Qods Saeghe
A Qods Saeghe at an Iranian wargame in 2006.
Role Target drone
National origin Iran
Manufacturer Qods Aviation, Tehran
Design group Qods Aviation
Status In service, in production (2013)[1]
Primary user Iranian Armed Forces

The Qods Saeghe ("lightning bolt") is a simple Iranian recoverable target drone.[1]

Design

The Saeghe has low-mounted delta wings and a bullet-shaped fuselage. It has a sweptback wing rudder and no landing gear. Control surfaces are located on the horizontal stabilizers. The Saeghe is constructed entirely of composite.[1] It is powered by one 18.6 kW (25 hp) WAE-342 pusher engine in a pusher configuration.[1]

The Saeghe is launched via a small rocket from a short metal rail, called a JATO launch.[1] It is recovered by parachute over land or water (as a plastic drone, it floats) or by skidding on its belly over flat terrain.

Artist's impression of a Qods Saeghe.

Variants

It comes in two versions. The first one which only has radio command guidance system and the other one which has GPS guidance and IR emissions. Both versions are launched via a booster and are recovered by parachute.[2]

Saeghe-1

The Saeghe 1's flight path and maneuvers are controlled by simple radio command. This variant is also known as the N-Q-A 100.[1]

Saeghe-2

The Saeghe-2 has more advanced avionics, with tele-command and telemetry uplinks and downlinks between the drone and the ground control station.[1] The Saeghe 2 also has GPS navigation it can use to follow navigational points on autopilot beyond the line-of-sight of the operator.[1] The Saeghe-2 shares the same airframe as the Saeghe-1.[1]

The Saeghe 2 carries a gyrostabilized radar reflector and three IR flares.[1] It is controlled from a ground control station which can be carried in a small van.[1] The Saeghe 2 first flew in 2002.[3]

Specifications (Saeghe-2)

Data from Jane's[1]

General characteristics

  • Length: 2.81 m (9 ft 3 in)
  • Wingspan: 2.6 m (8 ft 6 in)
  • Height: .7 m (2 ft 4 in)
  • Max takeoff weight: 60 kg (132 lb)
  • Powerplant: 1 × WAE-342 twin-cylinder piston engine
  • Propellers: 2-bladed

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 250 km/h (160 mph, 130 kn) in level flight
  • Combat range: 50 km (31 mi, 27 nmi)
  • Endurance: 45 min
  • Service ceiling: 3,355 m (11,007 ft)

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Martin Streetly, ed. (2014). Jane's All the World's Aircraft: Unmanned 2014–2015. London: IHS Jane's. p. 362. ISBN 978-0-7106-3096-4.
  2. ↑ "Unmanned Vehicles Dec-Jan 2007 - Webmag". Archived from the original on 2011-10-05. Retrieved 2011-03-15.
  3. ↑ Wright, Galen (5 February 2011). "The Arkenstone - ارکنستون: Saeqeh UAV". Archived from the original on 21 March 2012.
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