Shahed 171 Simorgh
Iranian unmanned aerial vehicle From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Shahed 171 Simorgh (sometimes S-171 and called IRN-170 by the US government[1]) is an Iranian jet-powered flying wing unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) produced by Shahed Aviation Industries.[3]
| Shahed 171 Simorgh | |
|---|---|
| |
| Role | Multirole[1] |
| National origin | Iran |
| Manufacturer | Shahed Aviation Industries |
| First flight | 2014[2] |
| Status | Active |
| Primary user | IRGC AF |
| Produced | 2010s–present |
| Developed from | RQ-170 Sentinel |
Its design is based on a reverse engineered American RQ-170 UAV captured by Iran in 2011 and modified to carry guided missiles.[3] It is one of two Iranian flying wing UAVs based on the RQ-170, along with the Saegheh, a smaller version, with which it is often confused.
Etymology
Simorgh is a Persian word deriving from Middle Persian 𐭮𐭩𐭭𐭬𐭥𐭫𐭥 sēnmurw,[4][5] which was a benevolent bird in Persian mythology.
Design
The Simorgh is a reverse engineered RQ-170. There are multiple unknown variants, one of which is modified to play the role of a UCAV armed with 4 missiles. An author stated it was a crude mock-up mostly made out of fiberglass.[6][7] It was used with munitions during the 2020 Joint Exercise Zolfaghar 99.[8]
Status
According to the United States Government, a company associated with Imam Hossein University, Paravar Pars Company, was involved in the reverse engineering and research, development, and production of the Shahed 171.[9]
Two were under construction as of 2014.[10] In 2014 Iran said that they would have four in service by March 2015.[11]
The UAV was first seen in May 2015 and was shown flying on Iranian TV in October 2016.[12] Jane's analysis placed the UAV at Kashan Air Base.[12][13]
Some sources report that a Shahed 171 may have been shot down in the February 2018 Israel–Syria incident, but the UAV was probably the very similar Saegheh.[3]
Operators
See also
Related development
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era
References
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