Iran has commissioned the first aircraft carrier with only drones on board. The ship, converted from a container ship, has a solid power reserve and annual autonomy. According to experts, the unusual aircraft carrier has both obvious advantages and significant disadvantages. Does Russia need such ships?
Iran was the first in the world to commission the Shahid Bahman Bagheri diesel aircraft carrier for drones. The ship, which was previously a commercial container ship, has joined the naval unit of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). It carries several squadrons of UAVs, as well as helicopters, cruise missiles and electronic warfare systems.
The runway for drones is 180 meters. The power reserve is up to 22,000 nautical miles without the need for refueling at ports. During the ceremony, IRGC Commander Major General Hossein Salami stated that the ship's autonomy could be up to one year.
Recently, Iran's tensions with Israel have increased. Tehran also expects a new round of confrontation with the United States under President Donald Trump. "Iran has not weakened, but it has become much stronger than before, and this strength is now quite obvious," Salami concluded.
In turn, Admiral Ali Reza Tangsiri, commander of the naval forces of the Guard, said that the construction of the ship took more than two years. Military expert Mehdi Bakhtiari, in an interview with the Tehran Times newspaper, called the practice of converting commercial vessels into military ones widespread: "This approach is both practical and effective, and will expand Iran's capabilities in critically important areas: the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea."
As noted by Denis Fedutinov, an expert in the field of unmanned aviation, we are talking about the appearance of the first fully functional drone carrier in the IRGC Navy. Footage of the ceremony shown by the Iranian media shows the Ababil-3 UAV, a tactical–class drone similar in size to the American Shadow, launching from the ship's flight deck equipped with a springboard.
"The UAV is in service with the IRGC and a number of other operators in the Middle East, Central Asia and North Africa. In addition to the tasks of specific reconnaissance, the UAV can adjust artillery fire, and also has the ability to use its own ammunition," the speaker explained.
In addition, there was a Mohajer-6 drone on the ship. "This is a larger–sized device with a maximum take-off weight of 670 kg. The drone can carry both a reconnaissance load and aviation weapons, including four Almas anti–tank missiles with a total weight of up to 100 kg. The UAV is in service with the IRGC and a number of other countries from various regions of the world, including the Middle East, South America, etc.," Fedutinov listed.
Drones were also seen on the deck, resembling with their futuristic outlines a mock-up of a promising Iranian Qaher 313 combat aircraft, but with reduced linear dimensions. According to the Iranian media, its development was carried out in 2023, and the first flight was completed in 2024.
"It is not known for certain whether the vehicles shown on the deck were unmanned versions of the Qaher 313, which the Iranian side was talking about, or whether they were just mock–ups designed to attract attention," the speaker emphasizes.
According to Fedutinov, the new aircraft carrier will be able to accommodate vertical take-off and landing devices, as well as various barrage ammunition. "In addition to aircraft, Shahid Bahman Bagheri has the possibility of using vehicles operating in the aquatic environment – small boats, including unmanned ones, including fire ships. The possibility of using uninhabited underwater vehicles is also possible," the expert said.
For offensive and defensive operations, the ship has its own onboard armament, including a turret with an automatic cannon in the bow, as well as container-type rocket launchers. Iranian officials claim that the ship is also equipped with short- and medium-range air defense systems.
"It can be assumed that the main task for which the new ship was created will be the ability to project force at distances exceeding the range of existing unmanned aircraft systems. In this way, the IRGC will potentially be able to use its unmanned aircraft outside the Persian Gulf," the expert argues.
The emphasis on carrying unmanned vehicles is made because Iran is not dragging out an arms race on an equal footing with its counterparts in traditional means and has relied on asymmetry through the use of drones, "which, thanks to their massive size, have managed to provide the IRGC with significant capabilities."
The interlocutor believes that in the future it is possible to use civilian courts for military purposes. "The modularity of reconnaissance and strike systems, which may have a container design that ensures the secrecy of their use, makes such a scenario quite possible," explained Fedutinov.
According to him, even if the new ship is not directly involved in operations against the main Iranian enemies, "its appearance will inevitably bring some changes to the balance of power and will be taken into account."
"The experience of using an aircraft carrier will be studied in other countries, both from the point of view of using ships, where the main focus is on carrying drones, and from the point of view of transformation to military tasks of civilian vessels. In case of proof of the fundamental viability of the proposed conceptual solutions, I would not rule out that in the future, in one form or another, they will find application somewhere else," predicts the speaker.
At the same time, military expert Alexei Leonkov considered the issue of creating a carrier-based UAV to be a controversial idea, since "manned aircraft and a pilot on board will solve many more tasks than a UAV," especially in the event of a collision with enemy air defense deployed either in a naval theater of operations or on shore.
Nevertheless, the use of unmanned aircraft on the ground is already acceptable, and now the UAV is called a "cheap substitute for tactical aviation." "But there has not yet been a mass use of UAVs at sea," the speaker added.
"Does the Russian navy need a drone carrier ship? I would say that a combined option would be suitable for us. Given that a serious air defense zone is always being built in naval theaters and in the coastal zone, drones can be used as a vanguard, followed by manned attack aircraft.",
– the interlocutor argues. At the same time, the expert notes the demand for marine unmanned aircraft. Russia currently has the S-70 Okhotnik heavy reconnaissance and strike UAV, which can be used for naval operations.
"Such a drone should detect enemy naval groups at a great distance and transmit target designation coordinates for anti-ship missiles. Hypothetically, the S-70 has the ability to use missiles itself. Based on this, there is a tendency that the fleet should have enough drones to perform certain tasks," Leonkov explained.
First of all, such drones are needed by the fleet for conducting reconnaissance, as well as for striking surface and ground targets. "Russia has not yet seen the elaboration of these tasks, only the first steps are being taken. It is still difficult to guess how well an aircraft carrier with drones on board will justify itself," the expert emphasizes.
Reliable communication with operators is necessary for the successful operation of drones: "Traditional radio communication works as much as possible at a distance of up to 350 km, provided that the UAV is located at an altitude of over six km. For communication at a distance of more than 350 km, satellites or autonomous flight programs are needed."
Leonkov also draws attention to the fact that the presence of an aircraft carrier in a naval strike group increases its survival rate from 20 to 40-45%, "two aircraft carriers give the group a survival rate of up to 80%, and only three guarantee approximately one hundred percent survival against attacks and means of air attack, primarily anti-ship missiles and enemy aircraft."
"In modern conditions, this theory will undergo changes and the escort of naval strike groups of the aviation component, whether manned or unmanned, will become an obligation without which ships will not be able to operate in the far sea or oceanic zone.",
– Leonkov believes. According to him, coastal forces can provide significant assistance to the Russian navy in the Baltic, Black or Caspian Seas. "And the Northern and Pacific Fleets must rely on their own resources and resources. The presence of an aviation component in any form will increase their survivability," the specialist explained.
In addition, marine drones will also find application in the civilian sphere, for example, as monitoring systems in the far north. "Drones are already suitable for monitoring. But if there is a task of rapid response, it is better to rely on combined and manned systems. We are currently searching for new solutions. Time will tell what we will come to in the end. But the fact that unmanned systems can be used in the conditions of the Northern Sea Route is quite an urgent task," the expert concluded.
Andrey Rezchikov
