Shahed-238. Photo: Iranian Ministry of Defense
Investigations
In late 2023, the first reports emerged that Ukraine had shot down a Shahed-238 drone equipped with a jet engine. As The Insider later discovered, Russia has purchased American-made Swiwin engines assembled in China for use in such drones. However, the small scale of the purchases, along with the unambiguous comments in customs data, suggest that the engines were purchased so that they could be reverse-engineered by Russian entities interested in copying the technology and establishing mass production domestically. The company that purchased the engines, Angar-22, is linked to pro-Kremlin oligarch Oleg Deripaska and is already under sanctions. When The Insider reached out to Swiwin USA regarding the purchase of its engines by a sanctioned Russian company, a representative responded: “Hey man, didn’t you know the sky is falling? Don’t look down.”
In 2024, the sanctioned Russian company LLC Angar-22 purchased Swiwin SW400Pro and SW240B turbojet engines. Swiwin engines are typically used in model aircraft, but recent reports also provide evidence that a Chinese-manufactured Swiwin SW800Pro engine had been fitted to a Russian rocket-powered munition (specifically the УМПБ-5Р) that struck the Ukrainian city of Poltava earlier this month.
A less powerful type of Swiwin engine appears to have served as the inspiration for the jet-powered Shahed-238 drone (Geran-3 according to the Russian terminology). As The Insider discovered, in 2025 Russia imported roughly $300,000 worth of SW400PRO and SW240B engines from China. The imports were handled, among other companies, by the manufacturer itself: Swiwin Turbojet Equipment Co. Ltd. Although $300,000 is sufficient to buy only a few dozen engines — clearly not enough for use in the mass production of drones — customs data indicate that LLC Angar-22 purchased the Swiwin engines “for research and development purposes, for disassembly and study.” In other words, for reverse engineering.
LLC Angar-22 is a Moscow-based company specializing in the production of aircraft.
Swiwin SW800Pro engine from a Shahed
Telegram channel of Ukrainian military expert Serhii “Flash” Beskrestnov
The Insider was able to independently verify the information on reverse engineering with sources familiar with the project. One source confirmed that the Swiwin engines were purchased, disassembled, and used as part of an effort to reproduce a similar product at scale.
Anatoly Khrapchinsky, a military equipment expert, explained to The Insider how to make a lower-rated engine operate at higher power:
“The engine can be ‘boosted’ in a simple, straightforward way if you don’t have to worry about service life. The main thing is to change the control unit’s settings so the engine runs ‘at maximum’: when starting with a solid-fuel booster, make a soft start and then push it harder after the booster burns out; when dropped from an aircraft, preheat the system, start the engine smoothly, then abruptly bring it to full power.
Additionally, you could increase fuel flow for a short-term thrust boost, allow higher maximum revolutions per minute, speed up the transition to maximum power while adapting the profile to the launch method, and remove some of the protective and temperature limits so the engine is not ‘braked’ by safety systems. This produces noticeably more thrust, but the engine wears out quickly — literally within a few hours. Still, this scheme is ideal for single-use or short combat missions where power is the main priority.”
The current ownership data on LLC Angar-22 is classified, potentially indicating the company's “strategic importance.” Older records from Russia’s Unified State Register of Legal Entities (YEGRUL) reveal that it was established by the joint-stock company KrasKo, which has been linked to oligarch Oleg Deripaska. Other KrasKo subsidiaries include: the Design, Survey, and Research Institute of Air Transport (formerly a state-owned entity); LLC KrasInvest (which has a stake in the partially state-run JSC Vostochnye Vorota Strany on Sakhalin); and LLC Development Corporation Yug-Invest, which is also described as a Deripaska-affiliated entity.
Angar-22 has already come under U.S. sanctions for purchasing the Chinese version of Limbach engines, which were also used in Shaheds.
Swiwin USA (CRX Turbines/Swiwin USA) was founded and is owned by American businessman Andrew L. Fioretti, according to the “About Us” section of the company’s website that was active until recently. However, after The Insider sent questions to Swiwin USA about the drones, that page was deleted. Fortunately, an archived version remains accessible.
Since 2013, a China-based manufacturing company named Swiwin Turbojet Equipment Co. Ltd. has been operating under the same brand name and logo as the American firm. The Insider sent inquiries to both Swiwin Turbojet Equipment Co. Ltd. and Swiwin USA.
The Chinese company responded as follows (spelling and grammar preserved): “There are many dealer in the world, they claim swiwin usa, swiwin europe, swiwin xxx (country) but they are all just a local dealer The swiwin company locate in china, that is the original company, and not investment any other dealers.”
Swiwin USA responded to the email with the following message: “Hey dude did you know that the sky is falling? Don’t look down…” The Insider then attempted to reach the company’s representatives via phone, receiving in reply a text message reading: “We make wonton soup.”
In 2019, a post on an “RC Universe” forum published by a user registered under Fioretti’s email address and identifying himself as “Andy” explained that his company had rules limiting the sale of spare parts to individual customers, a policy meant to shield the firm from liability: “If you fly a plane and someone gets seriously hurt and it turns out to be a failure of the engine, I guarantee you there are attorneys that may look to capitalize on this. If I sell parts to someone that has no clue what they are doing and they get hurt as a result, someone can file suit. As a business owner, it can cost thousands just to respond to a legal suit regardless of whether a case is viable or not.”
LLC Angar-22 is a Moscow-based company specializing in the production of aircraft.