Scientists at British universities helped the Iranian regime develop technology that can be used in its drone programme and fighter jets, a Jewish Chronicle investigation has revealed.
Senior MPs and peers expressed deep concern over the findings, with a government spokesperson saying Britain would “not accept collaborations which compromise our national security”.
At least 11 British universities, including Cambridge and Imperial College London, are involved, with staff producing at least 16 studies with potential Iranian military applications.
In one project researchers in Britain worked to improve drone engines, boosting their altitude, speed and range. It was funded by Tehran.
Another British university worked with Iranian counterparts to test sophisticated new control systems for jet engines, aimed at increasing their “manoeuvrability and response time” in “military applications”.
Other UK-based scientists have worked with Iran to research the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) as mobile base stations to extend the range of communications systems, on special alloys for military aircraft and coatings to upgrade armour plating.
Among the leading universities where work with Iran has taken place is Cranfield University, a research institution specialising in science, aerospace and engineering, which has a strategic partnership with the RAF.
Academics there and at other UK universities have co-authored academic papers that acknowledge a military application. Others are working alongside academics at Iranian universities that have been sanctioned by Britain, the US and the European Union.
One of the key pieces of UK-Iran research uncovered by the JC was jointly produced by Ahmad Najjaran Kheirabadi, a researcher at Imperial College, and scientists from Shahrood University of Technology and Ferdowsi University of Mashhad.
It examined upgrading the lightweight, two-stroke engines used to power drones, including its HESA Shahed 136, which is being used by Russia to attack Ukrainian targets.
The study examined the advantages of installing a fuel- injection system into such engines, saying the upgraded propulsion system “has benefits such as high power, low fuel consumption… high flight endurance, tolerance of extreme environmental conditions”.
It added: “In the modern world, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are widely in operation because of their key and important benefits, and they play a role in the military.”
It continued: “The UAV propulsion is a critical part, and its mission is to overcome the drag to maintain the speed of the UAV and accelerate it, as well as to overcome the gravity to the rising UAV.”
The research, published in March 2019, was “supported by” Iran’s Ministry of Science, Research and Technology, whose former minister, Kamran Daneshjoo, and the current deputy minister, Mohammad Nouri, are both on the UK sanctions list.
An expert on Iran’s military, Farzin Nadimi, senior fellow at the Washington Institute, said Imperial College’s research could have significant military applications. The 30-horsepower engine discussed in the paper could be used in smaller drones, he said.
A second key piece of research — a joint study between the Centre for Propulsion Engineering at Cranfield University and the Iranian University of Science and Technology, Tehran — is also under the spotlight.
Despite having close ties with the UK Ministry of Defence, Cranfield examined the “military applications” of advanced systems known as “fuzzy controllers” in turbojet engines alongside the Iranians.
The 2021 study says: “This controller enables the engine for better manoeuvrability, which is an important aspect for military and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) applications.” The research, it added, “confirms the feasibility of the designed controllers for real-world applications”, and “is an appropriate candidate for control of the next generation of military aero-engines”.
It was carried out by Dr Soheil Jafari, a lecturer in Gas Turbine Thermal Management and Control at Cranfield, and Tehran-based Seyed Jalal Mohammadi Doulabi Fard.
Dr Jafari was previously an assistant professor at the Sharif University of Technology in Tehran, Iran’s top technology research institute, which has been on the UK sanctions list since 2012 due to its links to Iran’s nuclear programme.
Nadimi said that Iranian universities have played a “significant role” in the nation’s drone warfare programme since the mid-1980s.
He said: “All engineering faculties receive good funding for drone research. The IRGC have prioritised drone research for several years. Almost all of these universities have signed contracts with the IRGC or the Ministry of Defence for military-related research.”
He added: “Almost all Iranian drones are powered by two-stroke engines, including the Shahed-136, which is extensively used in the Ukrainian war. With regards to drone development, Iran is known to have developed several two-stroke engines… Both suicide and reconnaissance drones use them.”
British sanctions law prohibits the transfer of both military and “dual use” technology to Iran or anyone “connected” with it. It also bans what the regulations call “technical assistance” in the “development, production, assembly [and] testing” of restricted technology, and “any other technical service”.
Source: The Jewish Chronicle