The scope of attack covers Israel, the arch enemy, and Iran announces a new type of armed drone Mirage -10. The new type of armed drone Mirage -10 | Iran
On Tuesday, the Iranian Ministry of Defense launched a new type of unmanned aerial vehicle, the Mirage 10, which resembles the MQ-9 Reaper drone produced in the United States.
Compared to its predecessor, the Mirage 10 has a longer flight distance, longer dwell time, and a larger payload. More importantly, its strike range can cover the country's arch enemy, Israel.
Reproducing the American "Grim Reaper"?
On August 22nd, during the celebration of Iran's Defense Industry Day, the "Phantom" -10 was officially unveiled.
"Phantom" is a series of drones manufactured by Iran since 1985, representing "immigration" in Persian.
According to the Islamic Republic of Iran News Agency, the Mirage 10 has a 24-hour range and a combat range of 2000 kilometers, which means it can reach Israel over 1700 kilometers away. In addition, its flight altitude can reach over 7300 meters, with a maximum speed of 210 kilometers per hour, and it can carry up to 300 kilograms of ammunition. The drone can also carry multiple types of bombs and is equipped with advanced electronic systems.
The Phantom -10, also known as the upgraded version of the Phantom -6, has twice the maximum payload and longest endurance of the latter.
Iranian President Ibrahim Lehi said at Tuesday's ceremony, "Today, we can firmly introduce to the world that Iran is a country with advanced technology." He also stated that two previously unveiled long-range ballistic missiles are now ready to be handed over to the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard, namely the new Horam Shahr and Haji Kasim ballistic missiles.
Iran has been producing such drones for many years and attempting to replicate other models of drones, including American drones. One of the reasons why the appearance of the Mirage 10 this time resembles the American MQ-9 Reaper is that it has received attention.
Iran announced in 2018 that it had captured a US MQ-9 drone and shot it down in the Persian Gulf in 2019, then retrieved the majority of its wreckage. This also deepened the concerns of the United States at the time about Iran's use of wreckage for imitation.
Recently, North Korea also showcased the Nova-9 drone at a military parade in July, which is highly similar to the MQ-9 Reaper. The Associated Press stated that its design may have been based on public information from the MQ-9 Reaper.
"Cut off the hand that invaded Iran"
It is worth mentioning that during Tuesday's ceremony, Lech stated that Iran will be committed to developing friendly relations with all countries in the world, but will not hesitate to "cut off any hand that wants to invade Iran.". The public has no way of knowing what he means by "hand". But the first thing that comes to mind in public opinion is Israel, which happens to be within the range of the Mirage 10 strike.
In a poster released simultaneously by Iranian media, a drone flies in the clouds, overlooking the nuclear facilities in Dimona, Israel. The poster reads "Ready to head to the Stone Age" in Persian and Hebrew.
In addition, the day before the drone's debut, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Iran of funding and encouraging a series of deadly attacks against Israelis in recent times. On Monday, Israel launched an airstrike on Syria targeting Iranian interests.
Israel also has long-range, highly durable drones, but the country did not respond to this on Tuesday.
Iran's military ambitions in recent years go beyond that. Last July, Iran announced the establishment of its first naval unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), equipped with multiple types of reconnaissance and combat drones.
On August 9th this year, Iran announced that it had the technology to manufacture supersonic cruise missiles. According to Reuters, this news may exacerbate Western concerns about Iran's missile capabilities.