TEHRAN – The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Ground Force has successfully tested a new drone capable of carrying and dropping a 7-kilogram bomb. 

The new multirotor bomber drone is designed and developed in a project known as “Arbaeen,” according to Tasnim. 

The multicopter was designed, developed, and produced by experts from the Self-Sufficiency Jihad Organization of the IRGC.

This lightweight rotorcraft has the capability to carry a 7-kilogram bomb and drop it on a target from an altitude of 500 meters.

Moreover, the new IRGC drone can simultaneously carry and launch 10 small missiles, targeting various objectives.

This vertical takeoff and landing aircraft is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) equipped with more than two engines for vertical ascent. Such aircraft are suitable options for special operations units due to their ability to operate in any terrain and their ease of use.

Terrorist groups operating in the country's northwestern and southeastern borders often exploit hard-to-reach areas for their activities. Therefore, the deployment of such equipment, which is capable of executing missions in various geographical conditions and is cost-effective compared to other methods, is a suitable choice for the IRGC ground force.

The testing of the new bomber drone came a few days after the IRGC unveiled Iran’s first hypersonic missile a few days ago. 

Iran formally unveiled its first domestically built hypersonic missile on June 6 in a ceremony attended by Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and a number of high-ranking military officials, including IRGC Aerospace Force Commander Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh.

The missile, named Fattah by Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, is the latest state-of-the-art projectile in the Iranian missile arsenal. It has a spherical engine running on solid fuel with a movable nozzle that allows the missile to move in all directions, according to Tasnim.

With a range of 1,400 kilometers, Fattah can complicate the functionality of any type of missile defense system. General Hajizadeh said the homegrown hypersonic ballistic missile has undergone all tests.

The new missile can penetrate all air defense missile systems and detonate the enemy’s anti-missile systems, he added.

Describing the production of the projectile as a “huge leap” in Iran’s missile industry, the commander said the missile can maneuver below and above the Earth’s atmosphere at a speed of Mach 13.

Fattah is a new disaster for many bragged-about Western missile defense systems. Iranian media said that the new missile can penetrate any such systems. Tasnim described it as the “killer” of missile defense systems.