Russia receives a hard blow in the drone war as the quality of its engines is declining

Russia receives a hard blow in the drone war as the quality of its engines is declining

The data speaks for itself: banking profits in the country fell 8% in 2025, to $45 billion. The event occurs after the government’s disproportionate and irresponsible investment in national defense.

The economic decline is reflected on the battlefield. They are becoming more and more recurrent, tales such as airfields, ships and heavy weapons.

The Kremlin is gradually and this situation is becoming visible over time. It should be remembered that the Asian country is one of the main suppliers of weapons to Moscow.

The French medium, iReports that Russian-owned drones are increasingly defective. Both China and Russia have decided to manufacture their own versions of the Shahed-136, a drone of Iranian origin.

However, , “They usually do not exceed four or five hours of flight, barely enough for one or two flights”says said media.

Quantity over quality

The engine problem originates from the MD550, a four-cylinder piston engine that powers “Since 2024, Russian engineers are said to have radically simplified the design of such an engine,” manifests the same portal.

In this sense, it has expressed its clear intention to prioritize quantity over quality. Since by removing key components such as the starter motor and flywheel, Moscow has supposedly managed to slash costs and speed up mass production.

Current Russian and Chinese versions of the drone are increasingly deviating from civil aviation standards to become disposable military productssince after their first use they become completely obsolete.

source

News Room USA | LNG in Northern BC