Brigadier General Kiyumars Heydari, commander of the Iranian ground forces, in an interview with Iranian state television, speaking about the results of the Ektedar-1401 exercise, said that the Iranian army is ready to use the Arash-2 kamikaze UAV to attack Haifa and Tel Aviv.
Heydari said that the Arash-2 proved to be an unmanned aerial vehicle capable of accurately hitting the set targets in recent exercises, comparing its accuracy and range with the Fateh-360 missile.
“We are waiting for the order to use Arash-2 to attack Haifa and Tel Aviv,” the commander of the Iranian ground forces said.
Exercises “Ektedar-1401”, conducted by the Iranian army last week in the province of Isfahan, did not particularly impress the specialists. Analytical reports on these exercises noted that Iranian tanks and armored vehicles were demonstrated in the desert, supported by old Bell and Cobra helicopters. Test launches of missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles were also carried out.
During the exercises, the first successful tests of the new Fateh-360 missile, which is allegedly capable of reaching Israeli territory (with a flight range of 3,000 km) and carrying a warhead weighing 175 kg, were announced. The Iranian military claims the exceptional accuracy of this missile, which uses a satellite guidance system. The launcher, according to the Iranian side, can simultaneously launch up to six such missiles. For the first time, this missile was demonstrated at a military parade in Tehran on April 29, 2022.
This is not the first time that the Arash-2 kamikaze UAV has been demonstrated by the Iranian military and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. During a 2019 exercise, the Iranians claimed that these drones could travel up to 2,000 km. It is currently claimed that the new generation of Arash drones can cover a distance of more than 2,000 km. In Tehran, “Arash-2” is called “the most long-range kamikaze drone in the world.” It is also noted that Arash-2 is capable of detecting and attacking enemy air defense radars.
It should be noted that neither Fateh-360 nor Arash-2 have ever been used in real combat operations. There is no information that the armies of other states (for example, Russia) have expressed interest in buying the Arash-2 kamikaze UAV. It makes no sense to transfer drones of such a range to Hezbollah.
It is noteworthy that the Palestinian agency Maan, citing the Iranian general’s statement about the readiness to use “Arash-2” for attacks on Haifa and Tel Aviv, illustrated the publication with a picture of the Israeli Eitan UAV (range up to 7400 km).