Iran shows a rather primitive but working fighter drone (photos, video)
Iran has reportedly successfully tested a fighter drone that can launch air-to-air missiles.
To prove it, a video was even published showing an existing and practiced Karrar UAV with an AD-08 missile from the Majid short-range anti-aircraft missile system shooting down an air target in the form of another drone.
Iran is testing UAVs with air-to-air missiles.
The use of the Majid missile with a range of 8-10 km against air targets from the Karrar UAV. pic.twitter.com/ZUgfKlMXnn
– Clash Report (@clashreport) October 22, 2023
The video itself shows that Iran did not bother much with the technological side of the issue. For example, the launch container from the SAM was installed as-is in the drone, and the target search is carried out, apparently, through the TV channel of the heading camera. In this case, the main task of the operator is to approach the target and wait for the infrared homing head of the AD-08 missile to acquire the target and launch.
It is worth noting that the Majid was first officially demonstrated only in January 2022. And it is quite possible that, in addition to the missile, the drone may later be equipped with its optical sighting station (possibly in a simplified form), which consists of a daytime and thermal imaging camera.
Given the declared range of the Majid system of 8 km (target altitude up to 6 km), if it is used for launching from an aircraft, its range can be 2-3 times longer. However, the actual range of use may be more affected by the sensitivity of the homing head, which may not allow you to capture a target at a considerable distance.
The Karrar UAV is actually quite an old drone for Iran, having made its first flight back in 2009. The development itself is based on the American MQM-107 Streaker target UAV, which was delivered to Iran before the 1979 revolution. It is equipped with a turbojet engine and has a range of up to 400 km for the strike version (1000 km is declared for the reconnaissance version).
Thanks to this choice of powerplant, it has a cruising speed of 700 km/h and a top speed of up to 900 km/h, which makes it a fighter drone. For Iran itself, primarily to intercept other drones and cruise missiles. And given the outdated aviation component of the country’s air force, where F-4 Phantom and F-14 Tomcat are flying alongside Chinese copies of the MiG-21, and Russian Su-35s will still be few and far between, the vector of Tehran’s efforts is quite clear.
What is also of some value in creating an air defense system based on this drone is its launch from the launch pad using a rocket accelerator, which allows the drone to be untethered from the airfield network.
At the same time, it is worth noting that this is not the first attempt for Iran to create a fighter drone on the basis of this UAV. In 2021, an Iranian copy of the AIM-9 Sidewinder missile was launched from Karrar, but then everything was limited to a video of the launch itself without a hit.
And although the completion of the work for Iran is still a long way off, and the real combat effectiveness of the system is questionable, the very concept of using a drone as a “hunter”, not for cruise missiles, but for aircraft missiles, is quite interesting
