Arash-2 / Arash-3
Long-range Iranian kamikaze drone; possibly supplied to Russia
An Iranian one-way attack drone, larger than the Shahed-136, launched from a platform by two solid-fuel boosters and then cruising on a piston engine. The Arash-2 was developed from the Arash-1 in the early 2020s; Iran claims a range of up to 2,000 km, which specialists doubt. A Russian-Iranian supply contract was reported in 2022 but never confirmed, and use in Ukraine has not been shown. Iran first showed the Arash-3 in May 2026; in October 2026 the army presented it with a much heavier payload. All performance figures are Iranian claims or open-source estimates.
Learn more in the Drone Academy →Dimensionsfor imagery analysis
- Drone (L × wingspan)
- 4.5 × 4.0 m (Arash-2)
- Max. take-off weight
- unknown
- Dimension source
- US Army TRADOC Worldwide Equipment Guide (ODIN); Militarnyi
Key data
- Speed
- cruise ~100 km/h (Militarnyi) · 400 km/h max per WEG — uncertain, the WEG also lists a jet engine
- Range
- up to 2,000 km (Iranian claim, doubted) · 1,000 km per WEG
- Altitude
- up to ~5.5 km (WEG; uncertain)
- Payload
- Arash-2: ~30 kg (WEG) to ~50 kg (Iranian Army) · Arash-3: 100–150 kg (Iranian claim)
Relevance
- Launch and engine
- Two solid-fuel boosters from a launch platform, then cruise flight on a piston engine (Militarnyi). The WEG lists a jet engine; that entry appears to be wrong
- Arash-3: first showing (May 2026)
- Shown on 5 May 2026 at a rally in Tehran ('Loyalty to Iran'); claimed: range up to 2,000 km, up to 600 km/h, ~150 kg warhead, ± 3.5 m long with a 2.5 m wingspan, navigation that carries on without GPS. The dimensions are strikingly similar to those of the Shahed-136 — uncertain; source: Bild via prm.ua (5 May 2026), Iranian claims
- Arash-3 (Oct 2026)
- Presented by Army commander Amir Hatami: payload up from ~50 to 100–150 kg, AI for better accuracy, more types of GPS-independent navigation and a warhead with incendiary and explosive materials. Iran says damage rises ~2.3×; range, speed and dimensions not given — source: Militarnyi (23 Oct 2026), RU Mil Tracker e-20261024-15; Iranian claims, not independently confirmed
- Link to Russia
- In 2022 reports said Iranian instructors were training Russian personnel on the Arash-2; ISW judged a supply contract likely, but the only evidence was Telegram channels citing anonymous Iranian sources. On 19 Jun 2025 a drone that Militarnyi identified as an Arash-2 crashed in Karakiya district (Mangystau region, Kazakhstan), possibly flown from Russia; Russian media called it a British Banshee Jet 80 — source: Militarnyi, LIGA.net/ISW
- Use in Ukraine
- Not shown (as of Oct 2026)
- Source
- US Army TRADOC WEG (ODIN); Militarnyi (incl. Kazakhstan crash, Jun 2025; Arash-3, Oct 2026); Bild via prm.ua (May 2026); LIGA.net/ISW; RU Mil Tracker e-20261024-15
- See also
- The Shahed-136 / Geran family and Geran-5 cards (also of Iranian origin, the Karrar)
News archive 1
Analysed reports from the RU Mil Tracker about this system, newest first. Archive since 2026-07-17.
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Iran unveils Arash-3 strike drone with payload of up to 150 kg; predecessor Arash-2 reportedly linked to Russia
Militarnyi reports that the commander-in-chief of the Iranian Army, Amir Hatami, has presented a new strike drone, the Arash-3, in a report by Rasadkadeh TV. According to the Iranian military, its payload rises from about 50 kg on the previous version to 100–150 kg. They also say AI improves its accuracy and that it carries more types of GPS-independent nav…