Bloomberg: Iran’s better, stealthier drones are remaking global warfare

Iran's production of weapons continues to surge, with Iranian drones being actively employed against Ukrainians. Several countries have started emulating Tehran's designs.

In January, rebels fighting the Sudanese army downed a drone and shared a video online displaying the debris.

Bloomberg reported that the drone was modelled on Iran's Ababil and described it as the "workhorse" of paramilitary groups in the Middle East.

The Ababil has been extensively used in drone production since the 1990s. Sudan is modifying the Iranian drone into its own weapon and has named it the Zagel-3.

In the last two years, drones based on Iranian technology have started production in at least five countries, ranging from South America to Central Asia. Russia has also opened factories that manufacture Shaheds, which the Russians refer to as geraniums.

The proliferation of Iran's somewhat low-tech drones poses new risks to stability in the Middle East and is escalating tension across four continents.

Bloomberg writes that "Iran's drone diplomacy is generating foreign currency to finance its defence industry, strengthen its strategic alliances, and turn it into a potent arms dealer - capable of changing the nature of conflict globally."

Although Iran has repeatedly refuted claims that it sells drones to Russia, it acknowledged sending "a small number" ahead of the February 2022 invasion. According to the authors, drone sales are making Iran a player with growing ambitions, with the United States and its allies, such as Israel, attempting to counter Tehran.