E-MAIL THIS LINK
To: 

Iran announces production of new military drone in Tajikistan
[IsraelTimes] Dubbed Ababil-2, Iran
...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites....
says aircraft can carry out attacks from a range of 200 kilometers; move seen as effort to balance power in the region


Iran said Tuesday it inaugurated a production line for manufacturing a new military drone in Tajikistan, a first for both nations.

A report by the official IRNA news agency said the ceremony took place during a visit to the Central Asian nation by Gen. Mohammad Hossein Bagheri, chief of staff of Iran’s armed forces.

The move is seen as an effort by Iran to address the balance of power in the region: Afghanistan under its Sunni Moslem Taliban
...the Pashtun equivalent of men...
rulers poses a threat to its two neighbors, predominantly Shiite Iran and secular Tajikistan.

The report said the drone is dubbed the Ababil-2 after a bird in the Koran. It is capable of carrying out attacks as well as surveillance missions from a range of 200 kilometers (124 miles), the report said.

It did not reveal other details such as the capacity of the production line.

The announcement marks the first time that Iran has launched a military production line abroad.

Iran’s drone fleet is believed to have taken a serious blow in mid-February following an attack on an airbase near Kermanshah, in Western Iran, that destroyed hundreds of drones. Tehran officials have blamed Israel for the attack.

Israel has repeatedly warned that Iranian drones are a significant threat to the region — especially as Tehran arms proxies stationed along Israel’s borders.

In March, Israeli military officials said that Iran’s "UAV terror" is a new and global issue, accusing Tehran of directly attacking both military and civilian targets in the Middle East.

The IDF believes Iran is attempting to arm all of its proxies in the region — in Syria, Lebanon Hezbollahstan
...Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects. ...
, Iraq, and Yemen
...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of...
— with hundreds and even thousands of UAVs, in addition to providing military training.
Posted by: trailing wife 2022-05-18
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=633237