The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) is reportedly developing a new home-made suicide drone armed with smart loitering munition.
The loitering munition, which has been designed for counter-ambush operations, is expected to significantly increase the combat capabilities of IRGC forces, PressTV said.
The Iranian Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) is said to bear similarities to the Russian-built ZALA Lancet kamikaze drone.
A loitering munition, also known as a suicide or kamikaze drone, is equipped with a built-in warhead that is typically designed to loiter around a target area until locating and crashing into the target.
Loitering munitions enable faster reaction times against hidden targets that emerge for short periods without placing high-value platforms near the target area and also allow more selective targeting as the attack can be changed mid-flight or aborted.
The IRGC Ground Force and the Iranian Defense Ministry have already developed Meraj-521 and Sina drones.
In another development, Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Ashtiani said Tehran and New Delhi should promote defense and military collaboration to improve regional security and stability, Fars News Agency (FNA) reported.
In a meeting last week with Indian Defense Secretary Giridhar Aramane in Astana, Kazakhstan, Brigadier General Ashtiani stated the promotion of Iran’s defense and military ties with India can help improve security and stability in the region.
“Numerous capacities of collaboration between Tehran and New Delhi can be used to establish peace in the sensitive West Asia region and the Indian subcontinent,” he added.
He further emphasized that Tehran and New Delhi must strengthen cooperation to prevent the resurgence of the Daesh (also known as ISIL or ISIS) terrorist group, urging both sides to hold more consultations about the developments in Afghanistan.
For his part, Indian Defense Secretary called for the development of bilateral cooperation in maritime fields, participation in naval exercises, defense research and education as well as exchange of university students.
