Iran has showcased much of its country’s newest drone capabilities during its Army Day Parade today in Tehran. In the article, I am going to touch upon each weapons system that was seen and provide some details into the system if know. Before I begin, here is some footage from the parade itself:
The Iranian Army's drones were paraded this morning during the annual Army Day ceremony. At about 56 seconds in, there's a glimpse of the new Ababil 5. pic.twitter.com/8uUwz2e8cB
— Kian Sharifi (@KianSharifi) April 18, 2022
And here is some more:
More footage: The Harop-lookalike is 28 seconds in. The Raad 85 loitering munition (suicide drone) shows up at 1:28. pic.twitter.com/CDxa607sAI
— Kian Sharifi (@KianSharifi) April 18, 2022
As you can tell, there is a lot being shown in the footage. I am going to cover each system shown and provide a picture to make it easier to see.
Kaman-22
The first drone system to be shown is Iran’s new “Kaman-22” UCAV. Back in February, Iranian Air Force commanding officer Aziz Nasirzadeh told state-affiliated media that the drone is an upgrade from their Kaman-12 systems, allowing for it to carry a 300 kg (660 lbs) payload, have a range of about 3,000 km (1,900 mi), and have a flight endurance of 24+ hours. Other than size and endurance capabilities, the Kaman-22 features upgraded optical and electronic warfare packages as compared to the Kaman-12. Looking at the design and shape of the drone, it is undoubtedly based on the American MQ-9 Reaper.
Kaman-12
A predecessor to the Kaman-22, the Kaman-12 can operate as either a combat or ISR drone system. The drone has a range of about 1,000 km and can carry a payload up to 100kg with a 10+ hour flight time. Several Kaman-12 platforms were shown off in various paint schemes. The one above is for Iran’s Navy. There really isn’t anything too special about this system as its just a run of the mill, medium sized drone platform.
Ababil-5
One drone that stuck out was the new Ababil-5 system. Not much is known about its capabilities, but its likely an improvement of the Ababil-4 and Ababil-3 drone systems in regards to flight time and payload size.
Ababil-4
The Ababil-4 UCAV is still relatively new and unknown, having only been showcased for the first time last year. It is believed to be an improvement of the Ababil-3, being better suited for combat capabilities.
Ababil-3
The Ababil-3 (AB3) is an ISR drone that has seen extensive use by Iran and its proxies across the Middle East and Africa since 2008, making it the oldest system shown here. The AB3 has a range of about 100km and a max speed of 195 kph. While armed version of the AB3 were made, the focus was shifted towards the AB4 platform.
IAI Harop clone
As you may have all guessed, I find this to be the most interesting. Absolutely nothing is known about, such as its capabilities, payloads, etc. To me, this is a clear copy of the Israeli IAI Harop. During the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War, an Azerbaijani Harop accidentally crashed in Iran, which provided the perfect opportunity to examine and reverse engineer the system.
HESA Karrar
The Karrar is a turbojet-powered drone used to deliver general purpose bombs and/or missiles. The system has a range of 1,00km and a top speed of 900 km/h.
Mohajer-6B
An Iranian classic, the Mohajer-6 is a UCAV that can have a 100kg payload, an operating range of 200 km, a max speed of 200 km/h, and an endurance of 12 hours. The drone has most recently been used by Ethiopian forces against Tigrayan rebels.
Kian Platform
There are two versions of this drone system: Kian-1 and Kian-2. The Kian-1 is designed to be a flying target meant to draw out enemy anti-air defenses. The Kian-2 is twice as big and operates as a loitering munition, but its payload size is unclear.
Raad-85 Loitering Munition
This appears to be a redesign of the Raad-85 to now have delta wings, as compared to previous straight wing deigns similar to the Mohajer platforms. The system has a max speed of 250 km/h and a range of 100km.
