B1 Bavar drone: Iran’s newly-unveiled reconnaissance and loitering munition

By Pouriya Kousheshiyan

The defense ministry of the Islamic Republic of Iran this week participated in a defense exhibition hosted by the Russian defense ministry in Moscow, named ‘Army-2024’.

Iranian pavilion at the well-attended defense exhibition had on display new military hardware, including unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), such as the H5 reconnaissance drone and the B1 reconnaissance and loitering munition, also known as the kamikaze drone.

The annual defense exhibition, which was held at the International Technical-Military Exhibition Center in Kubinka, Moscow, presented an opportunity for Iran to showcase its latest military products and developments in the defense arena.

One of the drones put on display was the Bavar suicide UAV, also known as B1, which is designed with a dual function and is capable of performing surveillance and suicide missions.

The maximum take-off weight of this drone is 7 kg, which can carry a disintegrating or penetrating warhead, each of which weighs 2 kg at its maximum.

This type of design allows it to hit a variety of targets in different mission situations.

The operational specifications of this UAV include a flight duration of 25 minutes when fully loaded with a 2 kg warhead, which can be increased to a maximum of 35 minutes if the warhead is not carried.

This range of flight endurance depends entirely on the flexible mission requirements, such as a short, targeted attack or a long surveillance operation.

This drone, which has been unveiled for the first time at the Army-2024 military exhibition, can reach a range of 12 kilometers in the strike version and 15 kilometers in the surveillance version.

It has been equipped with a three-axis seeker, a sensor seeker, and an optoelectronic camera with 10x zoom capability under the warhead and full high-definition resolution, which provides the ability to capture and send accurate and high-quality images to ensure accurate targeting.

The suicide drone B1, which is considered the newest and most delicate type of drone as Iran's micro air vehicle, comes with dimensions of 580 x 580 mm.

The B1 surveillance drone travels at a speed of 80 kilometers per hour, which can fly against the wind at a constant cruise speed of 30km per hour and withstand additional gusts of 20 km per hour, and engage moving and stationary targets at short ranges.

The drone also has an intercept stop feature allowing the operator to stop the mission completely if necessary. It is also important to note that the UAV can return to the starting point of the operation upon receiving new orders.

Moreover, it can continue its mission after replacing the battery or other changes.

Owing to the small dimensions of this drone, it is likely to be well-prepared for flight in less than 10 minutes, controlled by an operator that steers it, the UAV can take off and even return vertically to its flight station.

Also, the B1 drone can be flown in groups with up to 10 units at the same time.

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