Knockoff Iranian Kamikaze Drone Listed for Sale on Alibaba, Then Vanishes

A listing appeared on Chinese e-commerce site Alibaba advertising a drone modeled after an Iranian-made suicide drone used by Russia to attack Ukraine. 

After Motherboard reached out to the supplier, Shenzhen-based OEM Sunlipo, the drone was removed from its website and Alibaba. 

The XHZ-50 Fixed Wing UAV was listed at a price of $57,000. According to the spec sheet, the drone weighs just under 150 pounds, runs on gasoline, and can be controlled via remote control from up to six miles away. The XHZ-50 looks remarkably like the Shahed-136, a loitering munition manufactured by Iran and sold to Russia.

Kyiv claims that Russia has fired more than 3,000 of these suicide drones at Ukraine over the past two years. The drones are famous for being loud due to their gas powered engines and are easily shot down because they’re slow and hot, making them easy to see with thermal imaging gear. But they’re still deadly and Moscow has used them to hit military and civilian targets in Ukraine.

Motherboard could not verify that the XHZ-50 listing is authentic, because we do not have $57,000 to spend on Alibaba. Sunlipo asked us to connect on WhatsApp after being reached for comment. We put questions to them via the platform but have not heard back. 

Samuell Bendett, who studies drones at the Center for a New American Security think tank, told Motherboard that China has already advertised its own version of the Shahed-136. It’s called the Sunflower 200. 

“Not sure what this particular and obviously military drone ended up as on an online listing,” Bendett said. “Plus, you wouldn't be paying that much money for the airframe and not the actual warhead and munitions itself. Honestly, it’s kinda worrying that this listing is online, but it could also be a hoax.”

Fixed-wing UAVs have long been available to purchase online from different suppliers around the globe, including from U.S.-based companies. What sets this drone apart is its striking visual similarity to the Shahed-136. Sunlipo claims in its product description that the drone is for commercial use. 

Before the takedown, Sunlipo’s website showed three different models of fixed-wing drones available for purchase, including two with different nose and wingtip variations. They’re cheaper, just $46,000 each, and can only carry a payload of 44 lbs, compared to the XHZ-50’s 110 lb capacity. The drone’s full description is that it’s a “Fixed Wing Drone UAV 20KG Heavy Payload Drone with A Long Flight Time Heavy Load UAV Surveying Mapping Inspection.”

The apparent Shahed-136 knockoffs come in light at 150 pounds even compared to the Sunflower 200, which weighs 385 pounds. The Shahed-136 itself weighs a hefty 539 pounds.The XHZ-50 is also expensive. One of the benefits of the Shahed-136 is that Iran can manufacture and sell them so cheaply. Prices vary between models, but experts estimate that the Shahed’s only cost around $20,000.