By Mohammad Molaei

Iran’s Army this week unveiled a new stage in the development of its Arash family of one-way attack drones, releasing footage of an upgraded model during a visit by Army Commander-in-Chief Major General Amir Hatami to an underground drone production facility.

The images, released on October 22, showed production-ready aircraft, underscoring Iran’s continued emphasis on indigenous manufacturing, expanding drone reserves and developing an increasingly diverse range of unmanned systems.

The new model has been described as the Arash-3, although a full set of technical specifications has yet to be officially confirmed. It doubles its warhead weight and features improved GPS-independent navigation and AI-assisted targeting.

The most significant improvement is the increase in warhead weight, from 50 kilograms in the previous version to 100 kilograms in the upgraded model.

The new configuration also incorporates improvements in targeting precision, navigation, and the composition of its explosive and incendiary materials.

An Army specialist featured in the unveiling footage said the combined changes could increase the damage inflicted on a target by approximately 2.3 times. The specifications suggest that the upgrade is intended to deliver more than a simple increase in payload, enhancing several aspects of the system simultaneously.

The announcement comes against the backdrop of two recent imposed wars and a broader regional environment in which unmanned aircraft have assumed an increasingly prominent role.

For Tehran, developing the Arash series forms part of a wider effort to strengthen its asymmetric warfare capabilities, sustain domestic production during periods of war and field systems that do not rely exclusively on expensive conventional aircraft or other high-value platforms.

The appearance of the upgraded model suggests that the Army is seeking to build on the existing Arash design while expanding the range of configurations available to its operational forces.

A heavier warhead and a broader upgrade

The doubling of the warhead weight from 50 to 100 kilograms is the clearest numerical indicator of the changes introduced in the new Arash model.

The increase gives the aircraft a substantially larger warhead by mass, while the changes to its explosive and incendiary composition are intended to increase its effect against a target.

However, warhead weight alone does not determine the extent of damage. The result also depends on the target’s structure, the characteristics of the explosive material and the circumstances of impact.

The upgrade is also significant because it has been accompanied by improved guidance and navigation. A heavier warhead is of limited operational value if a platform cannot reliably reach its intended target under contested conditions.

The inclusion of additional navigation options and AI-assisted targeting indicates an effort to address the broader performance of the aircraft, rather than concentrating exclusively on its payload.

The new system is best viewed as an evolution of the Arash family instead of an entirely separate category of weapon. The earlier Arash-2 established the family’s role as a long-range, one-way attack drone, while the latest configuration combines a heavier warhead with changes intended to improve navigation and targeting.

The Iranian Army has presented the Arash series as part of its wider unmanned warfare programme, which also encompasses the production, maintenance and training required to sustain the systems.

A different airframe and the role of composite materials

The new aircraft’s external appearance has also attracted attention. Images of the emerging variant suggest a delta-shaped wing configuration and two vertical stabilising surfaces, giving it a visibly different profile from some previously displayed Arash models.

Such features point to a potentially revised airframe design, although photographs alone are not sufficient to establish the aircraft’s complete aerodynamic characteristics or its performance in flight.

The use of composite materials and a honeycomb-style internal structure would be consistent with broader aerospace engineering efforts to balance low weight with structural strength.

Composite construction can provide a favourable strength-to-weight ratio, while honeycomb structures can improve stiffness without requiring a comparable increase in mass. If incorporated into the new design as suggested by visual assessments, these features could support a lighter and structurally efficient airframe.

The material composition and precise internal structure of the Arash-3 have not, however, been publicly documented in sufficient detail to confirm every aspect of these assessments.

Airframe geometry and material selection can influence radar reflections, but composite construction does not automatically make an aircraft radar-invisible. Its overall detectability depends on the complete design and on the characteristics of the sensors attempting to detect it.

The broader significance of the redesign lies in the fact that the Arash family may no longer be confined to one standard configuration. The visual changes point to an effort to diversify an established platform while retaining its general role within Iran’s unmanned arsenal.

From piston engines to a jet-powered variant        

One of the most notable reported developments is the creation of a version powered by a microjet engine. Earlier Arash configurations have been associated with piston-powered propulsion, including the MD-550 engine, while the new announcement points to an additional jet-powered option.

The exact engine fitted to the new variant has not been conclusively confirmed. Tolou-10, an Iranian-developed jet engine, has emerged as a possible candidate in discussion of the programme, but identifying it as the confirmed powerplant would go beyond the information currently available.

The emergence of a jet-powered version nevertheless represents an important expansion of the family’s technical options. Piston-driven and jet-powered aircraft have different performance characteristics and operational trade-offs.

A jet-powered configuration could offer a different speed profile, while a piston-powered model may retain advantages in other areas, including fuel economy and endurance. The practical value of either configuration depends on the complete aircraft design, including its weight, propulsion system, fuel capacity and mission requirements.

The use of a rocket-assisted launch arrangement is another feature associated with the emerging jet-powered configuration. Such assistance can provide the initial acceleration needed during launch, although the exact configuration of the proposed system and its integration with the aircraft have not been fully detailed in the publicly available material. 

The important point is that Iran is exploring more than one propulsion arrangement within the Arash family. Rather than relying on a single design to meet every requirement, the Army may be seeking a broader set of configurations with different performance characteristics.

The specifications needed to compare their speed, endurance, range and reliability are not public yet.

AI-assisted targeting and navigation beyond GPS

The announced improvements to navigation are particularly relevant to the changing character of electronic warfare. Modern military operations increasingly involve efforts to disrupt satellite navigation signals, interfere with communications and complicate an aircraft’s ability to determine its position.

For a long-range unmanned system, dependence on a single navigation source can create a vulnerability in an environment where electronic interference is anticipated.

