Iran made several claims over the past day regarding the expansion of its drone capabilities. The Iranian Army has received more than 1,000 drones, Tehran said, adding that the army has artificial intelligence (AI) technology for them. Both claims are potentially important developments.
“The Iranian Army’s Combat Organization has received 1,000 strategic, stealth, and anti-fortification unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs),” Iranian state media reported Monday. “The aircraft, which have been designed and produced in a joint work by the Iranian Army and the Ministry of Defense, were received by the organization simultaneously in several parts of the country on Monday.”
Iran already has a large fleet of various types of drones, including the Shahed 136, which it has exported to Russia. Similar types of kamikaze drones have been exported around the region.
Iran has also developed other lines or families of drones, including those that look like small airplanes and those that can conduct surveillance. Iran has invested in this technology since the 1980s and has recently relied on it in offensive operations.
Why is Iran boasting that it received new drones at this time? In addition, why is it sending them to the Iranian Army?
The Iranian Army is generally not the main destination for new drones. Instead, they might be sent to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
It would appear that this is more about bolstering the army’s capabilities than about threatening the region. This is because Iran already has drones in sufficient numbers to threaten the region, including against Israel.
The new drones have a range of around 2,000 kilometers, Iranian state media reported, adding that they “enjoy high flight durations and destructive power, while they can evade defense layers thanks to their low-level Radar Cross Section (RCS). On Sunday, Deputy Commander of the Iranian Army for Coordination Affairs Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari said the Army was set to receive new strategic equipment in the coming days.”
The development of drones with a low radar cross-section is important for being able to avoid radar. Hezbollah has already illustrated during more than a year of war against Israel and hundreds of drone attacks that Iranian-style drones are difficult to detect in some circumstances.
The Iraqi militias that are backed by Iran and the Houthis also use drones. The Houthis targeted Israel with a drone attack on January 13, illustrating how this technology has transformed the region.
The 2,000-km. range the Iranian drones delivered to the army are said to have is typical of the Shahed 136, illustrating that Iran is rolling out capabilities it already possessed.
AI Development
A more interesting development is Iranian Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh’s statement that “highlighted the Iranian Armed Forces’ advanced capability in drone technology, especially the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in its aircraft,” Iranian state media reported.
“The Iranian Army can dominate the sky with its advanced, AI-equipped drones, if necessary,” he said.
The AI capabilities are linked to the new drones, the report said.
“What is showcased in the exercises is only the shareable portion of our capabilities,” Nasirzadeh said. “We also possess astonishing equipment, which will be utilized by our Armed Forces if necessary.”
Historically, the army was starved of resources, which were diverted to the IRGC. This illustrates a potential shift in Iran’s defense doctrine in the region.
After losing the Assad regime, Iran may want to show that its army is not a paper tiger. This is also important for Iran’s positioning itself in the region with the incoming Trump administration expected to ramp up sanctions.
“The deliveries, unveilings, and exercises across the geography of Iran and the oceans demonstrate the capacity and readiness of the Armed Forces,” Iranian Army Commander-in-Chief Maj.-Gen. Abdolrahim Mousavi said.
Regarding the addition of new technology to the drones, “our scientists inserted the desired new features and requirements into these drones,” he said.
Meanwhile, Iranians Speaker of Parliament Mohammed Qalibaf also praised Iran’s new “missile city” that was recently unveiled. This is an underground bunker and facility where Iran stores missiles and likely can store drones and other weapons as well.
Iran has built several of these facilities, which are designed to give it the ability to survive any kind of airstrike and then roll out retaliatory capabilities in the wake of an attack.
Qalibaf described the new city that was recently unveiled as a “deterrent” against enemies in the region. This is clearly a reference to Israel and the United States and any threats that Iran may face in the future.
Taken together with the new drones and claims of new technology for them, Tehran is positioning itself for a year in which it expects rising military challenges. It also appears to be slightly shifting from its usual investment in the IRGC and back toward the core of Iran.