Posted on 10/14/2024 6:10:02 AM PDT by hardspunned
Hezbollah's drone strike near Binyamina on Sunday, which left 67 people wounded, showcases the growing threat posed by drones in modern warfare. The drone used in this attack is believed to be the Mirsad-1, a drone that Hezbollah has deployed for over two decades, originating from Iranian designs. The Mirsad-1, as noted by experts from the Alma Research Center, is based on Iran's Mohajer-2 model, with slight modifications tailored for Hezbollah’s operations. The drone can carry up to 40 kilograms of explosives, has a top speed of 370 kilometers per hour, and boasts an operational range of 120 kilometers. Hezbollah has utilized the Mirsad-1 for reconnaissance and offensive strikes since 2002, often using it to penetrate Israeli airspace.
(Excerpt) Read more at m.jpost.com ...
HESA, a company based in Tehran, manufactures the Mirsad-1 drone, which struck Israel yesterday and killed 4 IDF personnel with more than 60 soldiers were injured while having dinner at military base. The same company also supplies drones to Russia for use in attacks on Ukraine.
Hezbollah apparently used fiber-optic drones to attack yesterday on military base in Israel, a technology primarily employed by Russia in Ukraine. These drones are undetectable by radars and hard to intercept, posing a significant threat to Israel’s defenses.
https://x.com/realmacreport/status/1845748745134076388?s=46&t=oXM3QUNDayEotvdo1W-zQA
Imagine if Hezbollah launches 100 of these on Simchas Torah next week. Utter disaster. Israeli brains need to solve this. It will benefit us at well if they can.
Barry’s Bucks all went to humanitarian relief. I wonder where the Iranians got the bucks for R&D and development of that stuff.
Probably fiberglass rather than fiber-optic. Fiberglass does not reflect radar well, hence the reason many small sailboats carry a radar reflector made from aluminum
The 32 ballistic missiles that hit Nevatim had an accuracy rate of 1 km. Fiber optic drones have pinpoint accuracy.
You might be able to use fiber optics in place of circuitry, and even processors, but you still need a battery/fuel and motors.
So I can see how they would be difficult to “jam”, but not how they would be more difficult to detect.
Did Iran use tech from the drone that Obama let them keep to harden this model?
Here’s my question:
I can see a drone spooling out a small fiber optic cable, but beyond about 100 yards wouldn’t the drag of the line be too much? Or, are they able to use something slightly larger than fishing line? But even with that, 500 yards would be about the max you could spool.
So how do you carry a multi-kilometers of line?
In August 2023, Iran revealed the latest and most advanced version of the Mohajer-series UAV. According to Iranian state media, the domestically-produced Mohajer-10 has double the payload capacity of the Mohajer-6, featuring air-to-ground strike, intelligence, and electronic warfare capabilities. Allegedly, it can deliver a 300 kg payload up to 2000 km, with a flight endurance of 24 hours, altitude of up to 7000 meters, and speed of over 200 km per hour. Its range puts Israel and U.S. military installations in the Middle East within striking distance. While Iranian officials may have exaggerated the drone’s attributes, the reported payload capacity and range far surpass the Missile Technology Control Regime’s limits, and thus, the drone can be classified as a nuclear-capable delivery system.
https://www.unitedagainstnucleariran.com/history-and-capabilities-of-iran%27s-combat-drone-program
Thanks for the info
It will require some time for the IDF to clean out the hezballah terrorist gang and all its weapons. No doubt it will manage to get some more bombs into Israel (it shot 300 rockets off just the other day and it has thousands more hidden on launchers in houses, schools, mosques, and churches). Thus, there will be more collateral damage in Lebanon despite the IDF’s massive efforts to protect non- combatants. It is a very sad situation but one holding promise for a restored Lebanon freed of the Iranian hezballah gang’s control. And, for peace for Zion as well as Beirut when the terrorists are finally eliminated. We can hope for the best, something that hasn’t really been all that possible for a number of years.
