TEHRAN – Experts at the Aerospace Division of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) have tested the engine of domestically developed drone Shahed 161. 

The unmanned aerial vehicle has an operational range of 150 kilometers, a flight endurance of 2 hours and a maximum flight altitude of 26 thousand feet. It is designed for reconnaissance, monitoring and combat missions. The Shahed 161 was first introduced years ago, but Iranians scientist and engineers have continued to tweak the weapon and incorporate new innovations. 

The test was conducted during an exhibition showcasing the achievements of the IRGC’s Aerospace Division at the National Aerospace Park.

At the exhibition, the IRGC also displayed advanced versions of other drones from the Shahed family, including the Shahed 131, Shahed 171, Shahed 191 and Shahed 238.

Iran deployed its domestically built drones alongside its missiles against Israel during the regime’s 12-day military aggression against the Islamic Republic back in June.

Iran’s advances in the domain of drone technology comes against the backdrop of illegal Western sanctions against the country.

How drones that top headlines came to be

Deprived of access to global defense markets, the Islamic Republic’s security establishment was forced to look inward over four decades ago after the Western-backed Shah was toppled. More than a political choice, it became a matter of strategic survival. National plans such as the Comprehensive Aerospace Development Program and the Sixth Five-Year Development Plan formalized that orientation, turning technological self-sufficiency into a guiding principle. From that pressure emerged a domestic drone industry adaptable, efficient, and capable of producing functional, affordable systems that combine simplicity, low cost, and operational effectiveness.

The drone thus became an answer to Iran’s structural defense dilemmas. It allows for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance at low cost; the projection of force without human casualties; and domestic production shielded from external constraints. 

The Shahed family embodies this philosophy: sufficient technology, mass production, and industrial resilience. In a world of global asymmetries, Iran has managed to turn scarcity into strategy and sanctions into incentives for innovation.

The role of Iranian drones cannot be understood without looking at the geopolitical chessboard on which Tehran’s strategy unfolds. Surrounded by U.S. military bases and facing regional rivals with privileged access to Western technology such as Saudi Arabia and Israel, Iran has articulated a doctrine of deterrence by denial, rooted in asymmetric warfare. Within this framework, UAVs have become the most versatile and effective instrument of its defensive posture.

Reports suggest Iranian drones have been sold to countries across Europe, Asia, Africa, and South America. Countries that cannot purchase the weapons from Tehran, like the U.S., have attempted to replicate the design, according to claims by American media.