The Iranian government announced its latest UAV today, dubbing it the Gaza-class drone in honor of the recent round of hostilities between Gaza and Israel. The aircraft appears to be patterned after the United States of America’s Predator and Israeli Heron drones.
According to Kan, the drone can run for 35 hours and carry 13 individual pieces of ordnance a distance of up to 2000 kilometers at 35,000 feet. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard added that up to 500 kilograms of electronics can be used to outfit the drone for different missions.
Israeli sources claim to have revealed this drone to the world ahead of Iran’s schedule; Prime Minister Netanyahu displayed debris to foreign emissaries that he claimed had come from such a drone that had been shot down by Israeli forces.