Iran's largest UCAV, openly inspired by the MQ-9 Reaper: 35 hours endurance and 13 hardpoints, unveiled by the IRGC in 2021.
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Data trust
- Reliability
- Unverified
- Sources
- Sources pending review
Identity
- Designation
- Shahed-149 Gaza
- Manufacturer
- Shahed Aviation Industries
- Country
- Iran
- Year
- 2021
- Category
- UCAV (Combat UAV)
- Class
- MALE (Medium-altitude / long-endurance)
- Status
- In service
Performance
- Range
- 2000 km
- Endurance
- 35 h
- Top speed
- 350 km/h
- Service ceiling
- 10,500 m
- Propulsion
- Turboelica (≈ 650 hp), elica spintore
Physical characteristics
- MTOW
- 3100 kg
- Payload
- 500 kg
- Hardpoints
- 13
- Weapons
- Fino a 13 munizioni guidate (Sadid, bombe Qaem)
Onboard systems
- Sensors
- EO/IR, SAR, designatore laser
- Datalink / control
- Datalink LOS + SATCOM
- Launch
- Decollo da pista
- Recovery
- Atterraggio su pista
Tags
Main operators
History
Presented in May 2021 by the IRGC under the symbolic name 'Gaza' to mark that year's Gaza conflict.
It represents the state of the art of Iranian UAV production, with endurance comparable to top Western MALEs.
The Shahed-149 'Gaza' was unveiled in 2021 and is the largest Iranian MALE drone: the name 'Gaza' is explicitly dedicated to the Palestinian people and emphasises its symbolic role in Tehran's anti-Israeli narrative.
The drone apparently incorporates technology derived from reverse-engineering the US RQ-170 Sentinel captured by Iran in 2011 and is presented as a strategic response to the US MQ-9 Reaper.
With a declared 13 hardpoints and over 35 hours of endurance, it was first used in the Syria-Iraq theatre and offered for export to countries not aligned with the West.