The Islamic Republic of Iran Army unveiled a new drone they developed in a Tuesday drill, Brigadier General Alireza Sheikh announced via state media on Tuesday.
The “Kaman-19,” named after the Farsi word for “bow,” successfully disrupted the communication between foreign drones and their ground base. The new drone was also able to disrupt foreign attacking drones electronically, highlighting the scope of Iran’s drone technology as the Islamic Republic continues to develop its drone program.
Iran has been criticized internationally for the development of drones – most notably after providing Russia’s military with so-called “kamikaze” drones in 2022. Iranian officials maintain that drones are integral to their national security, with Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari, the deputy chief of the Iranian Army for Coordination, telling IRNA that nearly 200 drones cover the strategic waters of the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman and that maintaining and improving combat readiness is one of the inevitable principles of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army.
Iran’s deadly drone program
Iran has threatened to use their drone technology against their adversaries – namely, Israel – and has aided Russia’s war effort in Ukraine by providing drones to the Russian army.
In September, Iran announced they had developed the “longest-range drone in the world” in a video with a text reading “prepare your shelters” in both Persian and Hebrew – an allusion to Israel. The drones have allegedly been provided to Russia since their development and used in Russian war efforts for the past year.
Among the drones Iran has allegedly supplied to Russia include the controversial Shahed-136 “Kamikaze” drone. Shahed-136 drones are intended to fly into their target and explode on impact, hence the kamikaze nickname. Russia used one of the Shahed-136 drones in an attack on Ukrainian forces in Odesa in September.
“Although the weapons do not have a good record in destroying their intended targets, Russia likely sees them as useful decoys which can divert Ukrainian air defenses from more effective Russian cruise missiles,” the UK Defense Ministry said in February.
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