Czech Drone Engine Manufacturer PBS Denies Allegations Regarding Presence of Its Products in Iranian Attack Drones
The company has been accused of its engines being found in Iranian UAVs that have been used against Ukraine. In an official response to an inquiry by IsraelDefense, the company categorically denies the allegations.
Ami Rojkes Dombe
| 12/02/2024
Czech Drone Engine Manufacturer PBS has recently been mentioned on social media amid allegations that one of its engines was installed in an Iranian UAV of the Shahed-238 type found in Ukraine.
According to the information published on Telegram, it is the company’s TJ150 engine, which is capable of reaching speeds of up to 520 km/h during the attack phase.
Following the publication, I reached out to the company to obtain a response to the allegations. A response letter was received on February 8, 2024, signed by the CEO and Chairman of the Board - Milan Macholan. The full response is as follows.
“Recent reports in Ukrainian, Czech and other international media have spread misinformation that the Iranian Shahed-238 drone, used by Russia in airstrikes against Ukraine, is powered by a PBS jet engine, based on photographs of debris from one of the drones, some media have speculated that a PBS TJ150 turbojet engine may power the drone.
“PBS strongly refutes these claims.
“In 2020, after Iranian drone attacks on Saudi Arabia, it was confirmed that Iranian-made engines are visually similar to PBS engines but are not manufactured by PBS. This was officially confirmed by the UN Panel of Experts in a publicly available report.
“The allegations in the Ukrainian media outlet Defense Express articles are not a mistake but a deliberate attack on PBS. PBS supplies engines for the defense of Ukraine, and these attacks aim to damage PBS’s credibility with Western customers, which is in the interest of the Russian intelligence network.
“We categorically deny any involvement in this case. No evidence suggests that the PBS engine is used in the Shahed-238 drone.
“An article published on February 8, 2024, in the well-respected Czech newspaper Hospodarske Noviny quotes an unnamed source from the Czech security community as saying that the engine is not Czech-made. The source suggests the allegations may be part of an effort to discredit Czech arms supplies to Ukraine.”
The company has been accused of its engines being found in Iranian UAVs that have been used against Ukraine. In an official response to an inquiry by IsraelDefense, the company categorically denies the allegations.
Czech Drone Engine Manufacturer PBS has recently been mentioned on social media amid allegations that one of its engines was installed in an Iranian UAV of the Shahed-238 type found in Ukraine.
According to the information published on Telegram, it is the company’s TJ150 engine, which is capable of reaching speeds of up to 520 km/h during the attack phase.
Following the publication, I reached out to the company to obtain a response to the allegations. A response letter was received on February 8, 2024, signed by the CEO and Chairman of the Board - Milan Macholan. The full response is as follows.
“Recent reports in Ukrainian, Czech and other international media have spread misinformation that the Iranian Shahed-238 drone, used by Russia in airstrikes against Ukraine, is powered by a PBS jet engine, based on photographs of debris from one of the drones, some media have speculated that a PBS TJ150 turbojet engine may power the drone.
“PBS strongly refutes these claims.
“In 2020, after Iranian drone attacks on Saudi Arabia, it was confirmed that Iranian-made engines are visually similar to PBS engines but are not manufactured by PBS. This was officially confirmed by the UN Panel of Experts in a publicly available report.
“The allegations in the Ukrainian media outlet Defense Express articles are not a mistake but a deliberate attack on PBS. PBS supplies engines for the defense of Ukraine, and these attacks aim to damage PBS’s credibility with Western customers, which is in the interest of the Russian intelligence network.
“We categorically deny any involvement in this case. No evidence suggests that the PBS engine is used in the Shahed-238 drone.
“An article published on February 8, 2024, in the well-respected Czech newspaper Hospodarske Noviny quotes an unnamed source from the Czech security community as saying that the engine is not Czech-made. The source suggests the allegations may be part of an effort to discredit Czech arms supplies to Ukraine.”
