Chinese engines for russian Garpiya-A1 strike drones are being supplied to the russian federation under the guise of "industrial cooling units" in order to circumvent Western sanctions.
This is stated in the investigation of the Reuters agency, citing documents and sources in European special services.
These are L550E aircraft engines manufactured by Xiamen Limbach Aviation Engine Co. After the introduction of restrictions, they began to be exported through a shell company Beijing Xichao International, where they are designated as "cooling units" in customs documents. In russia, these engines first go to the SMP-138 gasket company, then to LIBSS, and finally to the Kupol defense plant.
According to Reuters, the supply involves Chinese airlines Sichuan Airlines and China Southern Airlines, which have been delivering components to sanctioned enterprises in the russian federation since October 2024.
By 2025, the Kupol plant plans to produce 6,000 Garpiya-A1 drones, three times more than last year. By April, the russian Defense Ministry had already received more than 1,500 of these devices, and about 500 of them are launched at targets in Ukraine every month, Ukrainian intelligence reports.
The Garpiya-A1 is a version of the Iranian Shahed-136 adapted to Chinese components. According to the investigation, some Chinese components are supplied with the knowledge of official Beijing or with its tacit consent. At the same time, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said that it knew nothing about such supplies and added that it opposed "unilateral sanctions not based on international law."
Meanwhile, russia is improving its drones. A new russian drone, similar to a smaller version of the Shahed, may indicate russia's plans to convert some drones to radio control and ensure data exchange between them.
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