Shahed 129

Development began in 2005 when Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industrial Company (HESA) began design work on the HESA-100 UAV. This was essentially the same design as the Shahed 129 but was shorter and with a squarish fuselage. Design responsibility was transferred to Shahed Aviation Industries Research Center, which renamed the HESA-100 the Shahed 123. Though little is known about it, the Shahed 123 is a production UAV in its own right, not a research project. The Shahed 123 was later developed into the Shahed 129. Alternatively, a number of sources have reported that the Shahed 129 was reverse engineered from an Israeli Hermes 450 UAV that crashed in Iran. Two prototypes were built. The UAV entered serial production in September 2013. A total of 40 aircraft have been ordered, with deliveries scheduled to be completed by 2024. == Design ==

The Shahed 129 is a large single-engine propeller-driven UAV with V-tail vertical stabilizers, high-mounted straight wings, and a pusher configuration, generally similar to the MQ-1 Predator. It has a long, narrow cylindrical fuselage approximately 65–75 cm in diameter, and is fabricated from large panels of composite material with an aluminum alloy superstructure. There is also a payload bay under the drone's body, at the center of gravity. The Shahed 129 is powered by one Rotax 914 aircraft engine and has two twin hardpoints, for a total of up to four munitions. and is described by multiple sources as similar in design to the Israeli Spike-ER missile. Later, this was replaced by the Sadid-345 precision-guided munition, also known as the Sadid guided bomb. Iranian sources claim the UAV can carry up to eight weapons, but in practice it is not seen with more than four. Given that Iran regularly makes misleading claims about their UAVs, and that Shahed-129 made no known drone strikes for its first four years of flight, there were long doubts about the Shahed-129's claim to be a legitimate strike UAV. Since 2016, there is a general consensus that it is a legitimate UCAV capable of lethal force. precision-guided munitions. To the rear is a Shahed 129, and to the left a blue Shahed 121. Though the Shahed 129 airframe is likely capable of its claimed 1700 km combat range, it relies on a ground control station, which Iranian state media say is limited to a 200 km datalink. The Shahed is claimed to have a 24-hour endurance, which is considered plausible but has not been independently verified. == Operational history ==

In May 2014, two Shahed 129 aircraft were disassembled and airlifted on an Ilyushin Il-76 strategic airlifter to Damascus International Airport, along with their ground control stations and associated support crews, for use in the Syrian Civil War. The war in Syria proved a good environment to test the Shahed 129, and three more were later transferred to Syria, where they are operated from Syrian Air Force bases. A Shahed 129 was also used to provide bomb damage assessment for the 2017 Deir ez-Zor missile strike. Mohammad Ali Jafari described the UAV as "smart, accurate and inexpensive." Shahed 129s have been broadly dispersed and are not operated from any central airbase. As of 2017, two Shahed 129s were based in Damascus, Syria, three in Tactical Air Base 10 near Konarak, four in Bandar-Abbas, two on Abu Musa, and one in Urmia. In Syria, satellite imagery placed Shahed 129s at Hama Air Base and T4 airbase. In general, Iran has said little about the Shahed-129's use in Syria. On 8 June 2017, one of the five Shahed 129s deployed to Syria Though the airstrike "was clearly meant as an attack on the coalition forces and partner forces in the area", it failed to damage any American or partner equipment and failed to injure or kill any American or partner personnel, The Shahed 129 was shot down by an American F-15E Strike Eagle. Days later, on 20 June 2017, another F-15E Strike Eagle shot down another Shahed 129 drone again near Al-Tanf. The drone approached in a similar manner to the previous incident and was shot down before it reached the range at which it could deploy its weapons. On the same day, on 20 June 2017, a Pakistani JF-17 shot down a Shahed 129 after it entered Pakistani airspace near Panjgur. It flew about 3–4 km into Pakistani airspace. Overall, three Shahed 129s were shot down. An additional aircraft crashed in 2015 near Chabahar and is believed to have been rebuilt. In spring 2019, Shahed 129s were used by the IRGC to assist in relief operations in flood-affected regions of Khuzestan Province, Iran. On 3 February 2026, a Shahed 129 was shot down by a United States Navy F-35C as it approached the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln. The ship was located about 500 miles off the coast of Iran, no US personnel were harmed. == Variants ==

A new Shahed 129 variant distinguishable by a bulging nose was developed by Shahed Aviation Industries in 2015 and revealed in February 2016. Iranian sources say this variant is equipped with satellite navigation, which will extend the range of the UAV. On the other hand, sources hostile to Iran say that as Iran has no satellites, the bulbous nose is unrelated to satellite guidance. In addition, the payload is increased by 100 kg and the range is increased to 3000 km, according to Iran. A variant with a possible external synthetic aperture radar was observed in 2023. ==Operators==

;: Used by IRGC-ASF with 26–28 delivered, 3 shot down, leaving 23–25 in service (2018). 40 ordered. ;: Russia is reported to have ordered 46 drones of various models. On 5 August 2022, Ukrainian officials claimed that Russian forces were operating these drones in combat over Ukraine, some of which are reported to be older models of the Shahed 129. Quoting a Ukrainian government official: "Advisor to the Ukrainian President’s Office, Oleksiy Arestovych, stated on August 5 that Iran handed 46 drones over to Russia and that the Ukrainian government has already noted the use of these drones in combat in Ukraine. At least a portion of the provided drones are older-generation “Shahed 129” heavy strike drones, which Russian forces may seek to use to attack US-provided HIMARS in Ukraine." ==Specifications (Shahed 129A)==