A new image of Iran’s drone carrier, the IRGC Shahid Bagheri, has emerged this week, capturing the attention of open-source intelligence (OSINT) specialists. The vessel, an old cargo ship undergoing conversion, is being modified to deploy locally produced unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The latest images reveal significant progress since the last multimedia material on the ship.
According to the new photograph (with the exact date unknown), the vessel shows a nearly completed flight deck, with visible guide lines now marked. The last time an image of the Bagheri was made public was through a social media video, which displayed a deck still lacking these features and still undergoing construction.
The design of Iran’s “first drone carrier” is peculiar, according to OSINT sources. The former cargo ship now features a Sky Jump-style flight deck, which is the only viable method for takeoff given the ship’s dimensions. The deck is approximately 240 meters long. Additionally, the deck has been widened on the port side to accommodate more drones for large-scale deployments.
Some design aspects raise concerns, such as the positioning of the bridge superstructure at the start of the flight deck and the length of the deck relative to the launch ramp. Landing operations on this carrier would be extremely challenging without colliding with the ship. Even if landing is achieved, it would be difficult to avoid entering the launch ramp area, making the recovery of deployed drones nearly impossible without some form of arrestor cables or barriers.
Regarding the future drones for the vessel, official details are scarce, but some preliminary assumptions can be made. The described platform could accommodate both vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) drones and long-range jet-powered drones. These types of drones might overcome the challenges posed by the short runway and the ship’s bridge, though it is unclear if these are indeed the plans of the Iranian Navy.
Finally, the manufacturer of the new drone carrier is the Iran Shipbuilding & Offshore Industries Complex Company (ISOICO). The work began in May 2022, with ISOICO having previous experience in converting cargo ships into naval platforms. The most notable example is the Makran, an oil tanker converted into an advanced naval base capable of deploying helicopters and drones. While neither vessel poses a significant threat to the navies of the U.S. or Israel (among others), advancing the production of such ships is a significant symbolic milestone for the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Image credits to the respective sources.
