Iranian students design high-altitude drone

Iranian students at Tabriz University designed an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) flying at 15,000 feet. Researchers at the Modern Technologies Engineering Collage of Tabriz University developed the drone, dubbed as Shaparak (butterfly), which can keep flying at 15,000 feet and a range of 20 km. One of the designers of the drone said that the long period of constant flying at high altitudes is one of the main feature of the newly designed drone. \"These types of UAVs are able to keep flying for 3 hours and have the capability to increase their length of flight to 20 hours,\" the designer said. The small size Shaparak weighs 55kg and enjoys the capability to carry a maximum 10kg load and conduct night flights. The UAV can take off in three seconds, which is another outstanding feature of this drone. In May, an Iranian commander said that the Iranian Army plans to increase the range of its home-made Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and also equip its reconnaissance drones with missile-launching systems. Speaking to FNA, Lieutenant Commander of the Iranian Army\'s Self-Sufficiency Jihad Rear Admiral Farhad Amiri referred to Iran\'s capability in designing and building different types of drones, and explained that UAVs are usually used for collecting intelligence and information, wiretapping, photography and shooting footage, but they can also be used for other purposes on the basis of their power and capabilities. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in August 2010 unveiled the country\'s first home-made combat UAV. The Karrar UAV is capable of carrying a military payload to carry out bombing missions against ground targets. It is also capable of flying long distances at a very high speed. Also, Iran in early February 2010, inaugurated the production line of two home-made UAVs with bombing and reconnaissance capabilities. The two hi-tech drones named \'Ra\'d\' (Thunder) and \'Nazir\' (Harbinger) are capable of conducting long-range reconnaissance, patrolling, assault and bombing missions with high precision. Ra\'d which is a UAV of choice for assault and bombing missions has the capability to destroy the specified targets with high pinpoint precision. Experts believe that once the UAV enters the scene of aerial missions, it would enhance the reconnaissance, patrolling and defensive power of the Islamic Republic of Iran\'s Armed Force. Iran has recently made good progress in the air industry and has succeeded in gaining the technical know-how for producing stealth aircraft and drones. Iran successfully tested a home-made radar-evading UAV with bombing capabilities in June 2009. Also in 2008, the country\'s Defense Industries launched production lines of two well-known home-made fighter jets, namely Saeqeh (Thunderbolt) and Azarakhsh (Lightening).