New Delhi:
Iran's new drone aircraft carrier 'Shahid Bagheri' was recently spotted off the coast of Iran's Bandar Abbas naval port in the Persian Gulf. Satellite images accessed by NDTV show that the ship, which was originally a container ship, resembles an aircraft carrier but is intended for drones.
High-resolution satellite images collected by Maxar show the ship off the port of Bandar Abbas. 'Shahid Bagheri' has a ski jump similar to a STOBAR aircraft carrier, but the short runway suggests it is intended for drones only and could be used for helicopter operations.
The military drone carrier is believed to be conducting its first sea trials since leaving the nearby Iran Shipyard and Offshore Industries (ISOICO) shipyard in late November. Iran does not have an aircraft carrier and has operated fighter jets and helicopters since the 1970s and 1980s.
'Shahid Bagheri', 'Shahid Roudaki' and 'Shahid Mahdavi' are the three drone carriers that Iran has developed. The overview images taken by satellites yesterday show the three ships in the Persian Gulf.
'Shahid Bagheri' (left), 'Shahid Roudaki' (above) and 'Shahid Mahdavi' (right) at Bandar Abbas harbour. High resolution here
The drone carriers will enable the Iranian Navy to bring the unmanned aerial vehicles closer to the battlefield. Despite years of sanctions from the West, Iran has managed to produce its fleet of armed drones that have spread to several battlefields in the region and even to Europe, where the Russians have reportedly used Iran's Shahed drones against Ukraine. Unveiled in 2012, the Shahed 129 drone is mass-produced and based on Israeli drones. The Mohajer 6 is said to have been supplied to the Iranian Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) since 2018. The drones have been used by militant groups such as Hezbollah, Houthi and Hamas against Israel, Iran's arch-rival in the Middle East.
The satellite images also captured two additional Iranian naval vessels similarly modified from previously commercial ships, the 'Shahid Mahdavi' and the 'Shahid Roudaki', anchored nearby.
The other two ships do not have a ski jump, indicating that they can only be used for drones that can take off and land vertically, unlike the Shahed and Mohajer drones, which require a runway for takeoff.
Shahid Roudaki is a warship that can carry drones, helicopters and missile launchers. It was a merchant ship that was repurposed for military use. It is the third ship to be adapted for such use, after Bagheri and Mahdavi. The 'X' on the ship's deck is the landing pad for a helicopter and the ship can carry fast attack craft.
'Shahid Roudaki' was spotted at Bandar Abbas port on December 12, 2024. High resolution here
Meanwhile, Iranian media reported that 'Shahid Mahdavi', who was commissioned into the IRGC Navy in March 2023, “is designed for long-range operations and is equipped with missiles, air defense systems and advanced radar technology.” It can carry various types of attack helicopters, combat drones and fast attack craft.
The Maxar satellite images, taken over some time, show the historical images of the construction and modifications of the 'Shahid Bagheri' at the shipyard of Iran Shipbuilding & Offshore Industries Complex (ISOIC).
The images taken by Maxar suggest that the construction and modification of the 'Shahid Bagheri' started in early 2023.
The first photo, taken on February 26, 2023, shows the deck of the ship being scrapped and in dry dock at Iran's ISOICO shipyard in the port of Bandar Abbad near the Persian Gulf.
The first image shows the ship in dry dock at the ISOICO shipyard on February 26, 2023. High resolution here
The second image, dated November 14, 2023, shows the angled flight deck and ski jump under construction at the dry dock.
The angled cockpit and ski jump will be adjusted on November 14, 2023. High resolution here
The third photo, taken two weeks later on November 30, 2023, shows Shahid Bagheri at the dock of the shipyard. Within 16 days the ship was removed from dry dock and anchored off the harbour. It is still in the early stages of construction.
Within 16 days, Shahid Bagheri was moved from the dry dock to the wharf. High resolution here
The images show how the tops of the ships were scraped off, suiting the needs of Iran, which is in direct conflict with Israel and a regional cold war with Saudi Arabia.
The New Jersey sightings
The Maxar images come as a US lawmaker claimed Iran may launch drones over New Jersey from a “mothership” off the east coast. The Pentagon has debunked the claims, saying, “There's no truth to that.”
“There is no Iranian ship off the coast of the United States and no so-called 'mothership' launching drones toward the United States,” Reuters reported, quoting Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh.
Republican Congressman Jeff Van Drew said he had uncovered an Iranian plot.
“What we have discovered is alarming: drones flying away from the ocean, possibly linked to a missing Iranian mothership,” he said on X.
The Pentagon said an initial assessment found that the drones did not come from another country and that the US military had not shot them down because they did not pose a threat to military installations.
“We have no evidence that these activities are emanating from a foreign entity or the work of an adversary,” Ms Singh said.
