Iran unveils new missiles, ‘Gaza’ drones - analysis

This new drone can achieve new heights with 35 hours of flight time and a range of 2,000 km., and can also carry bombs and hundreds of kilos of payloads.

A drone is launched during a large-scale drone combat exercise of Army of the Islamic Republic of Iran, in Semnan, Iran January 4, 2021. Picture taken January 4, 2021 (photo credit: IRANIAN ARMY/WANA/REUTERS)
A drone is launched during a large-scale drone combat exercise of Army of the Islamic Republic of Iran, in Semnan, Iran January 4, 2021. Picture taken January 4, 2021
(photo credit: IRANIAN ARMY/WANA/REUTERS)
Iran on Friday showed off new surface-to-air missiles and a new drone that it has named “Gaza,” apparently in reference to the Hamas war against Israel that resulted in a ceasefire on Friday.

Iran is celebrating the war and believes Hamas won. It likely advised the terror group governing the Gaza Strip regarding when to start the war and encouraged it to target Israeli air bases and airports, as well as to test Iron Dome so that Iran could share information with Hezbollah.

Iran also flew a drone into Israeli airspace near Beit She’an during the war.
Iran’s new “Gaza” drone appears to be a copy of a US Predator or Reaper. It thus builds on the Shahed 129, which was introduced in 2012 and is also a copy of a Predator. The Shahed can fly for 24 hours according to Iran.
This new drone can achieve new heights with 35 hours of flight time, a range of 2,000 km. and can also carry bombs and hundreds of kilograms of payloads like optical equipment. Iran provides these claims mostly to show it can threaten Israel.
The range would mean it can fly from Iran to Israel and back, or land in Iraq and Syria. This is a direct threat to Israel.
The new air defense system, which may be based on the 3rd Khordad that Iran used to down a US Global Hawk in 2019, which is itself based on an S-300 made by the Russians, is for lower altitude targets, Iran has stated.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps head Hossein Salami praised the new weapons systems. He said the new radar will aid Iran to search for threats. It completes a comprehensive air defense map for the Islamic Republic. Iran’s new air defense missile is called the 9D; some have called it 9-Dey.