Russian Drones using American Chips
Russia’s new jet-powered Geran drones are making judicious use of Western components. To quote a report,
Russia seeks to produce some of the components for the drones domestically. But products from the United States, Japan, Germany, Switzerland, and other technologically advanced countries still make up the majority. Chinese components account for roughly one-third.
For example, a HUR official told RFE/RL that Russia has been using German-made Infineon components in the power distribution units of its first Geran drones and continues to use them in later models.
The original markings on Western-made components have been removed with lasers, he added: “By removing the markings, they conceal the batch number, which could be used to trace the particular supply chain, who the components reached, and through whom they ended up in Russia.”
I don’t know how many times this report has been edited. But it seems one version alluded to chips made by Texas Instruments. To quote,
The teardown also revealed that the jet’s brain used Texas Instruments chips (markings scraped off, logos still readable).
Similar things have been said about Iran’s Shahed drones, on which the Geran is based.
I have repeatedly said that Russia is run out of Western capitals, and they continue to throw lifeline after lifeline to it. On the other hand, modern China is a more successful project of Phoenician neocolonialism. Instead of throwing lifelines at it, China is throwing lifelines at other faltering Phoenician projects, such as modern Iran. In 2026, they sent over a thousand shipments of missile and drone parts to Iran.
