Mass delivery of strategic drones boosts Iranian Army’s combat power

A large number of homegrown unmanned aerial vehicles suited for various military operations joined the Iranian Army’s fleet on January 23.

In a ceremony attended by Army Commander Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi and Defence Minister Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Ashtiani, the new combat, reconnaissance, suicide, interceptor and radar drones were delivered to Army units, Tasnim News reports.

Manufactured by Defence Ministry experts, the UAVs include multipurpose strategic Ababil-4 and Ababil-5 drones that can be employed in reconnaissance operations, patrol missions, electronic warfare, data gathering, and aerial combat.

The Army has also received new Arash drones that can carry out suicide operations in long ranges with pinpoint accuracy.

The fleet of Karrar jet drones will be also utilized in a broad range of air defense operations at high altitudes.

The new UAVs have been furnished with self-protection and anti-electronic warfare systems, homegrown multiple navigation instruments, precision strike smart weapons, and up-to-date features that integrate them into other network-based weapon and operation systems.

Karrar is the first Iranian military drone that has set a service ceiling record by reaching an altitude of 47,000 feet. It has given radar or radio warnings to foreign aircraft that have been approaching Iran’s coastal waters or its flight information region (FIR).

Known as an advanced interceptor drone, Karrar is among the new generation of Iran’s jet drones, configured to intercept the enemy’s flying objects.