Iran displays Warmate-type loitering munition

The Zhubin looks very similar to the Warmate loitering munition made by Poland's WB Group. (defapress.com)

The Islamic Republic of Iran Army Ground Forces displayed an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that looks like the WB Group's Warmate loitering munition at an exhibition that opened on 2 July.

Media coverage of senior officers visiting the exhibition showed the UAV with a small camera embedded in an interchangeable warhead mounted on its nose, like the Warmate, albeit with a more prominent antenna for controlling it from the ground than the Polish original.

Iranian sources identified the weapon as the Zhubin, which was reported to be one of the weapons displayed at the exhibition.

The Zhubin was also reported to be one of the UAVs used by the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy during an exercise in July 2022. Photographs of that event showed what appeared to be a Warmate-type UAV being launched from submarines.

The Polish-made Warmate, its launcher, datalink antenna, and control console are designed to be carried and deployed by a two-person team. The UAV has a take-off weight of 5.7 kg, which includes a high-explosive or a thermobaric warhead, and a radio-control range of 30 km.

The Zhubin was displayed next to a small vertical take-off UAV that was identified by a poster as the Yazdan-3. This has been seen earlier in Iranian military parades and exercises but has not been officially identified, with Tasnim News Agency earlier identifying it as the Chamroosh-3.