Origin: Iran | Manufacturer: Shahed Aviation Industries
Role: UCAV/Stealth ISR Platform
Overview:
The Shahed-171 “Simorgh” named after a mythological Phoenix-like creature is a full-scale Iranian reverse-engineered copy of the US Air Force’s RQ-170 Sentinel, captured near the Afghan-Iran border in December 2011. Developed by Shahed Aviation Industries, it first flew in 2014 and was displayed on Iranian state TV in 2016. Several prototypes of this drone have been built, but operational deployment has remained somewhat ambiguous. The Shahed-171 is important not for its operational capabilities, but for the events surrounding its development and the acquisition of the advanced RQ-170 by Iranian forces, likely though GPS spoofing and electronic warfare (EW). In better alignment with Iranian industry, smaller scale versions of this drone have been made, using a variety of powerplants including the 60% scale Shahed-191 Saegheh which is also jet-propelled.
Key Statistics:
| Metric | Value |
| Length | ~4.5 m |
| Wingspan | ~11.6 m |
| Height | ~1.8 m |
| Cruise Speed | 600 km/h (373 mph) |
| Service Ceiling | ~ 12,000 m / ~ 40,000 ft |
| Range | ~2,200-4,400 km (various reports) |
| Engine | Modified or Copied Garrett TFE731/TF34 turbofan |
| Payload | ISR Equipment/Internal Weapons Bay |
| Primary User | IRGC Aerospace Force |
| Status | Prototype/Low-Rate Production |