“The Mirsad-1 is not a Hezbollah-designed UAV. Instead, it is a name given by Hezbollah to existing Iranian UAVs provided to the group, namely the twin-tail Ababil drones.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirsad-1
“Hezbollah acquired Ababil-2 drones (twin-tail variant) in 2002, and operated them under the Mirsad-1 designation. Israel has said that Hezbollah received at least 12 Ababils before the 2006 Lebanon War.”
“The Ababil-2 has a cylindrical fuselage, a sweptback vertical fin, and a pusher engine. It is powered by a simple two-bladed pusher propeller with a rear-mounted wing and a front canard for good stall, stability and maneuverability characteristics. All variants have a range of over 100 km[citation needed] and all variants have all-metal construction, except for the Ababil-T, which is composite (fiberglass).
“The Ababil-2 can be launched from a zero-length JATO platform or a Mercedes Benz 911 pneumatic truck launcher.”
“Ababil-5 was first unveiled on April 18, 2022 during the Iran Army Day. It has a Rotax-914 engine (similar to Mohajer-6) with 115 horsepower and has a range of 480 km. It can carry four guided anti-tank missiles (Almas series) with a range of 8 kilometers or six precision-guided bombs (Qaem series) weighing 2.4 kilograms with a range of 6 kilometers.”
“Houthi rebels have operated Ababil-T loitering munitions under the name “Qasef-1” to target Saudi and Emirati radar batteries. According to the Houthis, a new variant of the drone named “Qasef-2K” has been designed to explode from a height of 20 meters in the air and rain shrapnel down on its target and has been used to kill 6 people in the coalition controlled Al Anad Air Base in Yemen.”
“Specifications (Ababil-2)
Data from Jane’s
General characteristics
Crew: none
Capacity: 40 kg payload
Length: 2.88 m (9 ft 5 in)
Wingspan: 3.25 m (10 ft 8 in)
Height: 0.91 m (3 ft 0 in)
Wing area: 1.76 m2 (18.9 sq ft)
Empty weight: 30 kg (66 lb) approx.
Max takeoff weight: 83 kg (183 lb)
Fuel capacity: 16 liters
Powerplant: 1 × WAE-342 twin-cylinder piston engine, 19 kW (25 hp)
Propellers: 2-bladed
Performance
Maximum speed: 370 km/h (230 mph, 200 kn) in level flight
Cruise speed: 250–305 km/h (155–190 mph, 135–165 kn)
Combat range: 120 km (75 mi, 65 nmi)
Endurance: 1 ¼ – 2 hr
Service ceiling: 3,000 m (9,800 ft) or higher”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HESA_Ababil
Absolutely correct. The propulsion system makes a “stealthy” drone somewhat detectable. If drones become powered by a truly stealthy motor, stationary targets within range such as airfields and important buildings would be very vulnerable. The silicon chip has changed warfare.
The first ones I saw were in Ukraine. The Russians had what appeared to be a deep sea fishing reel mounted on the drone. It had a range 10 km. I’m sure they’ve been improved in the 18 months since then.
Old tech beating new tech.
During the day, drones could be optically spotted fairly simply looking upward except on clear blue-sky days. A contrail plane could produce a contrail against which an incoming drone can be spotted. Drones could also be optically spotted by protective spotting drones looking downward.
At night, drones might be detected when they block out an astronomical object.
An optically guided gun could then shoot down the drone.
In the daytime, a downward looking tracking rocket or drone might be launched ahead of the gunfire to track the incoming drone. An optical drone detection/tracking balloon is another possibility.
At night, a powerful rapidly scanning flashlight might illuminate an incoming drone.
Downward blast barrage balloons might also provide protection.
On Israeli borders, rapidly growing trees might be planted to provide Israeli troops with places to hide under.
“airfields”
Aluminum foil covered styrofoam ‘airplanes’ can be built cheaply.
https://www.fdd.org/analysis/2024/07/02/how-hezbollah-fundraises-through-crime/
Talk about inflationary
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