The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Ground Force has developed a new suicide drone that can detonate targets within a range of 450 kilometers and has a warhead weighing 50 kilograms. The drone is called Me’raj-53.
General Ali Kouhestani, a head of the Research and Self-Sufficiency Jihad Organization of the IRGC Ground Forces, notes that the drone has been tested successfully.
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It has a service ceiling of 3.7 km and can stay aloft up to 3 hours. This new UAV also boasts advanced features such as a piston engine and the ability to take off from a vehicle.
The vehicle has to accelerate to the takeoff speed of the drone. That gives the Me’raj-53 drone a real mobility and it’s simpler and cheaper than catapult or booster.
Obviously, it is easier to accelerate to 100 km/h in the desert, but it’s not a big deal, considering it has range of 450 kilometers. Moreover, the drone is probably controlled by an operator from a vehicle and becomes autonomous after separation.
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