Shahed 149 Gaza

The Shahed 149 Gaza is an unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) used by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard. It is a high-altitude, long-endurance drone that resembles the American MQ-9 Reaper in both appearance and function, and it is the first Iranian UAV to use a turboprop engine. The drone was publicly revealed on May 21, 2021, and was named after the Gaza Strip to honor the Palestinian struggle during the 2021 Israel–Palestine crisis. It entered service with the IRGC Aerospace Force in 2022.

The aircraft is larger and heavier than the earlier Shahed 129, which was comparable to the MQ-1 Predator, and is claimed to outperform its predecessor. It can stay airborne for 24 hours, has a maximum operational range of 2,500 kilometers (1,562 miles), a wingspan of 21 meters, and a top speed of 340 kilometers per hour. It is capable of carrying 13 bombs and 500 kilograms of electronic equipment.

The first known mention of the drone came on February 23, 2020, when a defense reporter for Tasnim News posted about it on Twitter. It was unveiled in May 2021, passed flight tests in April 2022, and was accepted for service that same month.