Iran said Tuesday it inaugurated a production line for manufacturing a new military drone in Tajikistan, a first for both nations, The Associated Press reported.
A report by the official IRNA news agency said the ceremony took place during a visit to the Central Asian nation by Gen. Mohammad Hossein Bagheri, chief of staff of Iran’s armed forces.
The report said the drone is dubbed the Ababil-2, after a bird in the Quran. It is capable of carrying out attacks as well as surveillance missions from a range of 200 kilometers (124 miles) with 1 1/2 hours of flight time, the report said.
It did not reveal other details such as the capacity of the production line.
Iran has announced the development of several drones in recent years. In 2019, the Islamic Republic announced a new drone which it claimed “is intended for ongoing security, surveillance, searches, border control and other similar missions”.
Last month, Iran unveiled the Kaman-22, a new self-made UAV, with a range of more than 3,000 km and capable of reaching Israel.
Iran often boasts of its military accomplishments, though it is not always possible to say with certainty that it is telling the truth about those accomplishment
In 2017, the Islamic Republic claimed to have unveiled a domestically manufactured tank which “has the capability to fire missiles and precisely guide them."
Previously, Iran's Revolutionary Guard claimed it had successfully tested a Hormuz 2-type ballistic missile.
Iran has also claimed it is in possession of the “father of all bombs”, described as a domestically-made 10-ton bomb with a high destructive power.