3W International

"German officials imposed a ban on the sale of model aircraft engines to Iran after a shipment ended up in drones used by the Houthis in Yemen to attack Saudi Arabia.

'There was no indication that the engines would be delivered to Iran,' said Karsten Schudt, managing director of manufacturer 3W-International.

Iran has used German and Dutch precision-engineered small engines for more than a decade to boost its own drone production." (NWorld, "Germany stops Iran buying mini-engines after they were found in Houthi drones," 9/24/20) (https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/how-germany-was-drawn-to-iran-dual-use-drone-motors-for-yemen-houthis-643634)

'The most significant features of the Sammad-pattern UAV are its shape and its engine. It uses a 3W-110i B2 engine manufactured by 3W Moddellmoroten Weinhold GmbH in Hanau, Germany,' CAR noted.

Another report at Tagesshau in German also looks at the export of the motors. It notes that this 3W-110i B2 two-cylinder engine can be used in model airplanes that weigh around 20 kilos.

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Later, the engines would find their way onto drones in Yemen that can carry surveillance equipment or munitions. The German report notes that the “Federal Republic of Germany  imposes special precautionary measures on goods that can be for both civilian and military uses.” (The Jerusalem Post, "How Germany was drawn to Iran 'dual-use' drone motors for Yemen Houthis," 9/28/20) (https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/how-germany-was-drawn-to-iran-dual-use-drone-motors-for-yemen-houthis-643634)

"A [German] CAR [Conflict Armament Research] report in February 2020 on the evolution of UAVs used by Houthis in Yemen documented the engines that originated in Germany. One shipment of 21 engines was sent to Athens in June 2015 and ended up in Iran.