While Iran’s been busy bragging about mass producing the American ScanEagle drone that crash landed there last year — and giving the Russians a copy — some less than intimidating footage is trickling out of Tehran. It looks like Iran’s newest drones are pretty rickety.
This video from Iran TV showcases the country’s killer Ra’ad-85 suicide drone all dressed up and ready to fly. (Some people are calling this a “drone-like guided missile” but that amounts to the same thing.) However, since it appears the nose and tail are held on with packing tape — or duct tape, it’s hard to tell — it’s unclear how far they’d go.
To be fair, these remotely piloted planes are designed to be flown directly into a target. (Hence the “suicide drone” designation. So many names!) Regardless of the intended use, though, the simple fact that Iran’s holding its latest weapons together with tape suggests that they might not be as advanced and high tech as they say they are. [Aviationist]