Our Take
Iran joins the ranks of militaries with long-range multi-mission unmanned aerial system platforms that can carry munitions. The Iranian army already operates smaller, tactical UAS but its newest platform, which recently participated in live military exercises, is designed to carry weapons. Proliferation of unmanned systems could threaten the monopoly on armed UAS the U.S. military and its allies have enjoyed for the past 15-plus years.
TEHRAN, April 12 (UPI) — Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps, or IRGC, on Tuesday unveiled its newest aerial surveillance drone during large-scale military exercises in the western part of the country. Iranian media reports the drone, named “Hamasseh” or “Epic” in English, conducted its first ever surveillance flights during the exercise in Sistan and Baluchestan Province in western Iran.
