The Shahed-136 is an Iranian long-range one-way attack UAV built around a low-cost delta-wing airframe, satellite/inertial navigation, and a piston pusher engine. Russia fields the type as Geran-2 in Ukraine, the Houthis use the Waid-2 designation in the Red Sea, and Iran has used Shahed-series salvos in direct regional conflicts to saturate air defenses and strike fixed targets.
Russia has used Shahed-136/Geran-2 and related Shahed-type UAVs in repeated mass strike packages against Ukrainian military, energy-grid, and urban targets, with 2026 reporting tracking larger salvos and evolving warhead and engine variants.
Role detailsIran used Shahed drones during the 2026 United States-Iran escalation to attack U.S. bases, U.S.-linked facilities, and Gulf-state critical infrastructure as part of salvos intended to strain regional air defenses.
Houthi forces fielded the Waid-2, identified by CSIS and DIA as the Shahed-136 equivalent, in one-way attack UAV operations against commercial vessels during the 2023 Red Sea Crisis.
Role detailsIran used Shahed-131 and Shahed-136 UAVs in large attacks against Israel and regional targets, with CSIS describing the Shahed-136 as part of pre-programmed UAV salvos intended to overwhelm air defenses.
Role detailsCSIS says Iran displayed Shahed-136 drones during Great Prophet 17 exercises, indicating operational status in Iranian service.
Sources: CSIS Missile Threat Shahed-131 and -136
Russia began using Shahed-136-class UAVs under the Geran-2 designation during its full-scale war against Ukraine.
Sources: CSIS Missile Threat Shahed-131 and -136, Monthly Analysis of Russian Shahed 136 Deployment Against Ukraine
CSIS and DIA identify the Houthi Waid-2 as the Shahed-136 equivalent used in the Red Sea maritime strike campaign.
Sources: CSIS Missile Threat Shahed-131 and -136, Iran: Enabling Houthi Attacks Across the Middle East
A Geran-2 / Shahed-136-equivalent drone was photographed in southern Moldova after crossing or crashing beyond Ukraine's battlespace.
Sources: Geran-2 Drone in Moldova
PBS NewsHour reported that Iran used Shahed drones against American bases and civilian infrastructure while comparing that threat with Ukraine's longer experience countering Russian Shahed attacks.
Sources: PBS NewsHour Shahed drone defense report
CSIS updated its Missile Threat profile with Shahed-136 specifications, aliases, Russia-Ukraine use, Red Sea/Waid-2 context, and regional conflict-use notes.
Sources: CSIS Missile Threat Shahed-131 and -136
Public reporting uses different names for the same Shahed-136 class depending on operator and production context. The catalog keeps these names on one page because the sources connect them as equivalent or derivative designations rather than separate independently documented weapon records.
| Designation | Operator context | Reader-facing meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Shahed-136 | Iran | Baseline Iranian long-range one-way attack UAV built by Shahed Aviation Industries / HESA-linked industry. |
| Geran-2 | Russia | Russian designation and production family for Shahed-136-class UAVs used in Ukraine. |
| Waid-2 | Houthi movement | Houthi designation or equivalent identified by CSIS and DIA as the Shahed-136 class. |
