TEHRAN - Brigadier General Aziz Nasirzadeh, the commander of the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF), announced on Sunday that Iran is among the five leading countries in manufacturing drones.

“We are among the top regional countries in manufacturing drones and using unmanned aircrafts,” Nasirzadeh told a press conference.

He added, “We are moving on this path, conforming to updated standards in the world.” 

Iran’s Army took delivery of a “massive number” of reconnaissance and combat drones on Saturday.

Defense Minister Amir Hatami announced that a “massive number” of multirole, reconnaissance and combat UAVs, as well as Karrarr and Ababil-3 drones produced by the Aircraft Manufacturing Industrial Company (HESA) has been delivered to the Army’s Air Force and Air Defense.

The delivered drones will cover an important section of Air Defense and Air Force operations and can be used as target planes as well as for deception on the enemy’s air defense networks, he explained.

Hatami said the multirole drones have a speed of 900 km/h and a range of 1000 km, and can be deployed for a duration of 180 minutes without interruption at an altitude of 40,000–45,000 feet.

Ababil-3 drones are mid-range combat drones with the capability of carrying various electro-optic and combat equipment, he said.

The defense chief added that the drones are mainly used for gathering and transmitting optical data and can also be deployed for combat operations with an operation range of 150 km.

Hatami also said that jet-powered Karrar drones have the capability of carrying and dropping loads and have been upgraded to add combat and self-destruction capabilities.

NA/PA