Qaher-313 jet drones were tested on an Iranian aircraft carrier

6 February, 2025 Iranian Qaher-313 drones on the Shahid Bagheri aircraft carrier. February 2025. Source: @GreatPoppo

Iran has tested new Qaher-313 jet drones on the Shahid Bagheri aircraft carrier. The Iranian edition of Tasnim Military published a video of the test, in which the Qaher-313 takes off from the aircraft carrier. The Qaher-313 manned aircraft, which is quite strange in all respects, was presented back in 2013.

Since then, the Qaher-313 has never been shown in flight. The airplane was only driven around the airfield and demonstrated on stands. However, over the years, Iranian engineers developed the aircraft into a deck-mounted drone, which was presented in 2023.

The only noticeable difference from the manned version was the absence of a cockpit.

The deck drone was transferred to the Shahid Bagheri aircraft carrier of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which underwent maritime trials last year. The ship, called "Iran's first aircraft carrier," was created by converting a Perarin container ship, approximately 240 meters long, to accommodate a flight deck and a takeoff ramp. The fact that the Shahid Bagheri retains the original superstructure, which spans the entire width of the deck, means that a conventional configuration with a deck along the ship cannot be adopted.

Iranian aircraft carrier IRGC Shahid Bagheri during sea trials.

Photo by Maxar

Instead, placing it at an angle provides the required runway length.

However, it is unclear how this will work in practice and what types of aircraft other than Qaher-313 will take off from the ship.

Iranian Qaher-313 drone.

Source: @fatherland9

Some analysts suggest that only large aircraft-type UAVs and helicopters will be based on the ship.