TEHRAN: Iran unveiled on Tuesday its latest domestically built drone that can fly at a higher altitude and for a longer duration with enhanced weapons capabilities, state media reported.

The “Mohajer-10” drone was introduced at a ceremony in Tehran attended by President Ebrahim Raisi, celebrating the achievements of Iran’s defence industry.

The new drone is an upgraded version of the “Mohajer-6”, which US officials have accused Iran of selling to Russia for use in the Ukraine war — an accusation Tehran denies.

Western governments have in recent months expanded biting sanctions on Iran over the alleged arms sales.

The new drone “can fly up to a maximum duration of 24 hours at an altitude of 7,000 metres (23,000 feet) and with an operational range of 2,000 kilometres,” the official IRNA news agency reported.

It can travel at speeds of up to 210 kilometres per hour and is equipped with updated electronic and intelligence systems.

The unmanned aerial vehicle has a payload of up to 300 kilograms of cargo, double that of the previous model, allowing it to carry “all kinds of bombs and ammunitions”, IRNA said.

This is double the weight and flight duration capacity of the “Mohajer-6” which can hold 150 kilograms of weapons and fly for 12 hours. The previous model also had a lower flight altitude of 5,400 metres, and speed of 200 kilometres per hour.

Published in Dawn, August 23th, 2023