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== Performance ==
== Performance ==


The Ababil is much smaller than manned airplanes. The length of 2.9 m is shorter than a [[Volkswagen Beetle]]. It is powered by a simple two-bladed pusher propeller with a rear mounted wing and a front canard for good stall, stability and maneuverability characteristics. It can be launched from a rail mounted on the back of a truck which provides power for the penumatic launcher. A rocket launch system can be used from a ship deck, and can be assembled or broken down for portability. A parachute recovery system provides a descent rate of 4 m/s, while skids can be used for conventional landings on a runway or field.
The Ababil is much smaller than manned airplanes. The length of 2.9 m is shorter than a [[Volkswagen Beetle]]. It is powered by a simple two-bladed pusher propeller with a rear mounted wing and a front canard for good stall, stability and maneuverability characteristics. It can be launched from a rail mounted on the back of a truck which provides power for the penumatic launcher. A rocket launch system can be used from a ship deck, and can be assembled or broken down for portability. A parachute recovery system provides a descent rate of 4&nbsp;m/s, while skids can be used for conventional landings on a runway or field. The propulsion may be Dutch turbine engines that were smuggled to Iran.<ref name=IranUAV>{{cite web |url=http://aircraft.zurf.info/article/irans-ambitious-uav-program |title=Iran's ambitious UAV program |publisher=''Zurf Military Aircraft'' |accessdate=28 January 2011}}</ref>


It has a maximum operational radius of 150&nbsp;km (93.2 miles) and a maximum ceiling of 14,000&nbsp;ft (4,268 m). It has the ability to travel at a maximum speed of 300&nbsp;km/h and is capable of carrying a 45&nbsp;kg (88&nbsp;lb.) payload. It has a surveillance configuration, carrying a camera and digital communications equipment, but also an attack configuration, carrying a high-explosive warhead that would be delivered by the UAV crashing onto a target.<ref>Ben-David, Alon. [http://www.janes.com/defence/air_forces/news/jdw/jdw060810_1_n.shtml "Israel shoots down Hizbullah UAV",] ''[[Jane's Defence Weekly]]''. Retrieved on September 14, 2006.</ref>
It has a maximum operational radius of 150&nbsp;km (93.2 miles) and a maximum ceiling of 14,000&nbsp;ft (4,268 m). It has the ability to travel at a maximum speed of 300&nbsp;km/h and is capable of carrying a 45&nbsp;kg (88&nbsp;lb.) payload. It has a surveillance configuration, carrying a camera and digital communications equipment, but also an attack configuration, carrying a high-explosive warhead that would be delivered by the UAV crashing onto a target.<ref>Ben-David, Alon. [http://www.janes.com/defence/air_forces/news/jdw/jdw060810_1_n.shtml "Israel shoots down Hizbullah UAV",] ''[[Jane's Defence Weekly]]''. Retrieved on September 14, 2006.</ref>

Revision as of 15:11, 7 March 2011

Ababil
TypeReconnaissance
Service history
Used by Iran
Hezbollah
Production history
ManufacturerGhods Aviation Industries
Specifications
Mass83 kg (182 lb.)
Length2.9 m (9.5 feet)
Warhead1 possible 45 kg (88 lb.)
Operational
range
240 km (150 miles)
Maximum speed 300 km/h

The Ababil (Swallow) is an Iranian made UAV. Iran has developed a number of variants, including the tactical Ababil-5 for medium-range reconnaissance and surveillance, the Ababil-T for short/medium-range attack, and also the Ababil-B and -S.[1]

Performance

The Ababil is much smaller than manned airplanes. The length of 2.9 m is shorter than a Volkswagen Beetle. It is powered by a simple two-bladed pusher propeller with a rear mounted wing and a front canard for good stall, stability and maneuverability characteristics. It can be launched from a rail mounted on the back of a truck which provides power for the penumatic launcher. A rocket launch system can be used from a ship deck, and can be assembled or broken down for portability. A parachute recovery system provides a descent rate of 4 m/s, while skids can be used for conventional landings on a runway or field. The propulsion may be Dutch turbine engines that were smuggled to Iran.[2]

It has a maximum operational radius of 150 km (93.2 miles) and a maximum ceiling of 14,000 ft (4,268 m). It has the ability to travel at a maximum speed of 300 km/h and is capable of carrying a 45 kg (88 lb.) payload. It has a surveillance configuration, carrying a camera and digital communications equipment, but also an attack configuration, carrying a high-explosive warhead that would be delivered by the UAV crashing onto a target.[3]

Service

Israel has said that Hezbollah received at least 12 Ababils before the 2006 Lebanon War, and launched three into Israel during the conflict, though all three were shot down by Israeli jets before inflicting damage.[4]

On March 16, 2009, US forces in Iraq reported they shot down, using an F-16 warplane, an Iranian Ababil 3 drone on February 25, 2009 that had been flying through Iraqi airspace for "almost an hour and 10 minutes."[5] The drone crashed about 60 miles northeast of Baghdad, 12 miles inside Iraqi territory near the town of Balad Ruz in Diyala province. Officials at Iraq's Defense and Interior ministries suggested that the drone might have been scouting for routes to smuggle Iranian weapons into the country.[6] The New York Times, however, speculated that the drone was monitoring Iranian dissidents in Iraq, such as those at Camp Ashraf, which is located near where the drone crashed.[7] But Maj Gen Abdul Aziz Mohammed Jassim, head of military operations at the Iraqi defense ministry stated the drone's entry into Iraq was a genuine mistake, "It crossed 10km into Iraq, It's most likely that its entrance was a mistake", he said.[8]

See also

References

  1. ^ Global Security
  2. ^ "Iran's ambitious UAV program". Zurf Military Aircraft. Retrieved 28 January 2011. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  3. ^ Ben-David, Alon. "Israel shoots down Hizbullah UAV", Jane's Defence Weekly. Retrieved on September 14, 2006.
  4. ^ Ephron, Dan. "Hizbullah's Worrisome Weapon." Newsweek September 11, 2006: p. 28.
  5. ^ "Iranian drone 'shot down in Iraq'". BBC News. 16 March 2009. Retrieved 16 March 2009.
  6. ^ Shadid, Anthony, "U.S. Downed Iranian Drone Over Iraq", Washington Post, p. 9.
  7. ^ Nordland, Rod, and Alissa J. Rubin, "U.S. Says It Shot Down An Iranian Drone Over Iraq", New York Times, March 17, 2009.
  8. ^ "Iranian drone 'shot down in Iraq'". BBC News. March 16, 2009. Retrieved April 23, 2010.
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