Iran displays new homemade drone
By Sara Rajabova
Iran has showcased its latest homemade state-of-the-art unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) Ababil 3 which can be used in reconnaissance operations.
The Ababil 3 was put on display in the seventh International Aviation Industry Exhibition being held in the southern island of Kish on November 18, Press TV reported.
The latest UAV has a flight endurance of eight hours and effective operational radius of 250 kilometers. The UAV can fly at an altitude of 15,000 feet and transmit images simultaneously to ground control stations or any other platforms.
In recent years, Iran has made great achievements in defense sector and attained self-sufficiency in producing essential military equipment and systems.
Several days ago, the footage of the Iranian version of a U.S. drone which was brought down some three years ago and later reverse-engineered by Iranian experts has been released.
Iran put into operation a final version of the sophisticated U.S. RQ-170 stealth aircraft, which was downed with minimal damage by the Iranian Armed Forces’ electronic warfare unit in December, 2011, while flying over the Iranian city of Kashmar, some 225 kilometers (140 miles) from the Afghan border.
The domestically produced version of the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) made a successful maiden flight a few days ago the footage of which has just been released.
Iran has also unveiled its first domestically-manufactured long-range combat drone, the Karrar (Striker), on August 23, 2010. Since then the country has manufactured a variety of other high-tech surveillance and combat unmanned aerial vehicles.
Iran has recently taken great strides in defense sector and attained self-sufficiency in producing essential military equipment and systems. Iran has so far unveiled various domestically produced drones, including Ababil, Fotros, Hazem, Karrar (long range attack drone), Mohajer, Sarir, Shahed 129, Yasir and Zohal.
Iran has also conducted several military drills to enhance the defense capabilities of its armed forces and to test modern military tactics and equipment.
Since 1992, Iran has manufactured its own tanks, armored personnel carriers, missiles, radars, boats, submarines and fighter planes. Tehran has frequently announced that its military might poses no threat to other countries, stating that its defense doctrine is based on deterrence.