Shahed 129

Background

Development began in 2005 when HESA started design work on the HESA-100 UAV, a shorter, squarish-fuselage design. Responsibility transferred to Shahed Aviation Industries Research Center, which renamed it the Shahed 123, a production UAV in its own right. The Shahed 123 was later developed into the Shahed 129.

Alternatively, some sources report the Shahed 129 was reverse engineered from an Israeli Hermes 450 that crashed in Iran. Two prototypes were built: the first (129-001) flew in spring 2012 and livestreamed ballistic missile tests on 13 July 2012; the second (129-002) flew in June 2012. The UAV entered serial production in September 2013, but armament integration problems delayed its first drone strikes until early 2016, when Sadid-345 munitions were fitted.

Design

The Shahed 129 is a large single-engine propeller-driven UAV with V-tail vertical stabilizers, high-mounted straight wings, and a pusher configuration. It has a cylindrical fuselage 65–75 cm in diameter, fabricated from composite panels over an aluminum alloy superstructure. It features a chin-mounted electro-optic/infrared sensor, retractable landing gear, a real-time video data link, and a payload bay at the center of gravity. The UAV is powered by a Rotax 914 engine and has two twin hardpoints for up to four munitions.

Originally armed with Sadid-1 anti-tank guided missiles (also called Sadid-361 or Fat'h 362), these were not operationally deployed due to launcher and guidance problems or sanctions-related component shortages. The Sadid-345 precision-guided bomb replaced them. Iranian sources claim the UAV can carry eight weapons, but it is not seen with more than four; weapons are not carried in canisters, a practice criticized by some experts.

Operational history

In May 2014, two Shahed 129s were airlifted to Damascus International Airport for use in the Syrian Civil War, supporting the Quds Force and militia allies. The first known drone strike occurred in February 2016, Iran's first wartime drone strike. The UAVs have performed hundreds of sorties in Syria against Islamic State and rebel forces.

Two were transferred to Iran's border with Pakistan in 2015, later supplemented by two more. As of 2017, Shahed 129s were based in Damascus, Konarak, Bandar-Abbas, Abu Musa, Urmia, Semnan, and Kashan Air Base. Three were shot down: one by an American F-15E Strike Eagle on 8 June 2017 near al-Tanf, another by an F-15E on 20 June 2017 near al-Tanf, and one by a Pakistani JF-17 on 20 June 2017 after entering Pakistani airspace.

An additional aircraft crashed in 2015 near Chabahar and was reportedly rebuilt. In spring 2019, Shahed 129s assisted flood relief in Khuzestan Province. On 3 February 2026, a Shahed 129 was shot down by a US Navy F-35C.