Iran has deployed a domestic-built reconnaissance drone with a 24 hour flight capability. That’s according to a senior Revolutionary Guard commander during interview aired on State TV.
The general, who heads the Guard’s aerospace division, said the drone named Shahed, or Witness, 129, has a range of around 1,800 kilometres. That covers much of the Middle East, including Israel, and nearly doubles the range of previous Iranian drones.
The commander also claims that Iranian scientists designed and developed the drone. His description of the drone bears similarity to that of the American RQ-170 Sentinel, one of which went down in Iranian territory last year. Iran’s defence industry frequently announces technological breakthroughs that are impossible to verify independently. It says it is fighting an intelligence battle with the US and Israel, which accuse Tehran of seeking to build nuclear weapons. But Iran denies the charges.
中国公众网摘编:GAN JADE |