HESA Shahed-129 (Eye-Witness)

History

For some time now, Iranian industry has been actively involved in the development of drone aircraft - retrofitting foreign models as well as developing entirely new domestic designs, with varying degrees of success. The HESA Shahed-129 series is a dual-role platform suitable for reconnaissance and attack. It was developed by Iran's Shahed Aviation Industry Research Center, and production was taken over by HESA (and was based on the earlier "Shahed-123", later renamed "HESA-100").

Released in September 2012, it is still in active production and may have been procured by the Syrian government for use in the long-running civil war campaign that began in 2011. Shahed-129 was launched in mid-2012.

Externally, the Shahed-129 appears to mimic the shape of foreign models such as the Israeli Hermes 450 and the British Watchkeeper drone, and is expected to provide similar capabilities on the battlefield. The tubular fuselage is used to house the engines, fuel depots, avionics and reconnaissance mission payloads. The "blister" assembly that houses the main optics is located under the aircraft under the nose, providing an unobstructed 360-degree field of view. The wings are mounted on the shoulders along the sides of the fuselage, in a straight design, each with an attachment point.

The hardpoint is fitted with a twin-rail launcher, each of which can carry up to two Sadid-1 missiles - giving the Shahed-129 a four-round capability. The landing gear is rolling, although fixed during flight (like the American Predator). The tail consists of two outwardly sloping vertical fins, where the engine drives a three-blade unit in a "propeller" configuration.

The air intake is located under the stern.

In practice, the Shahed-129 relies on a ground control station (GCS) for direct control flight, but can also fly autonomously with preset waypoint itineraries. The range is limited by the communications technology used, but is sufficient to provide a useful patrolling capability for the Iranian Army and Navy.

Its dual role (reconnaissance and attack) design allows for active patrolling of specific areas and direct attack from a single platform. Missile attacks can target both land-based targets, such as vehicles and fortifications, as well as sea-based targets, such as enemy patrol shipsthe latter of which are essential for maintaining control of the Persian Gulf waterways.

These characteristics are all very common for this type of UAV/UCAV.

Specification

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