Iraq Unveils Indigenous UAV

Iraq’s State Company for Military Industries (SCMI) unveiled a new unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) during the IQDEX show held in Baghdad in March.

“The UAV has [been] intensively used in the recent Iraqi security forces war against Daish,” Jalal Hussein, SCMI’s chief engineer, told Jane’s , using the Arabic acronym for the Islamic State militant group.

He added that Iraqi security forces have shown serious interest in acquiring the UAV to support their operations, while he indicated that his engineers are developing more capable cameras for it and considering the possibility of arming it with bombs.

The fixed-wing UAV has a 3 m length, 4 m wingspan, and is powered by a 220 cc engine. It has a maximum speed of 175 km/hour, a cruising speed of 135 km/hour, a service ceiling of 3,500 m, a range of up to 80 km, an endurance of up to 8 hours, and a 30 kg payload, according to SCMI.

Photo: Mohammed Najib

Source: Jane’s 360

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