Global InformationHESA Ababil information
| HESA Ababil | |
|---|---|
| |
| A Hezbollah Ababil-2 UAV, twin-tail variant with surveillance payload, on display at Mleeta, Lebanon. This specific drone is described as a Mirsad-1. | |
| Role | Ababil-1: Loitering munition
|
| National origin |  Iran
|
| Manufacturer | HESA Isfahan factory |
| Design group | Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industrial Company |
| First flight | 1986[1] |
| Introduction | disputed |
| Status | In service |
| Primary user | Iran
|
| Produced | 1980s–present |
| Number built | Unknown (Hundreds) |
The HESA Ababil (Persian: ابابیل) is an Iranian family of single-engine multirole tactical unmanned aerial vehicles manufactured by Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industrial Company (HESA). The Ababil comes in four main lines, the Ababil-2 ,3, 4 and 5, of which the Ababil-2 has a number of variants. It is considered a long-range, low-technology drone.[2]
The Ababil program was begun during the Iran–Iraq War. The Ababil-2, developed in the 1990s, has rudimentary surveillance capabilities and can be used as a loitering munition, but is mainly used as a target drone. The larger and more capable Ababil-3, introduced in the 2000s, was designed for Intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance use and has improved surveillance capabilities.[citation needed] We have little information about Ababil-4 but it was seen in the 2022 Army Day for the first time. Ababil-5 is the most recent member of this family. It has a greater range and carries more ammunition. Overall, the Ababil has been described "a pretty rough-and-ready system" because of its "cheap, simple, and ease of use."[3]
The Ababil-2 and Ababil-3 have been widely exported to governments and paramilitaries in the Middle East and elsewhere.[citation needed] The Ababil has been used in the 2006 Lebanon War, the Iraq War, and the Sudanese, Syrian, Iraqi, and Yemeni civil wars.[citation needed] Ababil-4 and Ababil-5 (Both unveiled in 2022) are only seen in Iranian service.
- ^ Ahmad, Naveed (2 June 2019). "The Advent of Drones: Iran's Weapon of Choice" (PDF). International Institute for Iranian Studies (Rasanah).[dead link]
- ^ Davis, Lynn E., Michael J. McNerney, James S. Chow, Thomas Hamilton, Sarah Harting, and Daniel Byman (2014). "Armed and Dangerous? UAVs and U.S. Security". Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Peterson, Zach (17 August 2012). "Are These Really Iranian Drones?". RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty.