engines used in Shahed drones. Founded in Shenzhen in 2010, Telefly primarily deals in computer and telecommunications equipment but also manufactures and sells microturbine jet engines for drones. Following Ukraine's discovery of Telefly engines in Russian drones, the turbojet engine section vanished from the company's English-language website but remains accessible on Chinese-language and other language versions.

In May, the Wall Street Journal reported that Russia and Iran are boosting their purchases of Chinese components for drone production, including Shaheds, despite U.S. and EU sanctions. China reportedly does not hinder these supplies and exports engines, batteries, chips, gyroscopes, and other parts to Russia and Iran.