The Oryx Handbook of Iranian Drones

By Stijn Mitzer

The goal of this list is to comprehensively catalogue Iran's past and current inventory of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and their armament. In an effort to streamline the list and avoid unnecessary confusion, this list only includes military drones associated with Iran's defence industry or military-grade UAVs with at least some chance of entering service.

Notes:

- If several configurations of a drone with one designation are known, they are added as such.

- The part within the apostrophes refers to other designations or an unofficial designation.

- UAVs that did not enter service or have yet to enter service are located in the prototype category.

- When a type is dual-capable, it is added in both respective categories.

- Dubious claims are referred to as ''claimed to be capable''.

- The foreign service section of this handbook only includes UAVs confirmed to be in service with a state or non-state actor other than Iran, not those operated by Iranian personnel inside Syria or elsewhere.

Be sure to check out this link for an overview of Iran's fighting vehicles. For a complete overview of Iran's ballistic missiles and artillery rockets please click here.

(Click on the equipment to get a picture of them in Iranian service)

Surveillance Unmanned Aerial Vehicles - Operational

Early Ababil-3 ''AB-3 or Pahpad'' Two configurations: (2)
Late Ababil-3 ''AB-3 or Pahpad''
Farpad
Hamaseh Prototype: (1)
Mohajer-1 (Believed to have been decommissioned)
Early Mohajer-2
Late Mohajer-2 Three configurations: (2) (3)
Mohajer-2N Two configurations: (2)
Mohajer-4 Two configurations: (2)
Mohajer-4B Sadegh ''Sadiq''
Mohajer-6
Mohajem-92
Oghab-1
Kaman-12
''Samad-1''
Shahed 121 Three configurations: (2) (3) Prototype: (1)
Shahed 123 ''HESA-100'' Two configurations: (2, indigenous copy of the Israeli Hermes 200)
Shahed 129 Three configurations: (2) (3, for Navy)
Shahed 161 Two configurations: (2, cloud seeding variant ''Samavat'') (Based on U.S. RQ-170 technology)
Shahed 191 ''Saegheh-2'' Prototypes: (1) (2) (Based on U.S. RQ-170 technology)
Yasir ''Sayed-2'' (Based on U.S. Scan Eagle drone technology)
Sayeh ''Kavosh'' Two configurations: (2) Indigenous copy of the U.S. Scan Eagle)
Unknown UAV (1) (Based on U.S. RQ-21 Blackjack drone technology)

Surveillance Unmanned Aerial Vehicles - Prototypes

Ababil-S ''Ababil-R
Babalan
Chamrosh ''Taregh''
Faraz-II
Faraz-2 ''Faraz-102'' (Claimed to be a dual-capable as a suicide drone)
Faraz-3 ''Sahand'' Two configurations: (2)
Faraz-220
Faraz-230
Fotros
Mohajer-3 ''Dorna''
Nasir-1
Nasir-2
Raven
Robin
Shahed 125 (Indigenous copy of the U.S. RQ-7 Shadow)
Shahed 171 ''Simorgh'' Prototypes: (1) (Based on U.S. RQ-170 technology)
V.C.T.U 133 Prototype: (1)
Unknown UAV (1)
Unknown UAV (2)
Unknown UAV (3)
Unknown UAV (4) Two configurations: (2) (Claimed to carry a SAR or jamming payload)
Unknown UAV (5) (Claimed to be a dual-capable as a suicide drone)
Unknown UAV (6)

Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicles - Operational

Ababil-3 (Armed with two Ghaem-1, 5 and 9 PGMs and two unknown missiles)
Ababil-4 (Armed with two Almaz PGMs)
Hamaseh (Armed with two Shafagh AGMs and Ghaem-1, 5 and 9 PGMs)
Mohajer-6 (Armed with up to four Ghaem-1, 5 and 9 PGMs)
Shahed 123 Two configurations: (2) (Armed with two Sadid-345 PGMs)
Shahed 129 Two configurations: (2) (Armed with up to four Sadid-1 ATGMs and Sadid-345 PGMs)
Shahed 181 ''Saegheh-2'' (Armed with up to four Sadid-345 PGMs) Prototypes: (1) (2) (3) (Based on U.S. RQ-170 technology)
Shahed 191 ''Saegheh-2'' (Armed with two Sadid-345 PGMs) Prototypes: (1) (2) (Based on RQ-170 technology)

Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicles - Prototypes

Fotros (Armed with up to six Ghaem-1, 5 and 9 PGMs or three types of unknown PGMs: (1) (2) (3))
Mohajer-1 (Armed with six RPGs)
Mohajer-2 (Armed with twelve RPGs)
Mohajer-4 (Claimed to be capable of carrying two Hydra 70 rockets)
MQM-107A Streaker (Claimed to be capable of carrying four Misagh-2 MANPADS)
Sadegh-1 ''QOM-1'' (Armed with two Misagh-2 MANPADS)
Karrar ''Hadaf-1 or Ababil-Jet'' (Armed with Bombs, cluster bombs, AShMs, AGMs, GBU-12, Balaban and Yasin guided bombs, AIM-9P and Azarakhsh AAMs and two unknown PGM types: (1) (2))
Kaman-12 (Armed with up to four Ghaem-1, 5 and 9 PGMs or Akhgar AGMs and two unknown PGM types: (1) (2) and one unknown ECM pod: (1))
Kaman-22 (Armed with up to six Sadid-1 PGMs, GBU-12 PGMs, one unknown PGM type: (1), AN/ALQ-101 ECM pod and one unknown ECM pod: (1))
Sarir ''H-110'' (Armed with two Misagh-2 MANPADS)
Sejjil (Claimed to be capable of carrying two glide bombs)
Shahed 121 (Armed with one Sadid-1 PGM)
Shahed 125 (Claimed to be capable of carrying two Hydra 70 rockets)
Saegheh-1 Two configurations: (2) (Claimed to be capable of carrying four Sadid-1 PGMs)
Shahed 171 ''Simorgh'' (Claimed to be capable of carrying four Sadid-345 PGMs) Prototypes: (1) (Based on U.S. RQ-170 technology)
Unknown VTOL UAV (1) (Armed with a 12.7mm gun pod)
Unknown VTOL UAV (2) (Armed with mortar rounds)

Vertical Take-Off and Landing Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Unmanned ground vehicles (UGV) - Prototypes

Caracel (Armed with a 7.62mm machine gun)
Nazir ''Nazeer'' (Can be armed with MANPADS)
Heidar-1 Three configurations: (2) (3, armed with a 7.62mm assault rifle)
Masih
Unknown unmanned ground vehicle (armed with a 7.62mm machine gun)

Documented But Not Yet Seen UAVs

Hazem-I ''Haazem-I'' (Documented by a few sources, not yet seen)
Hazem-III ''Haazem-III'' (Documented by a few sources, not yet seen)
Homa ''Homa B'' (Documented by a few sources, not yet seen)
Hodhod-3 (Documented by a few sources, not yet seen)
Nasr-1001 (Documented by a few sources, not yet seen)
Orooj-4 (Documented by a few sources, not yet seen)
Piroozi-8 (Documented by a few sources, not yet seen)
Qaem (Documented by a few sources, not yet seen)
Shahed-1 (Documented by a few sources, not yet seen)
Siraf (Documented by a few sources, not yet seen)
Sofreh Mahi (Documented by a few sources, not yet seen)
Tizpar (Documented by a few sources, not yet seen)
Zohal (Documented by a few sources, not yet seen)
Roham VTOL (Documented by a few sources, not yet seen)
Koker-1 VTOL (Documented by a few sources, not yet seen)

Iranian UAVs in Foreign Service

Ababil-B (Discovered in Syria, but of Iranian design)
Early Ababil-3 ''AB-3 or Pahpad'' (Exported to Iraq and Sudan ''Zagil III-B'')
Mohajer-2 (Exported to Venezuela ''Arpia'', the LNA in Libya and Hizbullah in Lebanon)
Mohajem-92 (Exported to Iraq ''Raqeep or Raqib'')
''Samad-1'' (Supplied to Houthi militants in Yemen and Hizbullah in Lebanon)
''Samad-2'' (Supplied to Houthi militants in Yemen)
''Samad-3'' (Supplied to Houthi militants in Yemen)
Ababil-T (Supplied to Houthi militants in Yemen ''Qasef-2 and 2K'' and Hizbullah in Lebanon ''Mirsad-1'')
Unknown Loitering Munition (2) (Supplied to Houthi militants in Yemen)
Oghab-1 (Supplied to Shiite militants in Iraq)
Yasir ''Sayed-2'' (Supplied to Shiite militants in Iraq and Hizbullah in Lebanon [reported])
Unknown Target Drone (10) (Discovered in Syria, but of Iranian design)
https://i.postimg.cc/hPgr0F04/ra.jpg

Recovered UAVs

AAI Aerosonde [United States] (Recover date or truthfulness of claim unknown)
Desert Hawk [United States] (Presumably recovered by Iran-affiliated militias in Syria or Iraq)
Desert Hawk III [United States] (Presumably recovered by Iran-affiliated militias in Syria or Iraq)
Hermes 200 [Israel or Azerbaijan] (Recovered in August 2014)
MQ-1A Predator [United States] (Recover date unknown)
RQ-4A Global Hawk BAMS-D [United States] (Parts recovered after being shot down over the Strait of Hormuz in June 2019)
RQ-7 Shadow [United States] (Badly damaged. Presumably recovered by Iran-affiliated militias in Syria or Iraq)
RQ-11 Raven [United States] (Presumably recovered ured by Iran-affiliated militias in Syria or Iraq)
RQ-170 Sentinel "The Beast of Kandahar" [United States] (Recovered in December 2011)
Phoenix [Great Britain] (Parts recovered. Presumably recovered by Iran-affiliated militias in Syria or Iraq)
Scan Eagle [United States] (Recovered in December 2014 and another example with an unknown recover date)