Commander of Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) says Iran has produced an indigenous unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) with 24-hour nonstop flight capability, Press TV reported.
"Shahed 129, which can carry out combat and reconnaissance missions with its 24-hour nonstop flight capability, is IRGC's latest achievement in this field [producing drones]," IRGC Chief Major General Mohammad-Ali Ja'fari said on Sunday.
Armed with "Sadid" missiles, which are also designed by the IRGC, the pilotless aircraft can target long-distance targets, Ja'fari added.
In recent years, Iran has made great achievements in its defense sector and attained self-sufficiency in producing essential military equipment and systems.
Iran unveiled its first indigenous long-range drone, named Karrar, in August 2010. The aircraft is capable of carrying a military payload of rockets to carry out bombing missions against ground targets, flying long distances at a very high speed, and gathering information.
The IRGC employed Karrar drones during the Great Prophet Seven military drills in July 2012 to bomb mock enemy bases in the southeastern Lut Desert.
Referring to the US RQ-170 drone that was captured by the Iranian forces in late 2011, Ja'fari said the extracted information from the aircraft reveals that it had been spying on specific targets in Iran.
The US RQ-170 Sentinel stealth aircraft was downed, with minimal damage, by the Iranian Army's electronic warfare unit on December 4, 2011, while flying over the Iranian city of Kashmar, some 140 miles (225 km) from the Afghan border.
The RQ-170 is an unmanned stealth aircraft designed and developed by the Lockheed Martin Company.