Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Unveils New Meraj-532 Kamikaze Drone
On March 9, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) released video footage of a new ‘kamikaze’ drone being tested. The short video in question shows a new unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) called ‘Meraj-532’ being launched from the back of a 4×4 pickup truck and exploding upon impact near the target area.
Sardar Ali Kohestani, head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Research and Self-Sufficiency Jihad Organization, stated in a meeting with Tasnim News Agency’s defense correspondent that the “Meraj-532” suicide drone had been successfully tested. Kohestani also stated that this UAV was designed and manufactured by the Revolutionary Guards Research and Self-Sufficiency Jihad Organization’s young experts, and that other combat, training, and suicide drones will be added to the IRGC’s inventory in the near future.
Sardar Ali Kohestani also discussed the technical specifications of the Meraj-532 kamikaze type unmanned aerial vehicle with a Tasnim News Agency reporter. The Meraj-532, which is powered by a piston engine, has a range of 450 kilometers, according to Kohestani. Meraj-532, which can carry a 50-kilogram payload, can stay in the air for three hours at a height of 12 thousand feet (approximately 3 thousand 600 meters) and can be launched from any car. General Kohestani further indicated that the Meraj-532 could be assembled and ready for flight quickly and easily, making it a viable option for rapid response.
The Meraj-532 unmanned aerial vehicle was unveiled months after the Meraj-521, another product of the Revolutionary Guards Research and Self-Sufficiency Jihad Organization. The Meraj-521 is a kamikaze drone that resembles the Switchblade 300 from US Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) manufacturer AeroVironment and China’s Rainbow CH-901 unmanned aerial vehicle. The Meraj-521 has a reported range of up to 5 kilometers and a flight time of 15 minutes, and it can carry payloads of 500, 700, and 1000 grams. The drone is made of carbon fiber composite materials to keep it light, and it may be launched using the mortar method from a pneumatic catapult.
On the other hand, it is noteworthy that the Meraj-532 is similar to the Murad-5 kamikaze UAV types used by the Saraya Ababil organization operating in Iraq in previous years, or the Jenin drone used by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad organization operating in Gaza, and the Khatif-2 kamikaze UAV used by the Houthi forces in Yemen. In this regard, some Iranian analysts claimed that the Meraj-532 drone is not a new product, contrary to the claims of Iranian officials, and even a derivative that uses the same old technology as the kamikaze UAV types used by Iran-backed militia groups in the Middle East.