An illustrative photo of the Karrar drone. Source: Fars News Agency.
Iranian Karrar drones forced United States surveillance aircraft to fly away from the Strait of Hormuz on several recent occasions, Deputy Commander of Iran Army Air Defense revealed on September 3.
Speaking in an interview on the occasion of National Defence Industry Day, Brigadier General Alireza Elhami said that the drone had successfully intercepted P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft, RQ-4 reconnaissance drones and other aircrafts near Iranian waters.
The Karrar was developed by Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industrial Company based on the design of the American-made Beechcraft MQM-107 Streaker target drone. The jet-powered drone has a top speed of 900 kilometers per hour and a combat range of up to 500 kilometers.
Iran has already succeeded in arming the Karrar with different types of anti-ship missiles, torpedos and precision-guided bombs.
Brig. Gen. revealed that the drone will be also armed with air-to-air missiles in the near future. According to the commander, tests are underway.
The Strait of Hormuz has been the focal point of tensions between the U.S. and Iran for the last few months. Roughly 20 percent of the world’s oil supply flows through the strategic choke point, which links the Arabian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman.
Iran’s drone capabilities saw significant growth in recent years. Using drones for aerial interceptions shows how the country is getting creative with these capabilities.
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all that western sanctions achieve is the self reliance of the victime.
ak je to pravda tak potom gratulácia!!! takto to treba robiť!!! poprípade im treba dať nejaké to špionážne lietadlo dolu, tak ako to už raz urobili rusi nad čiernym morom. usa nemá čo pohľadávať v blízkosti hraníc iránu!!!