Iran has finally shown a drone taking off and landing on – in the latter case with the help of arresting gear – the deck of the country’s unusual new ‘drone carrier,’ the Shahid Bagheri. Newly emerged imagery also shows various drones and crewed helicopters on the flight deck, which has a ski jump at the bow end, including the appearance of ‘drones’ styled after the infamous Qaher 313. Officially touted as a sea base-like ship, Shahid Bagheri has now been shown launching a small missile boat and is armed itself with cruise missiles along with weapons for self-defense.
The new pictures and videos of the Shahid Bagheri were released around a ceremony earlier today marking its formal entry into service with the naval arm of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The conversion of the ‘carrier’ from a commercial container ship reportedly started in May 2022, and it began sea trials in its new configuration in November of last year.
The imagery from today’s ceremony includes footage showing a modified Ababil-3 drone with an arresting hook, which does not appear to retract or otherwise be capable of being stowed during flight, launching from the Shahid Bagheri‘s 590-foot (180-meter) flight deck. What is presumably the same drone is seen in another clip recovering on the deck by catching an arresting wire with its hook. The Ababil-3 also has two small turbojet engines installed, one under each wing, which could provide valuable additional performance for operations from a short flight deck without the aid of a catapult.
Something like microjet engines (probably for test) are installed under the Ababil-3 drone wing pylons onboard the IRGCN drone carrier Shahid Bahman Bagheri during the ceremony today. pic.twitter.com/igtzRMsi3x
— Mehdi H. (@mhmiranusa) February 6, 2025
How permanent the ‘carrier’ modifications to the Ababil-3 might actually be and whether a more refined design is in the works are unknown. At its core, the Ababil-3 is otherwise a well-established Iranian design in active service in Iran, as well as other operators in the Middle East, including Iranian-backed proxies in the Middle East. The drone is capable of performing surveillance and reconnaissance missions and employing small precision munitions.
Video clips show small remote control plane-esque ‘drones,’ styled on Iran’s Qaher 313 aircraft taking off and landing on Shahid Bagheri‘s deck, as well. Larger drones, or mock-ups thereof, with a design in line with the Qaher 313 are also seen on the deck. There are unconfirmed reports that the larger and smaller types are 20 and 60 percent of the size of the original Qaher 313, respectively. Both are seen marked JAS-313 and one of them is seen in a clip being lifted up to the flight deck on an elevator. What actual capabilities they might have are unknown.
2 new drones derived on the Qaher-313 project were unveiled
The first, is a 60% scaled version dubbed JAS-313, which likely serves as an armed strike drone
Likely has some kind of internal bay for smaller missiles/PGMs pic.twitter.com/PDnXdhRtmv
— Iran Defense|نیروهای مسلح جمهوری اسلامی ایران (@IranDefense) February 6, 2025
Another photo of the Iranian JAS-313 drones onboard the IRGCN drone carrier Shahid Bahman Bagheri.
Looks like they ran out of the exhaust covers and covered the left one’s exhaust with glue tape and plastic cover. pic.twitter.com/mEqahSz8oa— Mehdi H. (@mhmiranusa) February 6, 2025
The Qaher 313, also known as the Q-313 and F-313, which first appeared publicly in 2013, is itself a dubious and widely ridiculed design that has never flown. Iranian media has shown imagery in the past of a remote control plane-like subscale model of the design, as seen in the video below. In 2023, media outlets in Iran reported that an uncrewed variant or derivative was in development. Subsequent reports claimed that a Qaher 313-derived drone had made its maiden flight last year.
Other types of drones are also seen on Shahid Bagheri‘s deck in the imagery from today’s ceremony, such as the Mohajer-6, another popular Iranian design in service in Iran and many other places globally, including now with the Russian armed forces. American-designed Bell Model 206 and Model 212 helicopters, as well as Russian-made Mi-17 Hips, are seen operating from the ship’s flight deck. Despite the aforementioned clip of the aircraft elevator, no views have yet emerged of any internal aircraft hangars.
The IRGC Naval Forces have released footage of their new drone-carrier ship, the IRGC Shahid Mahdavi. The ship has been seen on commercial satellite imagery and rather grainy footage before, but this is the first such footage of the deck in use by drones and helicopters. Also,… pic.twitter.com/yDQLx4VPup
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) February 6, 2025
Beyond its aviation-related capabilities, the new imagery of Shahid Bagheri highlights the ability to launch and recover small boats using davits behind large doors on either side of the hull, as seen below. Using small boats armed with missiles and other weapons in swarms has long been a signature tactic of the IRGC’s naval arm. There are claims that the ship can be used to launch uncrewed surface vessels (USV) and underwater vehicles (UUV).
Government of Iran
Pictures that have now emerged, as seen below, also show one of Shahid Bagheri‘s boats launching ports being used as a way to connect, via a ramp, to a smaller landing craft-like vessel alongside. In this way, the ‘carrier’ could more rapidly load and unload personnel and materiel, including for onward movement ashore.
Government of Iran
Government of Iran
The Shahid Bagheri has its own onboard armament, including launchers at the aft end that look to be for anti-ship cruise missiles and a turret with what appears to be an automatic cannon at the bow. The ship otherwise has a large open area at the aft end behind its main superstructure that could be used for various purposes, including as an additional flight deck for helicopters and vertical takeoff and landing capable drones, as well as additional missile launchers, especially containerized types. Iranian officials claim the ship has short and medium-range air defenses, as well as electronic warfare and intelligence-gathering capabilities, but any clear evidence thereof is less visible from the imagery that has now emerged.
