Shahed 149 Gaza
The Shahed 149 Gaza, is an Iranian unmanned combat aerial vehicle operated by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. It was unveiled on 21 May 2021 and named after the Gaza Strip in honor of the Palestinians' struggle against Israel amid the 2021 Israel–Palestine crisis. It was delivered to the IRGC Aerospace Force in 2022.
The Gaza drone is a high-altitude long-endurance UAV similar in appearance and role to the American MQ-9 Reaper. It is larger and heavier than the earlier Shahed 129 and claimed to more capable than its predecessor, which was similar to the MQ-1 Predator. It has a flight duration of 24 hours, a maximum operating radius of 2,500km, 21m wingspan, 340 km/h maximum speed and is capable of carrying 13 bombs and 500 kg of electronic equipment. It is the first Iranian UAV powered by a turboprop engine.
History
On February 23, 2020, a defense reporter for Tasnim News posted on Twitter that Iran was developing a drone called "Shahed 149". This is the first mention of the drone.The drone was unveiled in May 2021.
The drone passed its flight tests in April 2022 and was accepted for service the same month.