With the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War, Iran is quickly becoming a global provider of low-cost drone solutions. While some are mere straight-up Iranian copies of Western types (namely American and Israeli in origin), others are homegrown indigenous developments which are beginning to catch the attention of military powers such as Russia. The HESA Shahed-149 "Gaza", a further development of the earlier Shahed-129 ("Eye-Witness") series drone (detailed elsewhere on this site), was introduced in April of 2022 and reportedly maintains an active presence in the Iranian inventory. The type's overall design arrangement is reminiscent of the American "Predator" / "Reaper" drone lines detailed elsewhere on this site.
Design of the new combat-oriented air vehicle is attributed to Shahed Aviation Industries while production is handled by the Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industries Corporation (HESA) founded in 1977.
The configuration of the aircraft sees a sleek and aerodynamically-refined shape. The forward fuselage is bulged and houses the avionics set. At the "chin" position is a traversing "blister" turret given unfettered 360-degree views of the terrain below. The turret houses an Electro-Optical (EO) and InfraRed (IR) optics set for day/night work and is capable of thermal imaging as well as laser range-finding. The mainplanes are md-mounted members along the sides of the fuselage and straight in their general form with clipped tips. The empennage houses the engine complex - outputting up to 750 horsepower - which drives a four-bladed propeller unit in "pusher" fashion. The tailplanes comprise a pair of dorsally-mounted, outward-canted vertical fins with a single ventrally-positioned fin for the needed control and stability. Ground-running is possible through a standard wheeled tricycle arrangement.
Dimensions include a running length of 34.4 feet, a wingspan of 68.10 feet, and a height of 10.5 feet.
Performance-wise, this air vehicle cruises at 220 miles-per-hour and can range out to 4,300 miles while remaining airborne for periods exceeding 35 hours. Its service ceiling is 35,000 feet.
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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.
✓Intelligence-Surveillance-Reconnaissance (ISR), Scout
Surveil ground targets / target areas to assess environmental threat levels, enemy strength, or enemy movement.
✓Unmanned Capability
Aircraft inherently designed (or later developed) with an unmanned capability to cover a variety of over-battlefield roles.
Length
34.4 ft (10.50 m)
Width/Span
10.5 ft (3.20 m)
Height
68.9 ft (21.00 m)
(Showcased structural values pertain to the HESA Shahed-149 production variant)
monoplane / mid-mounted / straight
Monoplane
Design utilizes a single primary wing mainplane; this represent the most popular mainplane arrangement.
Mid-Mounted
Mainplanes are mounted along the midway point of the sides of the fuselage.
Straight
The planform involves use of basic, straight mainplane members.
(Structural descriptors pertain to the HESA Shahed-149 production variant)
Installed:
1 x Conventional engine developing between 650 and 750 horsepower driving a four-bladed propeller unit in pusher arrangement.
(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the HESA Shahed-149 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)
DEFGHI
Supported Types
(Not all ordnance types may be represented in the showcase above)
Hardpoint Mountings: 6
Shahed-149 "Gaza" - Base Series Designation.
Ribbon graphics not necessarily indicative of actual historical campaign ribbons. Ribbons are clickable to their respective aerial campaigns / operations / aviation periods.
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