Saegheh (UAV)

Saegheh
Iranian Saegheh UAV
Role Multirole UAV
National origin Iran
Manufacturer Shahed Aviation Industries[1]
First flight November 2014[2]
Introduction October 2016
Status In service
Primary user Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
Produced 2010s–present

The Saegheh (English: "Thunderbolt") is an Iranian piston-powered flying wing unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) produced by Shahed Aviation Industries.[1] It is based on, but smaller than and substantially different from, an Lockheed Martin RQ-170 Sentinel UAV that was reverse-engineered by Iran.[3]

Benjamin Netanyahu presents part of a destroyed Saegheh drone at the Munich Security Conference 2018

Iranian state news claimed the Saegheh could carry four precision-guided bombs. The Iranian Government did not provide a demonstration of the UAV flying, or state what its range was.[4] Independent analysts have expressed severe doubt over the Saegheh, pointing out, for example, that the flight control system for a flying wing design is very demanding.[5]

Israel shot down a Saegheh during the February 2018 Israel–Syria incident. The Times of Israel reported that the UAV's design was largely based on the captured RQ-170; IAF Brigadier General Tomer Bar said that the drone was quite advanced and imitated western technology.[6]

A number of sources have expressed doubt that the Seagheh is weapons-capable, and say it is solely an ISR platform.[7][8] On 1st October 2018, the IRGC Aerospace Force used ballistic missiles and drones, supposedly including Saegheh UAVs, to attack targets in the Albu Kamal region, in Eastern Syria.[9] Iran released video they said showed a Saegheh UAV releasing Sadid bombs from its internal bomb bays.

As of 2017, 10 Saegheh drones were in production, and Iran planned to procure at least 50.[1]

Operators

 Iran

Specifications

General characteristics

  • Crew: none

Performance

  • Endurance: unspecified

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Taghvaee, Babak (September 2017). "Battle-Tested: A brief history of Iran's combat UAV recently shot down by U.S. F-15s". Aviation Week & Space Technology. August 14 – September 3: 60.
  2. ↑ "Pentagon claims Iran's copy of captured US Sentinel drone 'inferior' to original - World news - The Guardian". Theguardian.com. 4 December 2014. Retrieved 7 October 2018.
  3. ↑ "Iran builds attack drone similar to captured US model, local media say". The Guardian. 2 October 2016. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
  4. ↑ Sharafedin, Bozorgmehr (1 October 2016). "Iran showcases new combat drone, copied from U.S. unmanned aircraft". Reuters. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
  5. ↑ https://medium.com/war-is-boring/irans-stealth-drone-claims-are-total-bs-7948bfedb1bc
  6. ↑ Gross, Judah Ari (10 February 2018). "Iranian UAV that entered Israeli airspace seems to be American stealth knock-off". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
  7. ↑ "IDF highlights Iranian presence in Syria - Jane's 360". Janes.com. Retrieved 7 October 2018.
  8. ↑ Taghvaee, Babak (27 June 2017). "شاهد ۱۲۹، ستون فقرات نیروی پهپادی ایران" (in Farsi). Valetta, Malta: BBC Persian.
  9. ↑ https://www.armyrecognition.com/october_2018_global_defense_security_army_news_industry/iran_uses_drones_and_missiles_in_cross_border_attack_on_enemies_in_syria.html


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