Iranian Army officials inspect the more than 200 long-range strategic drones that reportedly arrived on Thursday, April 20. (Image source: Twitter)
A new development unfolded for Iran’s drone program, as its Army received more than 200 new strategic drones equipped with strike capabilities and electronic warfare systems.
State media Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported Thursday that the Iranian Army received “more than 200 long-range strategic” unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) from Defense Minister Mohammad-Reza Ashtiani as part of the country’s effort to enhance its combat readiness.
IRNA said these drones were initially designed and intended to perform various combat missions, such as “surveillance, radar evasion, detection, interception, and combat, among other things.”
Moreover, modifications to these UAVs will enable its forces to conduct strike missions, utilizing them as a platform for lethal munitions, including air-to-air and air-to-surface missiles, standoff, and smart bombs, as well as electronic warfare systems capable of disrupting or disabling enemy communications on the battlefield.
Iran’s army receives 200+ long-range combat drones
A new development unfolded for Iran’s drone program, as its Army received more than 200 new strategic drones equipped with strike capabilities and electronic warfare systems.
State media Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported Thursday that the Iranian Army received “more than 200 long-range strategic” unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) from Defense Minister Mohammad-Reza Ashtiani as part of the country’s effort to enhance its combat readiness.
IRNA said these drones were initially designed and intended to perform various combat missions, such as “surveillance, radar evasion, detection, interception, and combat, among other things.”
Moreover, modifications to these UAVs will enable its forces to conduct strike missions, utilizing them as a platform for lethal munitions, including air-to-air and air-to-surface missiles, standoff, and smart bombs, as well as electronic warfare systems capable of disrupting or disabling enemy communications on the battlefield.
Iran’s army receives 200+ long-range combat drones
During the turnover ceremony, Ashtiani said the ministry has long recognized the vital role of drones in modern warfare. Therefore, it has been ramping up investment in similar programs to produce and empower its forces with different types of UAVs.
The recent procurement indicates an increased ability of Iran to conduct military operations and potentially carry out targeted strikes against its adversaries.
Despite sanctions imposed by the United States and European Union to stop Iran from further advancing its drone program, Tehran appears to persistently continue its agenda. Not to mention its arms transaction with Russia, allegedly sending dozens of its cheap UAVs to support Moscow’s aggression against Ukraine. These drones have been used in various strike missions, destroying infrastructures across Ukrainian soil and killing its people.
Hunting Down Iran’s Support Network
Prior to the IRNA report, the US Treasury Department issued a statement Wednesday announcing its efforts to target a procurement network supporting Iran’s drone and military programs.
According to Reuters, the agency will impose sanctions on companies and suppliers traced to China, Iran, and elsewhere to discourage Tehran from further pursuing the program.
Companies added to the blocklist include the head of Iran’s Pardazan System Namad Arman (PASNA) and its front entities based in Iran, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and China, which all had been operating to procure goods and technology on behalf of the already barred PASNA.
“The network sanctioned today has procured goods and technology for the Iranian government and its defense industry and UAV program,” said Brian Nelson, the Treasury’s Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, in the statement.
The sanction includes prohibiting Americans from dealing with these companies alongside freezing any of its US assets. Those found associated with them risk being sanctioned as well.
“Treasury will continue to enforce its sanctions against Iran’s military procurement efforts that contribute to regional insecurity and global instability,” Nelson added.
Tensions have been brewing between the US and Iran in recent years, especially after the attempt to revive the 2015 nuclear deal hit a roadblock. Aside from the failed nuclear deal, the already strained relationship between the Islamic Republic and the West continued to dwindle due to other factors characterized by a long history of disputes and disagreements.
More New Toys for Tehran
Shortly after the news dropped about welcoming over 200 latest strategic UAVs in the Iranian Army, Tehran subsequently “flaunts and taunts” the West and its neighbor enemies with its new air-launched reconnaissance and loitering munition on Friday.
A series of images and footage emerged online posted by Iranian media showcasing a fleet of Bell AH-1J Cobra attack helicopters and Bell 206 light utility helicopters equipped with the loitering drone during a military parade rehearsal.
According to earlier reports, this lethal munition is dubbed the Meraj-532 kamikaze drone, which was previously seen fired using a car as a launch platform.
An official fact sheet about its specifications has yet to be published, but some reports concluded that the Meraj-532 was derived from another Iranian-made drone, the Shahed-136. Moreover, it contains a swiveling electro-optical system, suggesting that light tactical reconnaissance is among its planned mission.
Analysts also noted some of the drone’s prominent features, which indicated that it is likely a loitering munition, such as “the placement of its electric motor, retractable wings, and overall rectangular cube shape.” Some further speculated that Iran might be using these types of drones in swarms—meaning that many UAVs could be launched simultaneously—potentially from multiple tubes in boxes. Using cheap yet capable drones in large numbers could effectively overwhelm an enemy’s defenses and cause significant damage, which seems to be the concept Tehran has been trying to achieve with its drone program.
Going back to the loitering drone’s latest launch platform—yes, those are American-built helicopters acquired by Iran in the 1970s, before the Islamic Revolution.
Shortly after the end of monarch Reza Shah Pahlavi’s reign and the rise of aggression in Tehran, the US began to bar the country from procuring spare parts to repair and maintain these aircraft. Instead of heeding the conditions the West set, Iran took the long, difficult route of kickstarting its own tech industry and, one by one, began to reverse engineer the parts needed domestically. Obviously, this attempt has been an epic fail.
Nonetheless, other military programs done by Iran have undeniably been fruitful, even achieving a point where it’s allegedly making an arms deal with Russia and sustaining the latter’s special military operation in Ukraine with dozens and dozens of kamikaze drones.
Will Iran send these new UAVs to Russia for a real-life field test? Watch the video below!
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