A look at Shahid Bagheri from the rear. Launchers that look to be for anti-ship cruise missiles are seen behind the ship’s main superstructure. Government of Iran
A close-up of Shahid Bagheri‘s bow showing the cannon turret. A pair of white-colored systems are also visible on either side of the ski job, but their exact purpose is unclear. Government of Iran
We have also not gotten a look at some of the spaces inside Shahid Bagheri, including a medical bay and a gymnasium complete with an astroturf soccer pitch, as well as basketball hoops.
Major questions about Shahid Bagheri‘s capabilities do remain. As TWZ has noted in the past, the retention of the original container ship’s main superstructure toward the aft end immediately creates an unusual flight deck arrangement. After images of the ship largely completed emerged last year we wrote:
“The fact that the Shahid Bagheri retains the original superstructure, which spans the entire width of the deck, means that a conventional flattop configuration cannot be adopted. Instead, an angled flight deck provides the requisite runway length, presumably for launch and recovery. Adding the angled deck — which extends all the way to the bow ramp — involves the construction of a prominent overhang or flare on the left-hand side of the vessel. In contrast to the satellite image seen below, the angled deck now has white-painted markings applied, showing the margins, which extend to the end of the ramp, as well as the centerline.”
…
“The dimensions are very tight and the superstructure is located immediately next to the angled deck area, meaning that recovering aircraft, if indeed they plan on recovering aircraft, could hit the superstructure even with a small error in its flight path.”
“If the angled deck is used, and aircraft don’t make a full stop after touching down, they will head up the ski jump again, but will they have the power to actually fly off for another attempt? It’s also unclear if the vessel will use arresting wires to bring drones to a stop, or perhaps a barrier recovery system for some type.”
We now know that at least some level of arresting gear has been fitted, though it remains unclear if the installation was temporary in nature for the commissioning events and whether more refinements may be coming. So far, the modified Ababil-3 and the smaller of the two JAS-313s are the only fixed-wing craft we have seen use the ship’s flight deck, as well.
Government of Iran
How Iran might employ the ship remains an open question, though what we have now seen is entirely in line with our past assessments. TWZ previously wrote:
“The question of what aircraft will fly from this odd ship is key to understanding the goal of its design. Medium-altitude, long-endurance types seem like ideal candidates, as do vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) drones and many of the one-way attack munitions Iran currently fields. Jet-powered, higher-performance drones could potentially call the carrier home, which would help explain some of its features. In this way, the vessel could also be used to launch heavier and longer-range drones, including one-way attack types, which would be an advantage. We just don’t know at this time.“
“Regardless, there is ample space on the side opposite the angled deck extension for many types of drones and other modular weaponry. The aft deck behind the superstructure could field helicopters or smaller catapult and net/line-recovered drone types too. Cruise missiles launched from containers on trailers or trucks are another option and something that Iran already has experience of using.“
…
“While it wouldn’t necessarily be expected to launch its drones against U.S. and allied warships and other assets in the region in some sustained manner, the Shahid Bagheri could conceivably wreak havoc on commercial shipping, including more opportunistic attacks against poorly defended targets, even for a brief period.“
…
“Having the ability to launch drones, especially one-way attack drones, from a dedicated drone carrier could be beneficial in some scenarios against some enemies, as well as for ‘gray zone’ attacks. It remains very questionable, however, how long the Shahid Bagheri would survive were it to be used in an offensive capacity like this. The fact that it can deploy these capabilities, potentially anywhere around the globe, also gives it a unique place in Iran’s military portfolio. While it may not survive long after doing so, being able to threaten targets far beyond its current reach using weapons launched from its own country or by its proxies certainly seems like an asymmetric play Iran would go for, regardless of its actually tactical relevance.“
Government of Iran
The Shahid Bagheri does also join a number of other one-off sea base-like ships with aviation and other capabilities already in service with the IRGC and the regular Iranian Navy. Iran has also used modified commercial vessels as covert motherships to coordinate attacks, including by regional proxies, and to conduct intelligence-gathering missions.
In addition, Shahid Bagheri carries significant symbolic value for Iran, which regularly rails against U.S. Navy carriers and other warships operating near the country in the Persian Gulf. In turn, Iranian officials have increasingly sought to mount long-distance naval deployments, including in the Western Hemisphere. It is claimed that Shahid Bagheri has an operational range of 22,000 nautical miles, which, while dubious, is in line with these more global ambitions.
Whatever actual capabilities Shahid Bagheri offers, it does also reflect a real global trend toward the construction of new big deck warships heavily focused on drone operations, as well as the conversion of existing vessels into differing degrees of ‘drone carrier.’ Countries that operate traditional flattops, including the United States, are increasingly looking to expand the uncrewed components of their carrier air wings, as well.
With Shahid Bagheri now officially commissioned into IRGC service, we are likely to start seeing more of what it can actually do and how the Iranians intend to employ it.
Contact the author: joe@twz.com
#Irans #Wacky #Aircraft #Carrier #Entered #Service
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