Israel Worried by Growing Iranian UAV Industry

Arie Egozi - : Jan 13, 2025 - : 10:23 pm

The ongoing Ukraine war has helped Iran build a very advanced UAV industry. The country is also ready to supply its armed unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to any country that is opposed to the West. Since the war broke out...

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The ongoing Ukraine war has helped Iran build a very advanced UAV industry. The country is also ready to supply its armed unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to any country that is opposed to the West.

Since the war broke out on Oct. 7, 2023, the Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthi rebels in Yemen have used a large number of armed UAVs to attack targets in Israel. The massive use has forced Israel to make changes in its air defence systems.

Iranian UAV production sites are included in the "target bank " Israel has prepared for any future attack on the Iranian nuclear sites. This will reduce Iran's capabilities to make long range weapon systems that have proved their effectiveness in the ongoing war.

With no effective air force , the Iranians have built a sizable and growing UAV industry to have another way of hitting targets in Israel and the Gulf. The country is supplying UAVs to Russia. Israeli experts told GBP that the shipments include hundreds of different types of UAVs
Iran has built a very big and advanced UAV industry, said Tal Inbar, an Israeli senior expert on UAVs.

According to Israeli sources, the Iranian UAV industry was developed using imported parts that were bought in from various nations by a number of straw companies. This strategy helped it bypass international sanctions.

"They have developed some advanced armed UAVs that have been unveiled recently" said Inbar. "The Ababil 5 is a UAV that is about 5 meters long and has a wingspan of 7 meters."

According to the Israeli expert, production of UAVs rely on civilian components that can be obtained even online, unlike the heavy industry required to produce armored platforms and ballistic missiles. As a result, it did not take long for the Iranian UAV industry to expand. Some of the Iranian UAV's have been manufactured based on reverse engineering of American and Israeli UAVs that have been shot down in Iranian airspace .

There are reports that the Iranian UAV industry is spreading to other countries. In May, 2017, the Iranian press reported on the inauguration ceremony of a UAV factory that was established In Tajikistan. Israeli defence sources said that this plant is currently producing older models of the Iranian Ababail UAV.

On May 28, 2022, Iran unveiled an underground UAV base, at an undisclosed location Among various types of drones and munitions, a new, small, air launched cruise missile was also observed. The new cruise missile is carried by an Iranian copy of the U.S Predator UAV.

According to international media, Israel is fighting a battle against the spread of Iranian UAVs and missiles. This is accomplished by bombing Iranian UAV sites as well as the shipments bound for Lebanon, where Iran's proxy, Hezbollah, would use them.

Israel is constantly monitoring Iran's efforts to set up UAV factories in other nations in order to get around international sanctions. The U.S. receives this data on an ongoing basis. After supplying large numbers of armed UAVs to Russia that are being used in Ukraine, Teheran is reportedly negotiating the establishment of a factory in Russia. Different sources say that the shipments of UAVs from Iran to Venezuela have been followed by local "assembly" sites.

Dr. Moredchai Kedar, an Israeli expert on Middle East issues, said that the Iranians are continuing to build what he calls a terror empire. "The international sanctions do not allow them to export weapon systems. So they have decided to establish assembly and production lines in different countries. They send their experts and they use available technologies to manufacture weapons that Teheran then exports to its allies around the world."

Some of the weapon systems used by the Houthis in Yemen are being assembled in the country. This local operation began with simple items like land mines, but in recent months, the scope of local assembly and some production have increased.

According to a report in the Teheran Times, the Iranian production site in Tajikistan is now producing the Ababil -2 UAV. According to the Iranian newspaper, Iran's cooperation with Tajikistan can serve as a model for West Asia if they abandon their subordination to the U.S. and live in a "fearless world."

Raz Zimmet, an Israeli expert on Iranian issues, said that the weapon production makes Iran a regional power. The U.S and Israel are closely following the increasing capabilities of the Iranian UAV industry that has been boosted in recent months by the money paid by Moscow for the armed UAVs used in Ukraine. It can be expected that Israel, epecailly, will try to minimize the effects of this development.

Israel / Iran / Uavs / Ababil-5 / Lebanon /

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