Iran unveils the production of a new drone UAV called Shaparak Butterfly 1803121

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Defense News - Iran
 
 
Sunday, March 18, 2012, 07:44 AM
 
Iran unveils the production of a new drone UAV called Shaparak (Butterfly).
Iranian experts managed to produce a new type of drone which is capable of carrying out military and border patrol missions. Reza Danandeh Hakamabad, the aeronautics engineer in charge of the project, said on Friday, March 16, 2012, that the new remote-controlled aircraft, called Shaparak (Butterfly), has a maximum operational radius of 50 kilometers , and a maximum flight ceiling of 4,572 meters.
     
Iranian experts managed to produce a new type of drone which is capable of carrying out military and border patrol missions. Reza Danandeh Hakamabad, the aeronautics engineer in charge of the project, said on Friday that the new remote-controlled aircraft, called Shaparak (Butterfly), has a maximum operational radius of 50 kilometers , and a maximum flight ceiling of 4,572 meters..
Iranian-made Karrar combat drone (Archive image)
     

Danandeh Hakamabad noted that Shahparak drone can perform a wide variety of functions, including military missions, border patrol, forest and road traffic monitoring, search and rescue, pipeline monitoring as well as transport.

Over the past years, Iran has developed a number of variants of the indigenous remotely-piloted Ababil aircraft, including the tactical Ababil-5 for medium-range reconnaissance and surveillance missions, the Ababil-T for short/medium-range attack missions, and also the Ababil-B and -S.

In February 2011, Iran inaugurated the production line of two home-made Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) with bombing and reconnaissance capabilities.

The two hi-tech drones named 'Ra'd' (Thunder) and 'Nazir' (Harbinger) are capable of conducting long-range reconnaissance, patrolling, assault and bombing missions with high precision.

Ra'd which is a UAV of choice for assault and bombing missions has the capability to destroy the specified targets with high pinpoint precision.

Experts believe that once the UAV enters the scene of aerial missions, it would enhance the reconnaissance, patrolling and defensive power of the Islamic Republic of Iran's Armed Force.

Iran started construction of a plant in the Northern province of Mazandaran in 2008 to mass produce UAVs for different civilian and military missions.

The combat drone, named Karrar, was unveiled in a special ceremony in Tehran marking the national 'Day of Defense Industry'.

The Karrar UAV is capable of carrying a military payload to carry out bombing missions against ground targets. It is also capable of flying long distances at a very high speed.