Aerial Targets - Defense-Update Newscast

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Karrar drones seen at the final assembly line. The red paint indicate use for testing or as an aerial target. The green drone is in final assembly and hasn't been painted yet. While tracing its origin to aerial drones, Karrar is designed for aerial recce missions and deep strike, possibly extended range anti-ship and anti BMD missions. Photo: FARS News Agency

Iran has this week unveiled a new type of turbojet-powered drone designated ‘Karrar’ (striker in Farsi),[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], described by Iranian officials as capable to perform long-range reconnaissance and attack missions. Iranian Defense Minister, Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi announced on Sunday that the country’s first home-made long-range Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) named ‘Karrar’ has a flight-range of 1,000km.
Karrar is described as capable of operating at long range, and in ‘great operational depth’, at high or low altitudes. According to Iranian reports, on reconnaissance missions the Karrar can record images flying over targets of interest and transmit them back to the ground control as it re-establishes communications. The drone can also carry weapons, two configurations were displayed – carrying a unitary bomb (what seemed to be a 1,000 or 500 lb weapon) on the centerline, or carrying two smaller weapons (assessed by their shape and size,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], these weapons could be the Kowsar (C-701) anti-ship missiles).
According to Iranian reports, on reconnaissance missions the Karrar can record images flying over targets of interest and transmit them back to the ground control as it re-establishes communications. The drone can also carry weapons, two configurations were displayed – carrying a unitary bomb (what seemed to be a 1,000 or 500 lb weapon) on the centerline,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], or carrying two smaller weapons (assessed by their shape and size, these weapons could be the Kowsar (C-701) anti-ship missiles).
In today’s analysis feature, Defense-Update speculate on several operational options available with this drone. Overall,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], similar to other Iranian platforms, Karrar is based on a 1970′s technology and is unlikely to possess advanced cruise-missile capabilities. The first question to be asked would be – whether it is an unmanned aerial vehicle (operated as a reusable asset) or is it a ‘one way only’ cruise missile? As it is based on a target drone,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], Karrar could perform both missions successfully and affordably.
read more on today’s Defense Update analysis of the Karrar drone.