Iran unveils latest home-made drone, Ababil 3

Iran has unveiled its latest domestically-manufactured state-of-the-art unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), which can be used in reconnaissance operations.

Ababil 3, which was put on display in the 7th International Aviation Industry Exhibition in the southern island of Kish on Tuesday, has a flight endurance of eight hours and effective operational radius of 250 kilometers.

The UAV can fly at an altitude of 15,000 feet and transmit images simultaneously to ground control stations or any other platforms.

In recent years, Iran has made major breakthroughs in its defense sector and attained self-sufficiency in producing important military equipment and systems.

Last week, Iran put into operation a final version of the sophisticated US RQ-170 stealth aircraft, which was downed with minimal damage by the Iranian Armed Forces’ electronic warfare unit in December, 2011, while flying over the Iranian city of Kashmar, some 225 kilometers (140 miles) from the Afghan border.

The domestically produced version of the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) made a successful maiden flight a few days ago. The footage has just been released.

Iran unveiled its first domestically-manufactured long-range combat drone, the Karrar (Striker), on August 23, 2010. Since then the country has manufactured a variety of other high-tech surveillance and combat unmanned aerial vehicles.

The Islamic Republic has repeatedly assured other countries that its military might poses no threat to other countries since its defense doctrine is based entirely on deterrence.