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Newly released footage from Russian state media has raised eyebrows after showing that Russia is using what appear to be American-designed Ram pickup trucks to launch its Shahed-style loitering drones. The video provides a rare glimpse into the scale of Moscow's domestic drone production and highlights the increasing threat these drones pose in Russia's ongoing war against Ukraine.
Footage Reveals Mobile Drone Launch Tactics
The video, aired by Zvezda, the official TV channel of the Russian Ministry of Defense, offers a close look inside the Yelabuga drone factory in Tatarstan Russia’s key facility for producing domestically manufactured versions of the Iranian-made Shahed-136 drones. Known locally as the Geran-2, these drones have become a central weapon in Russia’s aerial campaign against Ukraine.
Among scenes of the factory's advanced production lines, the footage shows Ram-style pickup trucks with drones mounted in their beds. These vehicles, resembling the American-made Dodge Ram series, are seen driving down makeshift runways and launching drones directly from the truck bed a highly mobile and flexible tactic.
Other scenes depict a row of five black pickup trucks, each carrying Shahed-style drones ready for launch. The trucks appear to be stationed in fortified areas surrounded by earthen berms, possibly designed to shield launch operations from Ukrainian drone or missile strikes.
American Truck Designs in a Russian Factory?
While the video does not confirm the specific models of the trucks, at least one clearly resembles an American-designed Ram truck. Stellantis, the multinational automotive company that owns the Ram brand, has not issued a statement regarding the appearance of their designs in Russian military footage.
It remains unclear whether these trucks are genuine Ram vehicles or local copies. However, their presence in drone launch operations adds another layer of complexity to the global discussion on technology usage and military exports during wartime.
Shahed Drones: From Iran to Russian Assembly Lines
The Shahed-136 is a type of loitering munition a drone that can remain airborne for extended periods before diving into a target and detonating on impact. Russia began using the original Iranian-made Shaheds in 2022, but as relations between Moscow and Tehran deepened, Russia established its own domestic production line to reduce reliance on foreign imports.
The Yelabuga plant, located over 1,000 miles from the Ukrainian border, became operational in 2023. Since then, it has ramped up production of Geran-2 drones to fuel Russia’s increasingly frequent and intense air assaults.
Ukraine has responded by targeting the facility multiple times using long-range drone strikes, aiming to disrupt Moscow’s growing drone capabilities.
Aerial Threat Escalates for Ukraine
In recent months, Russia’s drone strikes have escalated significantly in both frequency and scale. Nightly drone swarms often composed of hundreds of attack and decoy drones are being launched against Ukrainian infrastructure, cities, and defense systems.
These decoy drones are designed to overwhelm Ukraine’s air defenses, forcing them to expend valuable anti-aircraft missiles on cheaper targets and leaving more dangerous drones free to strike. Western intelligence suggests that Russia may soon be capable of launching thousands of drones in a single night, posing an existential challenge to Ukraine’s already depleted air defense network.
Evolving Drone Tactics and Payloads
Ukrainian defense officials have observed that Russia is also adapting its drone strategies. The Geran-2s are reportedly being modified with deadlier payloads, including thermobaric warheads high-temperature explosive devices that can cause significantly more damage than traditional munitions.
These changes reflect Moscow’s broader strategy of using low-cost, mass-produced drones in conjunction with sophisticated strike patterns to maximize impact while minimizing cost.
The Implications for Future Warfare
Russia’s integration of drone warfare with mobile truck-based launch platforms underscores a new era of flexible, decentralized warfare. The use of pickup trucks for drone deployment allows Russia to quickly relocate launch positions, reducing the likelihood of preemptive strikes by Ukraine.
It also raises troubling questions for Western policymakers and defense manufacturers. As drone technology becomes increasingly accessible and adaptable, traditional military advantages like centralized airfields or heavy armored vehicles may be losing ground to asymmetric, mobile warfare tactics.
Russia’s use of Shahed-style drones, especially when launched from what appear to be American-designed trucks, highlights the shifting dynamics of modern warfare. With increased production at the Yelabuga factory, enhanced drone modifications, and evolving launch strategies, Russia is expanding its aerial threat capabilities a challenge that Ukraine and its allies must urgently adapt to.
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