Iran Set to Begin Exporting UAVs
Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industries now offers its Hamaseh reconnaissance and combat drone for export
Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industries displayed a model of the single-engined, twin-boomed Hamaseh UAV at the MAKS air show on 18 July, offering the first glimpse of Iran’s most capable UAV outside the country’s domestic industry events, says Mehrooz Hassanzadeh, export manager for the Hamaseh program.
The Hamaseh – a Persian word meaning "epic" – was displayed in public first in 2013, featuring a bulbous forward radome and the UAV’s distinctive twin-boomed tails. According to Flight Global, Hamaseh’s appearance resembles the fuselage profile of the Israel Aerospace Industries Eitan/Heron TP UAV, although the Iranian product is an order of magnitude smaller.
The 415kg UAV can carry sensors or weapons up to 15,000ft with a maximum endurance of 11 hours. Despite the promised endurance and a 110km/h loiter speed, the Hamaseh is listed with a maximum range of 200km. Hassanzadeh declined to disclose the origins of the two-bladed piston pusher engine powering the Hamaseh UAV.
[Source: Flight Global]