Iran Joint Russia Technology Produce Abadil UAV and Yakovlev Pchela UAV

Abdail UAV

Iran’s UAV programs also are difficult to verify, with at least half a dozen companies said to have developed nearly a dozen vehicles, most reported to be short-range reconnaissance and surveillance models. Some experts in Israel, which has dealt with Iranian UAVs used by Hezbollah, dismiss their vehicles as copies of outdated Italian, South African, and Chinese models.

However, given the secrecy of the Islamic giant’s internal affairs and the scientific success it claims to be having in other aerospace efforts, such as rockets and space launch vehicles it would be unwise to dismiss Iran’s UAV programs out of hand. The most prolific of the state-owned firms, in terms of systems that are known or believed to be under development or in production, is Qods Aeronautics Industries. It has been credited with multiple variants of the Mohajer (Dorna and Hodhod), Tallash (Endeavor and Hadaf), and Saeqeh UAVs. Another is HESA, which also produces the Russian Antonov An-140 airliner under license. It is believed to have developed several variants of the Abadil UAV.

In 2007, Iranian officials, who have made numerous claims about the country’s UAV expertise and reconnaissance flights over U.S. ships in the Persian Gulf, announced development of a stealth vehicle with a 700-km range, but little other information is available.

Russia Yakovlev Pchela UAV

With the rebuilding of Russia’s military forces in recent years, UAV programs and manufacturers have proliferated. These have included efforts in the Predator class as well as development of massive aircraft along the lines of Global Hawk. A number of familiar names have joined the unmanned ranks, including Kamov, Sukhoi (responsible for Russia’s largest UAVs), and Yakovlev.

Russia’s most recent UAV deployments were during its 2008 invasion of Georgia, where both sides fielded unmanned systems and accused each other of using them to trigger combat engagements. While looking to bolster its own military capabilities in an area where it has long trailed its Western European neighbors and the U.S. and cognizant of China’s UAV efforts—Russia also sees UAVs as a potentially lucrative export market, with a primary customer in India