Summary
Iran has developed a new generation of unmanned aerial vehicles with a range of 1,000 kilometers (620 miles), Iranian Deputy Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi announced this week, calling it an "important achievement." The new UAV could range as far east as India, west to the Mediterranean, south over the Arabian peninsula and north over much of central Asia and the Caucasus. In other words, it could soar over every U.S. military installation, diplomatic mission or country of interest in the Middle East.
The United States long enjoyed a near-monopoly on sophisticated weapons such as UAVs, but over the past decade dozens of nations have either fielded or begun developing their own drone aircraft for surveillance, reconnaissance or attack missions. Drones are very attractive to smaller states because they are inexpensive, stealthy and pose fewer risks than conventional aircraft. If a drone is shot down or malfunctions on a mission there is no pilot to rescue, and the loss is in the thousands of dollars instead of the millions.See the full content of this document
Extract
New Iranian Capability Is Troublesome
Iran began developing UAVs in the early 1990s and has reportedly used them...
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