United Press International
TEHRAN, Sept. 16 (UPI) -- Iran's military announced in Tehran Sunday it has reached its goal of developing a drone aircraft that can fly for 24 hours and carry missiles.
Major Gen. Mohammad Ali Jafari, commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, said the new unmanned Shahed 129 has a vast range because it can fly non-stop for 24 hours, the FARS news agency reported.
Iran first successfully tested a homemade radar-evading drone with bombing capabilities in June 2009, which was unveiled in a Tehran ceremony in August 2010 by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
In March, the military announced success with a smaller drone called the Shaparak for use in border patrols. It can fly for 3.5 hours, has a range of 30 miles and a maximum altitude of 15,000 feet, the report said.
