HESA Ababil-5

Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle (UCAV)

Iran | 2022

"The Ababil-5 series attack drone was debuted in an Iranian military display during April of 2022."

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 06/22/2022 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

As another keen observer of modern wars fought using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), the nation of Iran has been stockpiling indigenous designs for the last decade. This includes the line of HESA Ababil UAVs which run the gamut of over-battlefield roles including general scouting, loitering munition, target drone, and attack. The Ababil-1 was a circo-1980s loitering type while the Ababil02 became its modernized, improved form. Since then, the Ababil-3 was revealed to be a 2008 development covering the Intelligence-Surveillance-Reconnaissance (ISR) role.

Expanding the line-up today is the Ababil-5, debuted during an Iranian military display in April of 2022. This aircraft appears to be a dedicated strike platform (Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle = UCAV) ala the American "Predator" series with a fixed-wing mainplane, propeller drive, and underslung air-to-surface weapons. Its general design lines and overall configuration seem to very closely follow the Israeli IAI "Searcher" UAV of 1992.

As showcased, the UAV has a centralized, slab-sided fuselage with twin-boom tail unit configuration. The powerplant is seated at the rear of the fuselage driving a three-bladed propeller unit in "pusher" arrangement. The mainplanes are shoulder-mounted and straight with clipped tips while, under each member, is noted a hardpoint which can mount up to three small air-to-surface missiles (six in all). The undercarriage is of tricycle arrangement, wheeled, and fixed. It is assumed that the avionics and optics set are housed in the forward section of the fuselage.

Due to the secretive nature of Iranian defense industry, it is unknown whether the unit on display was a static prototype, working prototype, or production-quality example.

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Power & Performance
Those special qualities that separate one aircraft design from another. Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for the HESA Ababil-5 Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle (UCAV).

1 x Conventional engine of unknown make and model outputting around 50 horsepower driving single three-bladed propeller unit at end of fuselage in pusher arrangement.
Propulsion

124 mph
200 kph | 108 kts
Max Speed

19,685 ft
6,000 m | 4 miles
Service Ceiling

Structure
The nose-to-tail, wingtip-to-wingtip physical qualities of the HESA Ababil-5 Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle (UCAV).

0
(UNMANNED)
Crew

19.2 ft
5.85 m
O/A Length

28.1 ft
(8.55 m)
O/A Width

4.1 ft
(1.25 m)
O/A Height

772 lb
(350 kg)
Empty Weight

1,102 lb
(500 kg)
MTOW

Armament
Available supported armament and special-mission equipment featured in the design of the HESA Ababil-5 Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle (UCAV) provided across 2 hardpoints.

Up to six air-to-surface missiles mounted at two underwing hardpoints (three missiles to a station).

X

Hardpoints Key:

Centerline

Wingroot(L)

Wingroot(R)

Wing

Wingtip

Internal

Not Used

Variants
Notable series variants as part of the HESA Ababil-5 family line.

Operators
Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the HESA Ababil-5. Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national aircraft listing.

Total Production: 10 Units
Contractor(s): Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industrial Company (IAMIC / HESA) - Iran

[ Iran ]

Going Further...
The HESA Ababil-5 Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle (UCAV) appears in the following collections:

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