Recent piece about Islamic Iran's drone technology transfers to the Palestinian Resistance. These Iranian-designed UAV's were witnessed in action during this year's Gaza conflict.
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Iran’s Drone Transfers to Proxies
By Andrew Hanna
June 30, 2021
Since 2004, Iran has provided drones, components or designs to proxies in at least four locations: Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen, and Gaza. Tehran’s drone exports vary in mission, range, and capabilities. The shortest range can fly only 15 km, or nine miles, while the longest can fly 1,700 km, or 1,000 miles. Some drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), allow Iran’s allies to spy on enemies, while others are used to conduct low-cost kamikaze attacks from a distance. The drones have also allowed Iran to deter attacks beyond its borders by threatening attacks against enemies via proxies. As of mid-2021, Iranian proxies had conducted drone attacks against U.S., Israeli and Saudi forces as well as against jihadi extremists in Syria and Iraq.
In April 2021, Gen. Kenneth McKenzie Jr.
warned that the Middle East was becoming a “proving ground for the proliferation and employment of unmanned weaponized systems, many emanating from Iran.” The drone transfers were part of Iran’s asymmetric strategy to compensate for its military weakness. Exporting drones provided Iran with “valuable experience in developing its own systems and in refining tactics, techniques and procedures,” the International Institute for Strategic Studies
reported in April 2021. Tehran’s drone transfers have varied in quantity and quality.
- Lebanon: Since 2004, Iran has transferred drones and provided training on flying drones to Hezbollah, the largest militia and a political powerbroker in Lebanon. Hezbollah has used its drones to spy on an Israeli nuclear reactor, ram into an Israeli warship and kill Syrian jihadi fighters. Hezbollah’s drones have ranges of 150 km to 1,700 km, or 93 miles to 1,056 miles, and can carry payloads weighing up to 150 kg (330 pounds).
- Gaza: Since 2012, Iran appears to have provided drone designs to Hamas, a Palestinian militant group based in Gaza that opposes Israel. Hamas drones were based off Iranian designs but built using local materials and expertise. During the 11-day conflict with Israel in May 2021, Hamas deployed a new suicide drone that was similar to an Iranian Ababil-T. Hamas drones have ranges of 150 km to 200 km, or 93 miles to 124 miles, and can carry payloads weighing up to 30 kg (66 pounds).
- Yemen: Since 2016, Iran has transferred drone components and provided training on drones to Houthi rebels who are fighting a civil war and a military campaign led by Saudi Arabia. The Yemeni rebels possess the most advanced and diverse drone arsenal of Iran’s proxies. The Houthis built their drones using a mix of local materials and high-end components reportedly smuggled into Yemen from Iran. The Houthi drones have ranges of 15 km to 1,700 km, or nine miles to 1,056 miles. They can carry payloads of up to 30 kg (66 pounds).
- Iraq: Since 2015, Iran has transferred drones and provided training to at least four Shiite militias in Iraq. Iraqi militias first used drones to spy on the Islamic State in 2015. Since April 2021, Shiite militias have conducted at least six attacks on U.S. and coalition forces using suicide drones. The militias’ drones have ranges of 25 km to 150 km, or 15 miles to 93 miles.
The Revolutionary Guards have also
exported drones to Iran’s allies outside of the region, such as Venezuela. The following is a detailed rundown of drone capabilities acquired by Iranian proxies.
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Hamas (Gaza)
Hamas’s drone program has existed since 2012, but the Gaza-based militants have one of the smaller and less advanced arsenals compared with Iran’s other proxies. Its drones bear a close resemblance to Iranian counterparts but may have been constructed using
local materials. Hamas has used its drones to surveil Israeli sites; it launched kamikaze-style drone attacks on Israel in 2014, 2018, 2019 and 2021. As of mid-2021, Hamas’s inventory included:
- The Ababil-1 is a light-weight drone used for combat and reconnaissance. It is similar to the Iranian Sarir H-110, which has a range of 200 km (124 miles) and can fly five hours. Its flight ceiling is 5,000 meters (3 miles).
- The Shehab is a light-weight drone used for combat and reconnaissance. It is similar to the Ababil-T, which has a range of 150 km to 200 km (93 miles to 124 miles) and can fly for two hours. Its flight ceiling is 3,000 meters (9,800 feet). It can carry a 30 kg (66 pounds) payload.
History
In November 2012, the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) released a
video allegedly showing Hamas conducting drone flight tests; it was the first indication that the Gaza militants had a nascent drone program. In July 2014, Hamas
unveiled three homemade drones: the Ababil-1A for reconnaissance, the Ababil-1B for bombing missions, and the Ababil-1C for kamikaze-style attacks. Analysts said that the drones
resembled the Iranian Sarir H-110, which had been
displayed in Tehran the previous year. A propaganda video released by Hamas
depicted the Ababil-1B carrying four missiles under its wing. The missiles were likely fake, The Aviationist
reported.
Hamas testing a UAV
The Hamas drone program faced two major setbacks. The first setback was an Israeli
airstrike that hit
eight Hamas drone storage facilities. The second setback was the
assassination of Mohammed Zawahri, a leading Hamas drone engineer, in December 2016. Zawahri was
shot six times at close range by assailants while sitting in his car in Tunisia. The militant Palestinian group blamed Israel for the attack and
acknowledged that Zawahri had designed drones for its military wing, the Al Qassam Brigades.
Hamas first employed drones in combat during the 2014 Gaza War. The Sunni militant group
said that it flew three drone missions into Israeli airspace, including one mission over Tel Aviv. Israel shot down a drone over
Ashdod and another over
Ashkelon. Hamas claimed responsibility for the downed drones and
said that they had been carrying out “special missions” inside Israel.
A Shehab suicide drone unveiled by Hamas in May 2021
Hamas redoubled its efforts to expand its drone program after the 2014 Gaza War. It established an air unit sometime between 2017 and 2018 to operate spy drones, Haaretz
reported. In May 2018, it
launched at least three drones carrying explosives toward Israel: one landed in the Negev and two landed in the front lawn of a house near the Gaza border. in 2019, Hamas
launched at least four separate drone attacks against Israel.
In May 2021, Hamas unveiled a new suicide drone, the Shehab, during a 11-day conflict with Israel. The Shehab was a loitering munition; it could hover near its target and explode near it or on impact. It was the “first instance of a precision-guided munition in Gaza,” said
Fabian Hinz, an arms expert. In a propaganda video, Hamas displayed at least four Shehab drones. Analysts said that the Shehab was
similar to the Iranian Ababil-T drone or the Houthis’ Qasef-1 drone, although it was smaller in wingspan.
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Since 2004, Iran has provided drones, components or designs to proxies in at least four locations: Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen, and Gaza. Tehran’s drone exports vary in mission, range, and capabilities. The shortest range can fly only 15 km, or nine miles, while the longest can fly 1,700 km, or 1,000...
iranprimer.usip.org
