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It is rumored that Iran is supplying Russia with its combat drones. The question then needs to be asked, how a country that has been under sanctions for decades was able to develop high-tech technology? According to the BBC, Tehran has been developing the UAV industry since the 1980s and has spared no expense. As a result, the Iranian fleet has about 16 models with different modifications.
Having studied foreign technology, local Leonardo Da Vincis were even able to build their own fighter aircraft, an analog of the American Northrop F-5. Where did the samples for the Iranian drones come from? According to some reports, the industry was spurred on by the downing of the Israeli Hermes UAV and the American RQ170 Sentinel over the country.
From the wreckage, Iranian scientists could create their “own” technology. Ironically, the sanctions spurred Iran to develop its drone industry. Another minor factor was the military conflict with Iraq in the 1980s. It was assumed that the development of this project would give an impetus to the Iranian offensive without spending billions of dollars. 40 years later we are seeing the results of this policy.
The production of drones in Iran is mainly carried out by the Iranian Aviation Industry Organization and the state aerospace company Qods. It is also known that Iranian specialists have not been able to eliminate their dependence on supplies from abroad completely.
Because of sanctions, they do not receive the necessary equipment directly, but through front companies or people with dual citizenship. In 2014, German authorities arrested 63-year-old Ali Reza with Iranian-German citizenship, who managed to resell technical equipment to Iran for a total of $584,000, and that is not the only case.
What next? As geopolitical tensions increase, the drone industry will continue to gain momentum. Thus, companies like AeroVironment (AVAV), Northrop Grumman Corporation (NOC), Boeing (BA), NVIDIA Corporation (NVDA), and Lockheed Martin Corporation (LMT) could see their profit boost as orders for drones grow.
