Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on Monday unveiled a new “suicide drone” which it calls the Shahed 107.
It appears to be the latest in the Shahed line of "suicide drones." Iran’s Shahed 136 has become a popular export to Russia for use in attacks on Russia. Iran makes other Shahed drones, such as the Shahed 131. Both the Shahed 131 and 136 are shaped like a flying triangle, with a warhead at the front.
By contrast photos online of the new Shahed 107 appear to show a drone that looks more traditional, with a long tube-like fuselage and a simple rectangular wing. It is not clear from the images online if this is the final version of the drone.
“The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Aerospace Force unveiled its newest suicide drone, dubbed Shahed-107, on Monday,” Iran's Mehr News reported, noting that the drone or UAV will be used for “suicide operations against hostile targets.”
The report went on to say that the drone has a piston engine and a range of around 1,500 kilometers, adding that “the employment of a swarm of Shahed-107 drones can cause significant harm to the Zionist regime’s air defense capabilities.”
This drone doesn’t appear particularly new or unique. Iran and its proxies in the region have relied on similarly designed drones for years.
This drone has actually already been transferred to Russia in 2024 by Iran for use against Ukraine, according to Militarnyi. “At that time, it was noted that the aircraft was about 2.5 meters long and had a wingspan of up to 3 meters. Its flight range was estimated to be the same — up to 1,500 kilometers,” Militarnyi reported.
This drone is likely launched from a catapult or with some kind of fuel accelerator, “with these parameters and flight range, the drone’s warhead is unlikely to be very heavy,” Militarnyi's report added.
Hundreds of Iranian drones launched amid Operation Rising Lion
Iran has likely launched several hundred drones at Israel over the past five days since Operation Rising Lion began.
However, the drones have not been successful. On June 15, for instance, the IDF said that around 100 Iranian drones had already been intercepted. The Israeli navy has downed drones that tried to attack Israel from the direction of the Red Sea.
Iranian drones are relatively slow because they use a propeller. In addition they can be detected by air defenses and shot down. Iranian drones likely do not have a “man in the loop” guiding them. Instead they fly a pre-programmed path without a communication link. This makes them harder to jam, but it also means they cannot maneuver.