As kamikaze drones become increasingly instrumental in modern combat, Iran has unveiled another one-way Unmanned Aerial Vehicle dubbed ‘Meraj-532’ for Iran Revolutionary Guards Ground Forces (IRGC).
On April 9, a video released by Iran and published on state media showed the unveiling of the Meraj-532 drone by the IRGC. According to publicly available information, the Meraj-532 is a piston-engine drone with a one-way range of 450 kilometers.
The head of the Research and Self-Sufficiency Jihad Organization of the IRGC Ground Force, Ali Kouhestani, stated that the drone could fly up to 12,000 feet for three hours after taking off from a vehicle and has exceptional precision, thanks to its 50-kilogram warhead, Iran International reported.
General Kouhestani also stated that Meraj-532 could be assembled and prepared for flight easily and rapidly, emerging as a suitable option for rapid reaction. The drone was seen launching from a Toyota pickup truck. Some military commentators said on Twitter that it looked like a missile with wings launching from a car.
In addition, some military watchers also pointed out that Meraj-532’s tail design appeared to have been influenced by Russia’s Lancet drone. However, the Iranian drone can carry a much heavier payload of 50 kilograms and deal a devastating blow to the target.
On his part, Kouhestani bragged that domestic drone production is advancing quickly and that more combat, training, and suicide drones will be unveiled soon. The Iranian media could not independently verify the production of the suicide drone.
Moreover, the unveiling of the Meraj-532 drone comes months after Iran unveiled a very small drone of the Meraj family known as the Meraj-521. Meraj is typically described as a light-class unmanned aerial vehicle that can carry a warhead weighing 500, 700, and 1000 grams.
EurAsian Times had previously reported that the Meraj-521 has a range of five kilometers and was very similar to the US Switchblade 300 UAS manufactured by US company AeroVironment.
The Meraj-521 can hover in the air for up to 15 minutes. Three types of warheads, ranging in weight from 500 grams to one kilogram, can be added as an option.
However, the Meraj-532 drone manufactured for the ground forces goes way over and above these capabilities with its 50-kilogram payload capacity and 3 hours (120 minutes) of endurance.
Source: Eurasian Times
[See also: Iran’s Shahed-191 UAV Launched from a Toyota Tundra – Ed.]