Iran Claims New Stealth Drone That Can Attack US Gulf Fleet

UAV NEWS

File photo of an Iranian UAV.

Israel testfires anti-missile system in 'message' to Iran
Jerusalem (AFP) Feb 11 - Israel carried out a successful night-time test of its Hetz (Arrow) anti-missile missile system Sunday in what public television described as a "message to Iran". The defence ministry confirmed the test-firing, the first since December 2005 when the military announced the system was fully operational. "This test-firing was aimed at checking the functioning of the Hetz at night and in extreme conditions against a ballistic missile," a ministry statement said. "All the system's components worked perfectly."

Public television said that a Hetz fired from the Palmahim base, south of the commercial capital Tel Aviv, intercepted a missile fired from a high-altitude aircraft, the television said. Public radio said the missile firing was designed to imitate Iran's Shahab-3, which has a range sufficient to reach Israel. Army radio noted that the firing coincided with the Iranian regime's celebrations for the anniversary of its overthrow of the Western-backed shah in the 1979 Islamic revolution. For the first three years after its launch in 1988, the United States paid 80 percent of the Hetz project's cost, but now the costs are shared equally. Since the 2003 overthrow of Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq, the project's primary focus has been Iran, which Israel now sees as its main threat.

by Staff Writers
Tehran (AFP) Feb 10, 2007
Iran said on Saturday it has started mass producing and using a stealth drone with a range of 700 kilometres (420 miles) that it claims is undetectable to radars. "We have built a drone with a more than 700-kilometre range which can collect information and shoot films," the head of the elite Revolutionary Guards, General Yahya Rahim Safavi, told Iran's Arabic-language satellite news channel Al-Alam.

"The material and the shape of this drone make it undetectable for radars, so it can not be targeted," he added.

"The drone has passed its experimental phase and it is being mass produced, and we are currently using it in our operations," Rahim Safavi, said without giving more details.

His announcement comes a few days after troops under his command successfully tested a land-to-sea missile with a range of about 350 kilometres (210 miles) and a new Russian-made air defence missile system.

Iranian leaders have repeatedly said the Islamic republic's armed forces are ready for any eventuality in the current standoff with the West over its nuclear programme.

Although the United States has said it wants the standoff resolved through diplomacy, Washington has never ruled out military action to thwart Iran's atomic drive.

The United States accuses Iran of seeking a nuclear weapon. Tehran vehemently denies the charges, insisting its atomic programme is peaceful in nature.

earlier related report
Iran warns 'suicide drones' can hit US navy
Tehran (AFP) Feb 11 - Iran has built "suicide" drones capable of attacking US naval ships and forcing them to leave Gulf waters, the semi-official news agency Mehr quoted a Revolutionary Guards commander as saying Sunday.

"We have built birds without passengers (drones) that can carry out suicide operations on the US Navy, at any depth if necessary, to make them leave the region in disgrace," said Ali Shoushtari, deputy commander of the Guards' land forces.

Warning about a "defeat for the enemy", Shoushtari said: "Americans know that if they confront the Islamic system, they wil not be secure in the region or at home."

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Thursday vowed to hit back at US interests worldwide if it attacked the Islamic republic to thwart its nuclear programme.

In response, the White House said it has no plans to invade Iran, and downplayed the significance of reinforcing the US military presence in the Gulf region.

Iranian leaders have repeatedly said the country's armed forces are ready for any eventuality in the current standoff with the West over its nuclear activities.

The United States accuses Iran of seeking a nuclear weapon. Tehran vehemently denies the charges, insisting its atomic programme is peaceful in nature.

Source: Agence France-Presse

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UAV NEWS

Boeing ScanEagle Team Achieves Compliance With NATO UAV Interoperability Standard

St. Louis MO (SPX) Feb 08, 2007
The Boeing and Insitu ScanEagle team have gained compliance with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) interoperability standard. The standard, also known as Standardization Agreement (STANAG) 4586, establishes specifications for a common ground station system for UAVs used by NATO military forces. Compliance with STANAG 4586 allows NATO member nations to jointly support military operations using their own UAVs and ground control station equipment.

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