Iran Unveils Drone Reportedly Capable of Striking Israel

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Facts

  • Iran's Defense Ministry on Tuesday unveiled a new unmanned attack drone that it claimed is capable of striking targets in Israel during a ceremony marking Defense Industry Day attended by Iranian Pres. Ebrahim Raisi and senior military officials.1
  • The advanced, domestically produced aircraft, dubbed Mohajer-10, can carry twice the payload of the Mohajer-6 drone at 300 kg (660 pounds) and boasts a flight range of 2K km (1.2K mi) with a flight duration of up to 24 hours, Iranian state media reported.2
  • While Tehran claims the drone is capable of carrying all types of 'ammunition and bombs' in addition to 'electronic warfare and intelligence systems,' a video released by Iranian media displays the drone along with a text in Hebrew saying, 'Prepare your shelters' [also translated as 'Prepare your bunkers' according to some sources].3
  • According to Iran's president, the drone's presentation proved Iran is an 'advanced and technologic nation.' Raisi went on to say that Tehran seeks friendly international relations, but will firmly counter any invasion attempt against the Islamic Republic, state media reported.4
  • During Tuesday's event, the air-launched Arman-1 guided bomb was also introduced, and deliveries of the 'Khorramshahr' and 'Haj Qassem' strategic missiles to the Aerospace Forces of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps commenced.5
  • The presentation of the Mohajer-10 comes after Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed on Monday that Tehran funded and sponsored a series of recent deadly attacks against Israelis.6

Sources: 1Al Jazeera, 2Reuters, 3Jns.org, 4Eurasiantimes, 5Tehran times and 6Haaretz.com.

Narratives

  • Anti-Iran narrative, as provided by Jerusalem post. The Iranian media is mainly spreading propaganda. Not only is the Mohajer-10 only about half as fast as the US Reaper drone, but it also has only a quarter of the payload of its US counterpart. The Mohajer-10 is not a game changer but rather proves, yet again, that Tehran is still a decade or two behind what competitors such as the US, China, and Israel have been able to develop in recent years. Iran poses a growing threat, but it's not from its drones.
  • Pro-Iran narrative, as provided by Presstv. Iran's Mohajer-10 yet again underscores that, despite sanctions, the Islamic Republic is capable of making impressive strides in military technology and producing all the defense equipment needed by its armed forces. The Mohajer-10 may not be state-of-the-art, but Iran is rapidly advancing the development of fifth-generation combat drones as part of its drone program. Israel and the US should brace for future surprises from Iranian engineers.

Predictions