Iran has increased the power of its military drones by 33% – air force commander
Iranian specialists continue to develop unmanned technologies, cooperating with other countries.
In 2022, the capabilities of Iranian drones increased by 33%. The Commander of the Iranian Air Force, Brigadier General Hamid Vahedi, said this on February 8 at a briefing in Tehran, Press TV channel reports .
Iran has significantly increased the capacity of its drones compared to 2021, he said. Iranian specialists have strengthened the army by producing different types of drones and other equipment. Among the achievements of the country’s defense industry, Hamid Vahedi noted the development and production of piston and gas turbine engines.
“Ninety countries want to buy Iranian-made drones, and Westerners and arrogant countries cannot allow this,” an adviser to the Iranian intelligence minister said February 8, speaking at a ceremony in Qazvin.
According to Press TV, Iran’s military leadership made such statements shortly after the US magazine National Interest acknowledged that US sanctions failed to stop Iran’s UAV program. According to experts, it is the drones that provide the Iranian army with an “asymmetric advantage”, as well as allow them to earn and make allies abroad.
At the end of December, the chairman of the chief of staff of the Iranian armed forces, Major General Mohammad Baqeri, said that the country plans to further develop unmanned technology by cooperating with other countries. Military, technology companies and educational institutions are involved in this area.
Earlier it was reported that Iran, together with Russia, is developing a new model of drones of the Shahed line . She can get a new engine that increases speed and range. In addition, Russia handed over to the Iranians samples of weapons captured in battles on the territory of Ukraine.
They also wrote that Russia and Iran are planning to build a drone production plant in Tatarstan . According to sources, they expect to assemble up to 6,000 aircraft per year.
Ukrainian experts doubt that the Russian Federation will be able to make many Iranian drones in Tatarstan . In particular, military observer Alexander Kovalenko said that Iran itself, with its advanced production, produces only about 50 UAVs of each type and cannot fulfill the terms of the deal with Moscow for the supply of 1,750 units.
