«Shaheds» have become even more dangerous: How Russia has upgraded its drones

The occupiers have begun using new warheads on Shahed-136 kamikaze drones.

This was reported by sources at Defense Express.

These drones are now equipped with combined warheads of two types — Russian and Iranian-made. Both versions weigh 90 kg, nearly double the standard 50-kg warhead used previously.

The new Russian-made warhead is labeled KOFZBCh — a cumulative-fragmentation-high explosive-incendiary warhead. It contains the explosive TGF-35P2 (a mix of TNT and phlegmatized RDX), which had been used before.

However, it now also includes a powdered metal hydride mixture, which produces extremely high combustion temperatures — up to 3,500°C. This significantly enhances the incendiary effect of the explosion.

It’s worth recalling that in the winter of 2023, Russian forces had already used a similar 50-kg warhead, the BST-52, with comparable effects. However, the new version is nearly twice as powerful.

At the same time, the Russian army also uses Iranian warheads of similar weight — 90 kg. These combine cumulative, fragmentation, and high-explosive effects, but lack incendiary components. Their explosive filler is based on HMX with aluminum (a type known as OLA), and they include a RDX-based intermediate detonator.

«The use of Iranian warheads confirms that cooperation between Moscow and Tehran in the production of the Shahed-136 is ongoing, ” analysts note.

Meanwhile, Russia is attempting to establish local production of these drones at factories in Tatarstan («Alabuga») and Izhevsk («Kupol»), although the scale of localization remains limited for now.