The new Arash variant incorporates a greater number and wider variety of navigation systems capable of operating independently of GPS. The objective is to reduce dependence on satellite navigation and improve the system’s ability to continue operating when access to such signals is disrupted.

This does not imply complete immunity to electronic warfare. The effectiveness of navigation under hostile conditions depends on the types of systems employed, the quality of their inputs and how reliably they perform in the environment for which they are designed.

AI-assisted targeting is another element of the upgrade. The term can cover a range of functions, and the public information does not specify the precise tasks assigned to the technology in the Arash-3.

It is therefore not possible to determine from the announcement alone how the system processes information, what level of autonomy it possesses, or under what conditions its performance has been tested. What can be established is that Iranian officials have presented AI-assisted targeting and diversified navigation as important elements of the aircraft’s modernisation.

Together, the two changes indicate that the upgrade is not limited to the airframe or propulsion system. It also addresses the information and navigation functions on which a modern unmanned platform depends. Their actual contribution to operational effectiveness will become clearer only when further technical information or independently verifiable performance data becomes available.

Lessons from recent wars and growing importance of unmanned systems

The development of the Arash-3 must also be considered in the context of the lessons Iran’s military drew from the 12-day war in June last year and the more recent Ramadan war.

These imposed wars reinforced the importance of mobility, dispersed production, equipment resilience and the ability to sustain military operations under pressure. For a country seeking to maintain its capabilities during a prolonged confrontation, the capacity to continue producing and replenishing unmanned systems can be as significant as the performance of an individual aircraft.

The Army’s emphasis on underground production facilities is part of that broader picture. The footage released during General Hatami’s visit was intended to demonstrate that manufacturing and stockpiling efforts have continued and that production infrastructure has been expanded.

While the images provide a public view of some production activity, they do not reveal the total scale of Iran’s drone inventory, its monthly production rate, or the proportion of facilities that would remain operational under a sustained attack.

The strategic relevance of unmanned systems is also linked to the economic and industrial demands of modern warfare. The cost of an individual drone, its production time, the availability of components and the ability to maintain sufficient inventories all influence the scale at which a military can deploy such systems.

The development of several versions within a common family may allow an armed force to diversify its equipment without abandoning an existing industrial base. In that sense, the Arash-3 is significant not only as a new aircraft but also as an indication of the Army’s continuing investment in its broader unmanned systems programme.

Iranian military has previously placed the Arash-2 among the systems employed in regional operations, including attacks associated with US military facilities in the Persian Gulf region. The full details of individual deployments and their independently verified effects remain limited in the public record.

Nevertheless, the operational history attributed to the Arash family provides context for why the Army is pursuing further versions rather than treating the earlier model as the final stage of development.

Speed is one factor in the wider discussion of unmanned warfare, particularly when military planners examine how aircraft perform in an environment containing layered air-defence systems. A faster platform can reduce the time available for detection, assessment and response, but speed alone does not determine whether an aircraft will penetrate a defence network.

Detection conditions, the characteristics of the aircraft, electronic warfare, the capabilities of the defensive system and the wider operational environment all influence the outcome. The development of a jet-powered Arash variant should therefore be seen as an effort to broaden the family’s performance options, rather than proof that the new aircraft can overcome any particular air-defence system.

Underground production and indigenous defence manufacturing

The unveiling of the drone also carried an industrial message. By showing rows of aircraft and a production facility described as underground, the Army highlighted the relationship between indigenous manufacturing and the capacity to sustain military operations during a war.

Major General Hatami has emphasised the role of domestic infrastructure, scientific research, universities, specialists and knowledge-based companies in the development of unmanned systems.

This approach reflects a wider effort to build a domestic ecosystem around military technology. The ability to design, manufacture, maintain and upgrade an aircraft locally can reduce reliance on external suppliers and provide a greater degree of control over the pace of development.

It can also support incremental improvements, allowing a family of systems to evolve as manufacturing experience accumulates and operational requirements change.

Underground facilities may offer protection against some forms of attack, but their existence does not by itself establish that production is immune to disruption. The effectiveness of such infrastructure depends on its location, construction, access to components, power and supporting logistics.

The emphasis on manufacturing is an important part of the announcement. The Arash-3 is not simply a new platform, but part of a wider programme linking engineering, domestic production and operational readiness. That broader industrial dimension is central to understanding why the Iranian Army has chosen to showcase both the aircraft and the facilities associated with its production.

Arash-3 and the next phase of Iran’s drone program

The most clearly established features of the new Arash variant are the reported increase in warhead weight from 50 to 100 kilograms, improvements to navigation designed to reduce dependence on GPS, AI-assisted targeting and the development of a jet-powered version.

The delta-shaped appearance, twin vertical stabilisers and possible use of composite and honeycomb structures offer further indications of a changed airframe, although the detailed engineering remains unconfirmed. The exact jet engine, flight performance, range and production scale have also yet to be established through publicly available technical specifications.

These distinctions matter because military capability cannot be assessed through a single headline feature. A heavier warhead may expand the potential effect of a strike, but the complete system must also perform reliably, navigate under difficult conditions and be manufactured in sufficient numbers.

A jet engine may change an aircraft’s speed profile, but it also affects fuel use and other design considerations. Diversified navigation may increase resilience, yet no system can be regarded as immune to interference without evidence of its performance under relevant conditions.

The Arash-3 announcement nevertheless provides a clear indication of the direction in which Iran’s Army is moving: toward a more varied unmanned arsenal combining greater payload capacity, improved navigation, AI-assisted functions and alternative propulsion arrangements.

It also highlights the continued importance of domestic production and the effort to translate experience from recently imposed wars into changes in military equipment.