TEHRAN (Iran News) – The Islamic Republic of Iran in recent decades has progressed significantly in different industries, and drone is one of them which Iran has notably managed to progress in it and now the country has become one of the world powers in producing different types of drones, either military or civilian ones.
In recent weeks most Western countries and media outlets have claimed that Iran is supplying offensive drones to Russia in order to use them in Ukraine, whether it is true or not, this claim is another proof to Iran’s progress in this industry which has frightened the West because only few countries are active in this industry and now Iran has joined the group and it is now one of the dominating force in drone industry. Iran has mastered the process of producing state-of-the-art drones, something that has added another element to Iran’s military prowess.
Iran’s drone capabilities are nothing new. Over the last decade, Iran, thanks to its native scientists, has succeeded in developing a full range of combat, reconnaissance, and surveillance drones. The latest major achievement in this regard was unveiled earlier this month when the Iranian Army’s navy inaugurated Iran’s first drone carrier which included a variety of modern and advanced types of drones all produced and manufactured by Iranian experts in the Army and the Ministry of Defense.
A couple of weeks ago The New York Times cited Iranian media outlets, satellite images and U.S. defense experts to suggest that Tehran is trying to increase its influence in the drone market. Iranian state media quoted the head of the military, Brig. Gen. Kioumars Heydari, as saying Tehran is “ready to export weapons and military equipment to friendly countries,” and its drones are already “being operated far away and beyond our borders.”
The report claimed that Iran has stepped up the production of military-capable drones, delivering its technology to militant groups across the Middle East as well as to countries such as Venezuela and Sudan which has worried the U.S.
On Monday, a senior commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) said Iran has become an exporter of military drones in the world and that the country holds the upper hand in aerospace.
Brigadier General Amir-Ali Hajizadeh, the commander of the IRGC’s Aerospace Division, made the remark at a ceremony as he hailed the significant growth and rapid progress in Iran’s military and air defense capabilities.
“In the military field, we did not have in the past the capabilities that we enjoy today. In the past, we imported barbed wire, but now we export drones. Undoubtedly, this path has been developed by establishing a relationship between knowledge-based departments, universities and academic elites,” Hajizadeh said.
With Iran’s drones assuming a high position in the country’s defense strategy, the West moved to portray them as a threat. The first step in this regard was taken by U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan who alleged that Iran was mulling supplying Russia with drones amid the ongoing war in Ukraine. “Our information indicates that the Iranian government is preparing to provide Russia with up to several hundred [unmanned aerial vehicles], including weapons-capable UAVs on an expedited timeline,” Sullivan claimed. “It’s unclear whether Iran has delivered any of these UAVs to Russia already.”
“In the aerospace division, we initially invested in the research sector so that we could overcome obstacles, which gave Iran superiority in the aerospace industry, and we heard many times that the Western states said the priority in the negotiations [on revival of the 2015 nuclear deal] was limiting our drones and missile power,” he added.
In April, the IRGC’s new combat drone, called Gaza, successfully passed flight tests and became fully operational. The unmanned aerial vehicle has a 21-meter wingspan and a 3,100-kilogram takeoff mass with the capability of carrying a payload of 500 kg.
The previous month, the IRGC unveiled one of its new kamikaze drones, dubbed Me’raj 504, which is specialized in attacking enemy’s defense systems. The unmanned aerial vehicle has been designed and produced by the IRGC’s Ground Force and is capable of carrying a 2.5kg explosive payload over 100 kilometers.
The Islamic Republic’s military doctrine holds that the country’s armed capability solely serves defensive purposes and poses no threat to other states.
The West and predominantly the U.S. has tried to restrict Iran’s progress in defense industry and even it has tried to set condition during the JCPOA revival talks for restricting activities in missile and drone industry which has been strongly rejected by Tehran.
Drone is one of many progresses of the Islamic Republic of Iran which has been achieved in recent decades and now it can turn into a strong weapon in fight with bullying countries, mainly the U.S. or any country which intends any vicious act against Tehran.
According to the Western media, Iran now can turn into a drone exporting country and this is something which is painful for the West to swallow it because this achievement has been attained while the country has been under the maximum economic pressures but Iranians have proved this point that if there is a will there is a way, and now after achievement in drone and missile industries, Iran eyes boosting its dominance in the space by sending advanced satellites into the orbit and this will be also a thorn in the eyes of hostile countries and will be materialized sooner or later no matter the U.S. and its allies dislike it and try to stop it.
