×
Aircraft / Aviation Vehicles & Artillery Infantry Arms Warships & Submarines Military Pay Chart (2023) Military Ranks
Advertisements
HOME
AIRCRAFT / AVIATION
MODERN AIR FORCES
COUNTRIES
MANUFACTURERS
COMPARE
BY CONFLICT
BY TYPE
BY DECADE
MODERN AIRCRAFT
DRONE TECHNOLOGY
Aviation / Aerospace

HESA Qasef-1


Loitering Munition / UCAV Drone [ 2016 ]



The HESA Qasef-1 is a further evolution of the Iranian Ababil-2 production line of military drones - the loitering munition form featured in the fighting across Yemen.



Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 06/22/2022 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

GO TO SPECIFICATIONS [+]
Advertisements
The HESA Qasef-1 is an offshoot of the established Ababil line of Iranian developed and produced Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) detailed elsewhere on this site. Iran has deliberately moved to strengthen its expertise in the field of military-level drones and the Ababil is a product of this initiative. It has been in service since the volatile 1980s and has been consistently evolved into more capable, potent forms. One byproduct of this undeterred work is the "Qasef-1" which is believed to have been in operational service since sometime in 2016.

NOTE: It is actively debated whether the Qasef-1 is the direct product of local Iranian industry or the product of in-the-field modification of the Ababil-2 production form by Houthi rebels operating actively in Yemen. For the purposes of this article, it is assumed that local Iranian industry has driven this development.

Unlike other Ababil forms, the Qasef-1 is an expendable "loitering munition", tracking for ground targets (ground-based control is via GPS), engaging on-command, and expending itself in a suicidal action. The air vehicle adds a 66lb 30kg) explosive warhead to the mix which provides the detonation / damage capabilities of a conventional drop bomb at much reduced cost - making the Qasef-1 an excellent budget attack weapon and perfect for rebel-types seeking to make some noise. To this quality add the fact that drones are small and slow enough to evade traditional radar, giving them an inherent "stealth" quality.

The physical characteristics of the aircraft, based on captured specimens and displayed by Saudi officials, include a centralized, tubular fuselage, rear-set mainplanes (featuring little sweepback), and foreplanes for added control. Vertical fins are seated at the mainplanes at the rear of the aircraft. The fuselage holds all of the pertinent operational equipment included the engine, optics set, fuel stores, and avionics. The engine is installed at the extreme end of the fuselage and drives a multi-bladed propeller unit in "pusher" fashion. Since these air vehicles are designed to be expendable (i.e. no return trip), no undercarriage is necessary, further simplifying construction and reducing cost. Launching of the air vehicle is by ground-assistance, either pneumatic catapult (stand-alone or vehicle-mounted) or jet- / rocket-assisted.

Houthi rebels have been known to use their Qasef-1 drones to directly attack "Patriot" missile station components, mainly the critical radar sections of the arrangement. This represents a considerably enhanced capability for the rebels and a new type of escalation in the long-running Yemeni war. Houthi-directed armed drones have also attacked UAE and Saudi airports as well as key Saudi sections of oil pipeline.©MilitaryFactory.com
Note: The above text is EXCLUSIVE to the site www.MilitaryFactory.com. It is the product of many hours of research and work made possible with the help of contributors, veterans, insiders, and topic specialists. If you happen upon this text anywhere else on the internet or in print, please let us know at MilitaryFactory AT gmail DOT com so that we may take appropriate action against the offender / offending site and continue to protect this original work.
Advertisements

Specifications



Service Year
2016

Origin
Iran national flag graphic
Iran

Status
ACTIVE
In Active Service.
Crew
0
UNMANNED
Production
100
UNITS


Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industrial Company (HESA) - Iran
(View other Aviaton-Related Manufacturers)
National flag of Iran National flag of Yemen Iran; Yemen (rebels)
(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
9.4 ft
(2.88 m)
Width/Span
10.7 ft
(3.25 m)
Height
3.0 ft
(0.90 m)
Empty Wgt
66 lb
(30 kg)
MTOW
187 lb
(85 kg)
Wgt Diff
+121 lb
(+55 kg)
(Showcased structural values pertain to the base HESA Qasef-1 production variant)
Installed: 1 x WAE-342 twin-cylinder piston engine developing 25 horsepower and driving a two-bladed propeller unit at the rear of the fuselage in pusher arrangement.
Max Speed
230 mph
(370 kph | 200 kts)
Ceiling
9,843 ft
(3,000 m | 2 mi)
Range
75 mi
(120 km | 222 nm)


