Iranian commander in Moscow
Tehran unveils new combat drone
08/22/2023 3:39 p.m
Iran is one of Russia’s most important military partners. Even in the middle of the war against Ukraine, Tehran is supplying the Kremlin with its combat drones. Now the Islamic Republic is presenting a new, powerful unmanned aerial vehicle – a day after a high-ranking Iranian general visited Moscow.
Iran has introduced a modern combat drone. The unmanned aircraft, named Mohadscher 10, has a range of around 2,000 kilometers and can fly for around 24 hours at an altitude of more than 7,000 meters, the Presidential Office said. The drone can carry a maximum payload of 300 kilograms, such as bombs and rockets.
According to the first photos of the Presidential Office, the design of the drone is strongly reminiscent of the US military drone of the type MQ-9 Reaper. Experts had repeatedly written that the Iranian military industry was trying to replicate existing weapon systems. A previous model, Mohajer 6, was reportedly used by Russia in the war against Ukraine.
Iran’s Prime Minister, President Ebrahim Raisi, praised the Islamic Republic’s defense industry. The state agency IRNA quoted him as saying that one of the most important pillars of national power is the ability to produce military goods.
Discussions on military cooperation with Russia
Iran is an important military partner of Russia. A day before the new drone was unveiled, an important Iranian general traveled to Moscow. The commander of the Iranian ground forces, Kiumars Heydari, spoke with his Russian colleague Oleg Salyukov about the military cooperation between the two countries, the Defense Ministry said in Moscow on Monday. Iran is “a strategic partner of Russia,” Salyukov said.
In its war of aggression against Ukraine, Russia repeatedly fires at the neighboring country with Iranian-made combat drones. Tehran has only admitted to having supplied drones to Russia before the war began. However, Ukraine and Western experts see it as proven that military cooperation between Moscow and Tehran is much more extensive. In return for continued deliveries of drones, Russia is offering Iran cooperation in the areas of missiles, electronics and air defense, among other things.
Russia is now producing its own Shahed drones
According to British intelligence services, Russia is now also using self-made attack drones. The UAVs are based on Iran’s Shahed-type Kamikaze drones, which Russia has been importing for months, the British Defense Ministry said last week. Moscow’s goal is probably self-sufficiency in the coming months, it said in London. “However, for the time being, Russia is still dependent on components and entire weapons from Iran, which are mainly shipped via the Caspian Sea.”
In Iran there are always reports of new military achievements. In recent years, state television has reported, among other things, on an underground drone base or rocket storage facility of the Revolutionary Guards. Most of the military installations are kept secret, and information about them cannot be independently verified.