DIMDEX 2024: Iran displays Gaza-armed ISTAR UAV with new details

The Gaza UAV scale model displayed at DIMDEX 2024. (Janes/Ajay Shankar Pandey)

The Iranian defence industry displayed its multirole Gaza-armed intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance (ISTAR) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) at the DIMDEX 2024 exhibition held in Doha, Qatar, from 4 to 6 March.

The Gaza UAV is a turboprop-powered remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) designed for military and civilian missions. It has an endurance of over 24 hours at minimum payload, with a maximum speed of 350 km/h, a cruising speed of 215 km/h, and a loitering speed of 190 km/h. It can operate up to an altitude of 35,000 ft and features a 500 kg payload capacity.

The weight of the UAV is 1,650 kg without fuel, and it can carry 1,500 kg of fuel. It is powered by a turboprop engine with 750 hp. The UAV has a maximum take-off weight (MTOW) of 3,100 kg, including all the payloads. It has a rate of climb of 1,500 ft/min.

The Gaza UAV can accommodate a maximum of eight F-365-N112 or F-345-N422 ‘smart bombs' under the wings. The F-365-N112 smart bomb weighs 38 kg with a 9 kg warhead. It is guided by an imaging infrared (IIR) seeker, a television (TV) correlation seeker, or a least squares estimation (LS) seeker. The bomb uses an impact fuze to trigger the explosive. It has a range of 1–10 km, with a maximum speed of 1,000 km/h. It is also available in a land-based version and can be configured for anti-armour or anti-personnel use.