Iranian drones: British universities have contributed to their development
A shocking report reported by The Telegraph and JC has highlighted how British universities have, in part, helped develop Iranian "suicide drones". Not only that, but some institutions have also helped develop technology that could be fitted to Iranian jets.
This has prompted calls on British Members of Parliament to step up existing bans on technology transfer to the Middle Eastern nation's leading regime.
“ At least 11 British universities, including Cambridge and Imperial College London, are involved and staff have produced at least 16 studies with potential Iranian military applications,” the JC reported. British government officials have expressed serious concern about the findings, and senior MPs and colleagues have echoed their sentiments. The British government spokesman made it clear that any collaboration that threatens national security will not be tolerated.
UK researchers have teamed up with Tehran to improve drone engines
Iranian drone engine
The UK has banned the export of military and "dual-use" technology to Iran and recently imposed further sanctions on Iranian individuals and organizations who have supplied kamikaze drones to Russia for use in Ukraine. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) controls Iran's arsenal of drones and missiles and is mounting pressure on the government to be designated a terrorist organization.
However, it has emerged that UK researchers have been working with Tehran to improve drone engines, increasing their altitude, speed and range. Another British university has teamed up with Iranian counterparts to test advanced control systems for jet engines, with the aim of improving their 'handling and response times' in 'military applications'.
For example, the JC found that researchers from Imperial College, Shahrood University of Technology and Ferdowsi University in Mashhad jointly produced a major UK-Iran research study on drone engines.
Imperial College researcher Ahmad Najjaran Kheirabadi participated in the study, which focused on improving the lightweight two-stroke engines that power drones. In particular, the study explored the benefits of installing a fuel injection system in these engines.
Research has also included the development of directed energy weapons for military use.
The upgraded propulsion system has several advantages, including high power, low fuel consumption, high resistance to flight, and tolerance to extreme environmental conditions. Notably, Russia is currently using the HESA Shahed 136 drone, also examined in the study, to attack Ukrainian targets.
Other research has involved the development of directed-energy military weapons, optical communications, and various other technologies that could prove useful for Iran's aerospace industry.
The JC also found that UK scientists have been collaborating with Iranian researchers to investigate the potential use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) as mobile base stations to extend the range of communications systems. They explored special alloys for military aircraft and coatings to improve armor platings. MPs have expressed concern about the way the research was conducted, given the harsh sanctions regime in place.
“It is clear that the IRGC (the Revolutionary Guards) controls Iran's drone programs and that these weapons are being used by the Russians in Putin's war against Ukraine,” Lord Polak, chairman of the Conservative Friends of Israel, said in response. to the news. “The fact that it is present in British universities is further proof – not that there is any need – that we should have banned the IRGC a long time ago ,” he added.
Former Conservative cabinet minister David Davis said: " There is little point in having a sanctions regime if the relevant government departments don't monitor and enforce it properly ."
“It should not be possible for researchers at British universities to effectively assist the Iranian state in upgrading its weapons systems which could be used against our allies or even against our own soldiers,” he added.
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The article Iranian drones: British universities have contributed to their development comes from Economic Scenarios .
This is a machine translation of a post published on Scenari Economici at the URL https://scenarieconomici.it/droni-iraniani-le-universita-britanniche-hanno-contribuito-al-loro-sviluppo/ on Mon, 12 Jun 2023 19:02:49 +0000.