Iran Press/ Iran news: In this regard, after waiting for a while, the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps, with the unveiling of its new drone called the 'Gaza' UAV on May 21, showed a strategic approach to the development of Iran's UAV and looking at future scenarios.
The necessary tests for the operation of the Gaza UAV are scheduled to begin this year and will be delivered to the IRGC Aerospace Force's UAV Operations Unit next year.
Overview
For the first time in March 2020, reports spoke of a drone named 'Shahed 149', which is larger than the existing drones and is equipped with a turboprop engine.
The drone was later mentioned in an interview with the commander of IRGC Ground Force's drone unit, and speculation was rife that the drone's operational range was close to that of the US-made 'MQ-9 Reaper'.
In previous years, Major-General Hossein Salami had implicitly reported the existence of a drone with a range of 3,000 kilometers; some attributed it to one other than the 'Shahed 129' model or a model with many modifications.
It can be said that the Gaza UAV was most likely the same UAV intended by the IRGC chief-commander because a UAV named 'Shahed 149' was to be unveiled with dimensions and specifications almost twice that of 'Shahed 129'.
Gaza UAVs upgraded Iran's industrial and operational level in the field of UAVs by climbing a few steps toward the High-altitude long-endurance UAVs (HALE) and certainly higher than medium-altitude long-endurance UAVs (MALE).
Thus, the Iranian Armed Forces have come somewhat closer to the concept of a high-altitude aircraft platform, which results from the combination of a device with a constant and high flight ceiling and long-range sensors.
Therefore, the drone capability of the IRGC, which started with 'Mohajer 1' in the 1980s, has reached examples such as 'Shahed 121' in the 2000s and 'Shahed 129' in the 2010s and reaches the Gaza UAV in the early 2020s.
Specifications and features
The Gaza UAV has been described as a "diversification of missions in the areas of surveillance, combat, and reconnaissance" with a "flight duration of 35 hours". It can carry 13 bombs up to an operational radius of 2,000 kilometers, as well as carry 500 kilograms of various information and signal-gathering equipment for environmental monitoring within a radius of 500 kilometers.
According to the IRGC Aerospace Force Commander Brigadier-General Amir-Ali Hajizadeh, the drone detects stealth aircraft up to a radius of 500 kilometers.
The length of this drone is 10.5 meters, its height is 3.2 meters, and the wingspan is 21 meters.
The flight ceiling of the Gaza UAV is 35,000 feet, equivalent to 10,668 meters, and its travel speed is 350 kilometers per hour.
The configuration of this drone is similar to the Shahed 129, which includes wings perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the fuselage, a dual V-shaped tail, a propeller engine with four blades at the end of the fuselage, but most likely a turboprop instead of a piston with three blades and retractable landing gear.
Thus, an important point about the Gaza UAV is that, most likely, due to the significant increase in flight altitude and carrying capacity in this UAV, we see the use of a turboprop engine in it, which in this class of drones, which in this class of drones is the endpoint, in other words, the edge of technology.
Like the latest version of 'Shahed 129', the Gaza UAV has a protrusion above the nose for a satellite communication antenna.
Gaza landing gear is much more complete and equipped due to its much heavier weight than 'Shahed 129'.
According to these specifications, it is possible to understand the increase in the capabilities of the Gaza UAV compared to the 'Shahed 129'. 44% increase in flight altitude, 46% increase in flight continuity, more than 2 times the speed, and more than 2 times the portable cargo are the differences that arose due to 40% increase in the wingspan and about 2.5 times the take-off weight, and of course the use of a turboprop engine instead of a piston.
A look at the power and weight range of turboprop engines suitable for drones like 'Gaza' shows that this engine weighs at least 120 to 150 kg and has at least about 650 to 750 hp.
As 'Shahed 129' UAV showed for the first time Iran's scientific and technical ability in designing and manufacturing wings with an aperture of 15 to 16 meters, Gaza this time shows the high challenge of IRGC specialists in building a wing with an aperture of 21 meters for the first time in Iran.
In the meantime, the flight altitude above 10 km easily protects the drone from all short-range air defense systems.
For comparison, it should be said that the 'Shahed 129' had an announced flight capacity of up to 7600 meters, and now in the Gaza UAV, this number has increased by 3,000 meters.
In the field of ammunition, 'Shahed 129' is usually equipped with 4 'Qaem' or 'Sadid' bombs, which weigh between 15 and 25 kg, depending on the type and characteristics in terms of warheads and size.
If the average weight is considered to be about 20 kg, it means that a drone like the 'Shahed 129' can carry 80 kg of weapons; while the types of precise bombs and 'shoot and forget' Sadid Bomb with a weight range of up to 33 kg, of which 13 rounds reached 429 kg, can be a variety of weapons portable with the Gaza UAV.
In reconnaissance and electronic warfare missions, the Gaza UAV can scan and identify up to a radius of 500 kilometers due to its ability to carry half a ton of cargo; the existence of the most equipped and complete set of electro-optics ever observed in Iranian UAVs on the Gaza UAV indicates this.
In addition to a day-vision camera with a zoom power of at least 100 to 120 times, this system also has a thermal imager camera and a laser rangefinder. Cameras in other light spectrums will probably be installed on this advanced platform.
Also, the design of the dome section, such as the front of the drone, shows that the Gaza UAV is equipped with satellite communication antennas.
The satellite navigation capability that was previously implemented in the upgraded model of the 'Shahed 129' UAV is also present in the Gaza UAV and has probably evolved. Previously, in the upgraded version of 'Shahed 129', this type of antenna was successfully used for communication and receiving commands and sending data, especially video type.
Also, in the published images of the Gaza UAV, it is clear that this UAV has an internal atrium and a rotating arm release device, which is seen for the first time on an Iranian UAV, and was apparently built to carry 5 rounds of 'Sadid' series bombs.
On a mission where the drone does not carry electronic warfare payloads or SAR artificial aperture radar to capture 2D images, it can increase its firepower by carrying the launcher internally.
The Gaza UAV is likely to rely more on its internal space to carry weapons. Because the fuselage is bulkier than its American counterpart, the MQ-9 Reaper, especially behind the nose protrusion, could confirm this.
Caption
Another issue is that the Gaza UAV is likely to fly to longer distances than the declared range of 2000 km.
Also, due to the possibility of satellite communication, as well as the continuity and flight ceiling, as well as the ability to carry several hundred kilograms of equipment, the Gaza UAV is a desirable means to play the role of a communication node alongside its conventional missions.
In addition to military and defense applications, the Gaza UAV can carry out missions in forest monitoring, rescue operations, and assistance in natural disasters such as floods and earthquakes.
207/221
Read More:
IRGC unveils new drone, missile, radar systems
Khordad-15 missile system; an important step in upgrading Iran's air defense capability
Kaman 12, Iran's Army Air Force achievement in UAV technology
