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.
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.
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(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.
(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
(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.
Ribbon graphics not necessarily indicative of actual historical campaign ribbons. Ribbons are clickable to their respective aerial campaigns / operations / aviation periods.
Images Gallery
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Image from the United States Department of Defense DVIDS imagery database.
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Image from the United States Department of Defense DVIDS imagery database.
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Iran; Yemen (rebels)
