Aviation / Aerospace

Qods Mohajer / Mersad (Migrant)

Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) / Reconnaissance Drone [ 1981 ]

The Qods Mohajer drone was one of the first successful UAV endeavors undertaken by the nation of Iran.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 07/13/2022 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

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Iranian engineers have been hard at work in building up local Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) stocks for the military. This has included regular Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance (ISR) types as well as armed, munitions-delivery Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle (UCAV) platforms. The Ghods "Mohajer" (also spelled as "Mahajer") represents one of the former as it primarily serves as an intelligence-collecting system. It has been taken on by the forces of Iran, Sudan, Syria, Venezuela (the Mohajer-2 locally-produced as the SANZT "Arpia") as well as Hezbollah forces. Four major variants mark its production and service run to date with subvariants being developed as well.

The need for an ISR system came about during the bloody Iran-Iraq conflict of the 1980s which pushed Iranian industry to develop a local solution for its Army. This resulted in a collection of prototypes emerging in the early part of the decade to which operational forms were then used in actual war zones between the two neighboring countries. The original series was named "Mohajer-1" and began the line of Mohajer UAVs still in service today (2016). Beyond its use as a ISR platform, it is said that some models operated in the conflict were, in fact, armed with rockets for assailing ground targets - in essence evolving the Mohajer into a UCAV with broader tactical usefulness.

From this work came a more advanced form offering greater operational range and improved navigation. The model was designated as "Mohajer-2" and took over production for use in the Iranian Army. As built, the Mohajer-2 was given a length of 9.6 feet and a wingspan of 12.5 feet. Its propulsion system consisted of a WAE-342 series 2-stroke engine delivering 25 horsepower while driving a two-bladed propeller in a "pusher" configuration (the propeller seated at the rear of the airframe). The fuselage was largely tubular in its general shape with straight wing mainplanes seated near midships (displaying clipped wing tips as well). Twin booms made up the empennage and a joining horizontal plane was featured between each vertical tail unit. Optics were fitted to a rotating blister assembly seen under the nose of the aircraft. Performance included a maximum speed of over 100 miles per hour, a range out to 90 miles and a service ceiling up to 11,000 feet. Endurance is about six hours of flight time.

Additional advancements to the line inevitably produced the "Mohajer-3" which further increased range and over-battlefield capabilities. Still further work begat an even more advanced version - this becoming the "Mohajer-4" - which, itself, has gone on to produce a pair of subvariants all its own. While retaining the general form and function of the Mohajer-2 line, the Mohajer-4 sports a boxier fuselage and three-legged undercarriage. The wing mainplanes also showcase wingtips cranked upwards.

The Mojaher series adds quite a bit to Iranian (and allied) actions in a region consistently beset by war and tribal/political struggles. Its evolution continues today (2016) and evermore improved versions are being worked on and tested. The line has certainly gone a long way in helping to propel local aero-industry to produce a self-sustained Iranian UAV industry. The series is also known under the "Mersad" ("Migrant") name.©MilitaryFactory.com

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Specifications

Service Year

1981

Origin

Iran

Status

ACTIVE
In Active Service.

Crew

0
UNMANNED

Production

400
UNITS

Ghods Aviation Industries (Qods) - Iran

(View other Aviaton-Related Manufacturers)

Hezbollah; Iran; Russia; Sudan; Syria; Venezuela

(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)

✓ Ground Attack (Bombing, Strafing)
Ability to conduct aerial bombing of ground targets by way of (but not limited to) guns, bombs, missiles, rockets, and the like.

✓ Unmanned Capability
Aircraft inherently designed (or later developed) with an unmanned capability to cover a variety of over-battlefield roles.

Length

10.2 ft
(3.12 m)

Width/Span

17.4 ft
(5.30 m)

Empty Wgt

187 lb
(85 kg)

MTOW

386 lb
(175 kg)

Wgt Diff

+198 lb
(+90 kg)

(Showcased structural values pertain to the base Qods Mohajer / Mersad (Migrant) production variant)

Installed: Variable depending on model; Mohajer-4: 1 x WAE342/3w series engine driving two-blade propeller in pusher configuration.

Max Speed

103 mph
(165 kph | 89 kts)

Range

62 mi
(100 km | 185 nm)

♦ MACH Regime (Sonic)

Sub

Trans

Super

Hyper

HiHyper

ReEntry

♦

(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the base Qods Mohajer / Mersad (Migrant) production variant. Performance specifications showcased above are subject to environmental factors as well as aircraft configuration. Estimates are made when Real Data not available. Compare this aircraft entry against any other in our database or View aircraft by powerplant type)

Typically none as payload reserved for reconnaissance equipment. Some versions believed to have been armed with rocket grenades.

Supported Types

Graphical image of aircraft aerial rockets

(Not all ordnance types may be represented in the showcase above)

Mohajer - Base Series Name

Mohajer-1 - Initial model of 1981

Mohajer-2 - Improved variant; increased range; autopilot function.

Mohajer-2N ("Novin") - Improved, modernized variant; improved range; expanded optics suite; model of 2014.

Mohajer-3 - Revised, slab-sided fuselage; increased range.

Mohajer-4 - Revised fuselage and wings; increased range and flying altitude.

Mohajer-4(B) - Photogrammetric variant with aerial mapping capabilities.

Mohajer-4 "Hodhod A/100" - Variant

Mohajer-4 "Shahin" - Variant

SANT "Arpia" - Venezuelan variant believed based on the Iranian Mohajer-2 model.

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