♦ MACH Regime (Sonic)
Sub
Trans
Super
Hyper
HiHyper
ReEntry
RANGES (MPH) Subsonic: <614mph | Transonic: 614-921 | Supersonic: 921-3836 | Hypersonic: 3836-7673 | Hi-Hypersonic: 7673-19180 | Reentry: >19030


(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the base HESA Qasef-1 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)
1 x 66lb (30kg) warhead with impact detonation (roughly the same effect of a conventional drop bomb upon detonation).


Supported Types


Graphical image of an aircraft conventional drop bomb munition


(Not all ordnance types may be represented in the showcase above)
Hardpoint Mountings: 0


Qasef-1 - Base Series Designation; dispute remains whether the aircraft is a product of local Iranian industry or in-the-field conversion of Ababil-2 drones by Houthi rebels in Yemen.


Military lapel ribbon for Operation Allied Force
Military lapel ribbon for the Arab-Israeli War
Military lapel ribbon for the Battle of Britain
Military lapel ribbon for the Battle of Midway
Military lapel ribbon for the Berlin Airlift
Military lapel ribbon for the Chaco War
Military lapel ribbon for the Cold War
Military lapel ribbon for the Cuban Missile Crisis
Military lapel ribbon for pioneering aircraft
Military lapel ribbon for the Falklands War
Military lapel ribbon for the French-Indochina War
Military lapel ribbon for the Golden Age of Flight
Military lapel ribbon for the 1991 Gulf War
Military lapel ribbon for the Indo-Pak Wars
Military lapel ribbon for the Iran-Iraq War
Military lapel ribbon for the Korean War
Military lapel ribbon for the 1982 Lebanon War
Military lapel ribbon for the Malayan Emergency
Military lapel ribbon representing modern aircraft
Military lapel ribbon for the attack on Pearl Harbor
Military lapel ribbon for the Six Day War
Military lapel ribbon for the Soviet-Afghan War
Military lapel ribbon for the Spanish Civil War
Military lapel ribbon for the Suez Crisis
Military lapel ribbon for the Ukranian-Russian War
Military lapel ribbon for the Vietnam War
Military lapel ribbon for Warsaw Pact of the Cold War-era
Military lapel ribbon for the WASP (WW2)
Military lapel ribbon for the World War 1
Military lapel ribbon for the World War 2
Military lapel ribbon for the Yom Kippur War
Military lapel ribbon for experimental x-plane aircraft


Ribbon graphics not necessarily indicative of actual historical campaign ribbons. Ribbons are clickable to their respective aerial campaigns / operations / aviation periods.

Images Gallery



1 / 2
Image of the HESA Qasef-1
Image from the United States Department of Defense DVIDS imagery database.
2 / 2
Image of the HESA Qasef-1
Image from the United States Department of Defense DVIDS imagery database.


Advertisements




Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Cookies


2023 Military Pay Chart Military Ranks DoD Dictionary Conversion Calculators Military Alphabet Code Military Map Symbols

The "Military Factory" name and MilitaryFactory.com logo are registered ® U.S. trademarks protected by all applicable domestic and international intellectual property laws. All written content, illustrations, and photography are unique to this website (unless where indicated) and not for reuse/reproduction in any form. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value only and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance, or general operation. We do not sell any of the items showcased on this site. Please direct all other inquiries to militaryfactory AT gmail.com.

Part of a network of sites that includes GlobalFirepower, a data-driven property used in ranking the top military powers of the world, WDMMA.org (World Directory of Modern Military Aircraft), WDMMW.org (World Directory of Modern Military Warships), SR71blackbird.org, detailing the history of the world's most iconic spyplane, and MilitaryRibbons.info, cataloguing military medals and ribbons.

View day-by-day actions of the American Civil War with CivilWarTimeline.net. View day-by-day actions of World War II with SecondWorldWarHistory.com.


©2023 www.MilitaryFactory.com • All Rights Reserved • Content ©2003-2023 (20yrs)