Iran”s army unveils next-generation VTOL drone fleet
Designed for a variety of military applications, these drones underscore Iran’s ongoing push for self-sufficiency in unmanned aerial systems amid sanctions and regional tensions.
Deputy Commander of the Iranian Army’s Ground Forces, Brigadier General Nozar Nemati, in his remarks during the unveiling ceremony, recognized the demands of modern battlefields and the urgent need to invest in advanced technologies such as micro aerial vehicles, drones, unmanned systems, and artificial intelligence.
He said the Iranian armed forces are fully committed to the indigenous development of these strategic capabilities.
“It is because of these investments, planning, and persistence in research, as well as progress and development in such efficient and empowering fields that the Army”s Ground Force is now recognized as a leading and pioneering force in employment and utilization of the capacity and power of new defense and military achievements,” he noted.
What are VTOL drones?
Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) drones offer significant advantages over traditional drones thanks to their ability to take off and land vertically, eliminating the need for runways, rocket boosters, launching tubes, ramps, platform vehicles, or other equipment.
This versatility makes them suitable for a wide range of applications and environments. The most common VTOL configurations include wingless multirotors, winged tiltrotors, and hybrid VTOLs.
Generally, VTOL drones tend to be heavier, as smaller military drones (typically under 10 kilograms) can be launched manually.
VTOL drones excel in environments with limited space or where traditional takeoff and landing are impractical, such as urban areas, mountainous terrain, or maritime settings.
Hybrid VTOL designs, which combine vertical takeoff with fixed-wing flight, achieve longer flight times compared to multirotors, making them ideal for reconnaissance, surveillance, mapping, and delivery over extended areas.
In the Islamic Republic of Iran, the naval force is the primary user of VTOL drones, as most vessels lack the space for conventional drone takeoff and landing, except for large drone carriers.
What is the Homa VTOL drone?
The Homa is a VTOL (Vertical Take-Off and Landing) drone specifically designed for reconnaissance missions, with a focus on electronic warfare scenarios.
Its name is derived from a mythical bird in Iranian legends.
Far from being a new addition to Iranian military service, the Homa VTOL drone was first observed in naval operations during the summer of 2022. In the following months, it appeared in drone exercises, and by spring 2023, it was reported among 200 newly delivered units.
The VTOL variant is an evolution of the original Homa drone, which featured conventional takeoff and landing. The initial Homa models, introduced in early 2015, came in two sizes: the smaller Homa-1 and the larger Homa-2. These designs were developed based on the American RQ-7 Shadow drone that crashed in Iran in 2005.
Early Homa drones showcased a high-wing, constant-chord pusher layout with a twin-tailboom empennage and twin vertical stabilizers mounted atop a horizontal stabilizer.
This configuration is also characteristic of other Iranian drones such as the Meraj and Mohajer series, as well as several models predating the Homa.
The Homa VTOL version adopts a hybrid design by integrating a quadrotor system. Four rotors are mounted on two forward-extended booms, and the traditional empennage is replaced with an inverted V-tail.
This VTOL setup is similarly employed by smaller Iranian naval drones like the Pelikan-2 (unveiled in 2019) and Chamrosh-4 (introduced in 2023), as well as the Meraj-2 (unveiled in 2021), which is comparable in size to the Homa.
Earlier Homa VTOL drones featured a pusher propulsion system for horizontal flight, but recent images reveal a shift to a tractor configuration with a front-mounted propeller.
Key specifications of the Homa VTOL drone include a wingspan of 5.54 meters, an empty weight of 120 kg, a payload capacity of up to 40 kg, and a maximum takeoff weight of 260 kg.
It can reach speeds up to 200 km/h, operate within a radius of 100 km, fly at altitudes up to 3,600 meters, and sustain flight for 10 to 12 hours.
Primarily built for intelligence gathering, the Homa VTOL drone likely supports naval operations by delivering real-time data in contested environments.
Its capability to operate effectively in electronic warfare conditions suggests the presence of countermeasures against jamming and radar detection.
Dideban and Shahin-1 VTOL drones
Iranian armed forces also unveiled two additional VTOL drones: one a typical foldable quadcopter, and the other a fixed-wing drone featuring a fuselage and wings equipped with rudders, each wing mounting two propellers.
This fixed-wing model takes off vertically before transitioning to horizontal flight.
The Dideban VTOL drone, assigned to the Iranian Army’s Ground Forces, is a lightweight, portable platform designed primarily for reconnaissance and precision targeting.
Its name, meaning “Watchdog” in Persian, underscores its role in surveillance and situational awareness. Equipped with both day and night vision capabilities, Dideban offers enhanced versatility across diverse operational conditions.
Operating at a maximum altitude of 1,800 meters, lower than that of the Homa drone but well-suited for tactical missions, the Dideban can accurately pinpoint target locations, making it ideal for guiding strikes or artillery fire.
A standout feature is its ability to fly in coordinated groups, simultaneously monitoring and targeting multiple areas. This swarm capability can overwhelm enemy defenses and provide comprehensive battlefield coverage, reflecting modern drone warfare tactics.
The Shahin-1 (Falcon-1) VTOL drone is a first-person view (FPV) kamikaze platform designed for high-speed, precision strikes.
Built to counter the “dangers of future battles,” Shahin-1 focuses on evolving combat scenarios by delivering surgical attacks against enemy targets such as military installations, vehicles, and personnel.
Equipped with FPV control, operators can guide Shahin-1 with high precision, ensuring effective hits on both fixed and mobile targets.
Though specific endurance and range figures are undisclosed, the drone boasts high speed and maneuverability, enabling it to perform rapid and accurate strike missions across a variety of operational contexts.
Source: PressTV
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