Officials said the attack UAV would have the capability to launch
munitions and missiles toward ground targets.
They said the UAV, a project overseen by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, has been developed and
deployment would begin around December 2010.
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"The super-advanced bomber UAV, manufactured by the Revolutionary
Guards, will be operational in the second half of this year," IRGC Brig.
Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh said.
Officials said Hajizadeh was referring to the Persian calendar. The
calendar year begins on March 20.
Hajizadeh said the attack UAV was designed and developed in Iran. He
said production has already begun but did not elaborate.
Officials said the Iranian Defense Ministry began production of two UAV
models in February 2010. They said one of the models was that of the attack
UAV, designed for precision strikes.
Iran first tested an attack UAV in 2006. At the time, IRGC oversaw a
project to place a 40-kilogram explosive payload on the Ababil UAV.