This picture made available Friday, Sept. 27, 2013, by
Sepah News, a service owned by Iran's Revolutionary
Guards, claims to show the Shahed-129, or
Witness-129, missile-carrying drone, in an undisclosed
location in Iran. Iran's Guard chief has unveiled Iran's
most sophisticated missile-carrying drone has a range
of 1,700 kilometers, which puts much of the Middle
East within its operating distance. The the Shahed-129,
or Witness-129, which has a 24-hour non-stop flight
capability, can carry eight bombs or missiles and hit
both fixed and moving targets. (AP Photo/
Sepahnews.com)
Iran unveiled on Friday an unmanned attack aircraft it
described as its most sophisticated drone to date that
can reach much of the Middle East, including Israel.
Revolutionary Guard chief, Gen. Mohammad Ali Jafari,
called the missile-carrying plane a "strategic asset" for
the military to protect Iran's borders.
The military says the Shahed-129, or Witness-129, has
a range of 1,700 kilometers (1,050 miles), a 24-hour
non-stop flight capability and can carry eight bombs
or missiles capable of hitting both stationary and
moving targets.
Iran frequently makes announcements about strides in
military technology , but it is virtually impossible to
independently determine the actual capabilities or
combat worthiness of the weapons it produces.
"Our scientists, through scientific struggle, have built
Iran's most strategic unmanned plane," Jafari said in
remarks posted on the guard's website on Friday. He
said the drone was designed and built using entirely
home-grown technology.
State TV showed video of the drone flying. It said Jafari
has ordered mass production of the unmanned
plane.
"This smart technology (drone) can do the job of
thousands of soldiers, military posts and border
guards ... and protect the security of the borders," the
website quoted him as saying.
Jafari also said Guard experts have finished reverse-
engineering a top secret CIA RQ-170 Sentinel drone
that Iran captured intact in December 2011. Iran has
also claimed to have captured at least three American
ScanEagle drone aircraft that violated the Iranian
airspace.
Jafari said an Iranian copy of the RQ-170 Sentinel
drone will be built soon.
"In the near future, you will hear good news on the
building of an Iranian replica of the RQ-170," he said.
A senior Revolutionary Guard commander, Gen. Amir
Ali Hajizadeh, said the Shahed-129 was capable of
monitoring for up to 200 kilometers.
Hajizadeh, who heads the Guard's aerospace division,
said the attacking drone has also civilian uses such as
taking aerial photos for agricultural and environmental
purposes.
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