BRP-Rotax light aircraft engines are at the center of a mysterious and unusual wave of flights around the world.
As we revealed last month, Ukrainians have recovered a nearly intact Russian air combat drone. It was an Iranian-made Mohajer-6 powered by a Bombardier Recreational Products Rotax 912iS engine. These engines are also in another Iranian drone, the Shahed-129.
This is probably not Iran’s only way of acquiring them, but since 2000 more than 130 Rotax 912 engines and six Rotax 914 engines have been stolen, mostly in Europe.
In carefully planned operations, highly professional thieves thwart airport security. They select engines with low flight hours and are adept at quickly removing them from aircraft. All superfluous parts are left behind, including the propellers. They are useless for Iranian drones, whose propellers are propulsive. The engine placed behind the fuselage propels the aircraft. In conventional light aircraft, the propeller pulls the aircraft. As if they knew what type of aircraft these engines are installed in.
Theft of engines to avoid sanctions
Like Russia and North Korea, Iran has a large network dedicated to clandestine acquisition of various military equipment. The country faces sanctions from Canada, the United States, the European Union and the United Nations, particularly over its nuclear research and repeated human rights abuses.
Great Britain ranks first with 36 flights powered by Rotax engines. In 2016 alone, five of these engines were stolen there in a single week. A total of 18 Rotax engines disappeared there this year alone. Germany follows Great Britain with 31 stolen Rotax engines.
The military-related site War Zone – The Drive reports that in Germany in 2014, two Iranians were accused of smuggling for attempting to export 61 light aircraft engines used to power drones. They hid the true nature of the exported products, claiming they were snowmobile motors. Thefts of Rotax 912 engines are also reported in Norway.
Iranian drones powered by Rotax engines have been shot down in multiple conflicts from Armenia to Libya. On October 27, one of them, a Mohajer-6, which was attacking elements of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (Kurdish opposition in Iran) near Erbil, Iraq, was shot down by the Americans. At least nine civilians were reportedly killed by the rocket fire.
The coveted Rotax
This epidemic of Rotax engine thefts has prompted owners of so-equipped aircraft to post advice on discussion sites to hide GPS signals in Rotax engines to facilitate their searches.
The Rotax 912 has been in production since 1989 and is one of the most popular aircraft engines in the light aircraft market with over 50,000 units sold.
