Iran Unveils 'Epic' Attack Drone

Iran unveiled on Thursday its latest reconnaissance-combat drone during a ceremony attended by Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi.

Designated as the Hemaseh in Farsi, meaning 'epic' in English, which can fly at high altitudes, is a "stealth aircraft that cannot be detected by enemies", as stated by Defence Minister Ahmad Vahidi.

“This drone has been built by defense industry experts and is simultaneously capable of surveillance, reconnaissance and missile and rocket attacks,” Vahidi said during the unveiling.

In an earlier report produced by Iran’s official Fars News Agency (FNA) the country claims to be building “tens of different types” of unmanned aerial vehicles, and touts this latest model as the country’s most advanced. According to the FNA, 30 of a total of 40 types of drone models are already in the production phase.

On February 2, Iran also unveiled another domestically produced aircraft, that time a manned “stealth” jet named Qaher 313, at a ceremony presided over by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Analysts within the US were generally suspicious of the unusual-looking aircraft, suspecting that it was a mock-up model rather than a flight-worthy prototype.

In recent years Iran has unveiled several drone models, such as the long-range Karrar in August 2010, and more recently the Shahed 129 model publicly disclosed in September 2012.

Iran announced the unveiling of four drone types during an April military parade, designated as Azem 2, Mohajer B, Hazem 3 and the allegedly radar-evading Sarir.