Iranian multi-purpose UAV "Ababil-2"
UAV "Ababil-2" on the launcher. Photo by Globalsecurity.org
Since the eighties, Iran has paid great attention to the development of unmanned aerial vehicles. Many types of UAVs for various purposes have been developed and produced on our own. One of the most common and well-known devices is the Ababil series. The most massive was the second model of the series, designed for reconnaissance, defeating enemy targets, training air defense crews, etc.
Secret History
Unfortunately real and accurate story The UAV of the Ababil line (Arabic for "Flock"), like a number of other Iranian projects, remains unknown. The reasons for this lie in the general secrecy of military developments and in the closeness of Iran. Only fragmentary information is available and available, which often contradict each other and may not always correspond to reality. However, the origin of the Ababil line of UAVs is generally known.
According to various sources, work on the first Ababil UAV started in the mid-eighties. The project was handled by one of the industry organizations associated with the IRGC. According to some sources, the finished Ababil-1 appeared at the end of the decade and even made it to the Iran-Iraq war. According to other sources, the UAV entered the troops only in the early nineties.
It is believed that "Ababil-1" was drone-kamikaze or simplified projectile aircraft. It was built according to the "duck" scheme with swept planes and a keel. There was a piston engine with a pusher propeller in the tail of the fuselage. The autopilot made it possible to fly along a given route and hit the designated target with a warhead weighing 40-45 kg.
Start with a solid fuel booster. Photo by Globalsecurity.org
It should be noted that there is no reliable information about the operation of the Ababil-1 UAV in the Iranian army or the IRGC. This may be due to secrecy, but there is another explanation, according to which the drone did not reach the series and application. However, on its basis, a more advanced Ababil-2 was created, which became widespread.
New generation
According to various sources, the Iranian aircraft manufacturer HESA began developing the new Ababil-2 UAV in the early or mid-nineties. The first public demonstration of this product took place only in 1999. Soon the drone was brought to the international market, and several foreign countries wished to purchase it.
"Ababil-2" retained the overall architecture and layout of its predecessor. It has a thin elongated fuselage 2,9 m long, a slightly swept forward horizontal tail and a wing span of 3,25 m in the tail. The vertical tail, depending on the modification, includes one or two triangular fins. Unmanned aerial vehicle weight - more than 30 kg; payload - 40 kg.
As production continued, the Ababil-2 UAV was repeatedly upgraded in one way or another. In particular, the glider was rebuilt. So, early drones were all-metal, but in the XNUMXs, the introduction of polymers and composites began. As a result, modern UAVs of this model are made mainly of plastic, which gave weight savings and other advantages.
UAV on a light vehicle platform. Photo Fars News
A piston engine with a pusher propeller is placed in the tail of the fuselage. According to known data, motors of various models of foreign and Iranian production with a power of 25-30 hp were used. Such a power plant allows you to reach speeds of up to 370 km / h; cruising - approx. 300 km/h The flight duration exceeds 1,5-2 hours, the range is at least 120-130 km. The ceiling reaches 3-4 km.
On board the Ababil-2 apparatus, depending on the modification, there are an autopilot and remote control facilities. He is able to fly according to a pre-compiled program or under the direct control of the operator. Over the past decades, the onboard equipment of the drone has been modernized several times. New navigation aids, control and communication systems, etc. were added.
The launch of the UAV is carried out from an inclined rail guide. Acceleration is provided by a catapult or a small-sized solid propellant booster. The launcher can be mounted on various vehicles or other platforms. For example, now UAV carrier ships are being built in Iran, and they, along with other complexes, can carry Ababil-2 products. Landing is carried out using a parachute or horizontally on skids.
Target equipment
UAVs for various purposes are being built on a single Ababil-2 platform, differing in equipment and payload. The simplest are targets for air defense. They have a full-time airframe, power plant and autopilot with remote control capability. They don't need any other equipment.
Late series UAV on parade. Photo Fars News
Slightly more complex are loitering ammunition. They have a simple control system capable of flying along a given route. To hit the target, a 40-kg high-explosive warhead is used. Since 2016, the Houthis in Yemen have been using Kasef-1/2 ammunition, which is as similar as possible to the Iranian Ababil-2 in the kamikaze version.
In the XNUMXs, a reconnaissance modification appeared. In this case, an optical-electronic station for reconnaissance can be installed in the forward fuselage. Provides data transmission to the operator in real time. There is reason to believe that several types of IESs with different capabilities and characteristics have been developed by now. Abroad, the reconnaissance version of the UAV is known as "Ababil-R".
Distribution and application
The very first drone of the Ababil series, if it was mass-produced, was used only by Iranian structures - the army and the IRGC. However, there is no exact information about this. It cannot be ruled out that the project did not progress beyond the production of small batches for field and military tests.
The next Ababil-2 proved to be more successful in terms of production, operation and commercial sales. According to known data, such UAVs actively entered service with the army, air force and IRGC of Iran. The bill of serial products can go to hundreds or thousands.
Reconnaissance variant "Ababil-2". Photo Fars News
The drone is popular among foreign customers. It is known that some armed formations in the Middle East and Libya have such equipment. For example, the Yemeni Houthis received a modified version of loitering ammunition. In 2022, it became known that the production of Ababil-2 will be deployed in Tajikistan.
Information about the use of the Ababil UAV during the Iran-Iraq war is not confirmed. The first authentically known episodes of the combat operation of such products took place only in 2006 - Hezbollah used the Ababil-2 devices in the variant of loitering ammunition during the war in Lebanon. Later it was reported that the organization had reconnaissance UAVs.
Roughly since 2012, Iranian drones have been used by the Syrian armed forces and / or Iranian formations fighting on its side. It is reported about the use of Ababil-2 products in reconnaissance equipment and strike equipment. Another episode of this kind took place on 27 March. One of the pro-Iranian organizations used "Ababil-2" to strike at the American base in Syria.
At the end of the decade, the active combat use of the Kasef UAV, the strike version of Ababil-2, began. With their help, the Houthis have repeatedly attacked and hit targets in Saudi Arabia. It was found that such equipment easily overcomes ground-based air defense, however, enemy fighters showed sufficient effectiveness.
An Ababil-2 kamikaze drone used to attack an American base in Syria, March 27, 2023. Photo by the IRGC
Useful experience
On the Ababil-2 product, the development of the UAV family did not stop. In the second half of the 3s, a device with the number "5" appeared. It radically differed from its predecessors in design and capabilities. Later it was modernized, and the Ababil-XNUMX drone appeared. Both products entered service with Iran and other countries and were even used in real operations.
Thus, in the distant past, Iran managed on its own to create a whole family of unmanned aerial vehicles capable of solving various tasks. Ababil products are capable of conducting reconnaissance, attacking ground targets, incl. by falling on them, or by running targets. At the same time, the main UAVs of the family were produced not only for the Iranian armed forces, but also for foreign customers.
In general, the Ababil family can be considered successful. However, by now, its first representatives are outdated. First of all, due to the emergence of new technologies, developments, etc. Now Iran is able to develop and produce more advanced UAVs with the same functions and tasks. Such equipment is already being created, but the old Ababil-2s are still in operation.
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