IRAN HAS UNVEILED the country’s first domestically-made long-range unmanned bomber aircraft.

Iran’s president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, described the drone as an “ambassador of death” to Iran’s enemies but adds that the craft “has a main message of peace and friendship”.

Ahmadinejad has said that the main purpose of the drone is “to keep the enemy paralysed in its bases”.

A drone aircraft is one that aircraft that flies without a human crew on board, and is controlled by a ground crew. Concerns about the precision of strikes carried out by drones have led to many condemning the military technology.

The unveiling of the aircraft, nicknamed the “Karrar” which means “striker” in Farsi, comes just one day after the country began loading nuclear fuel into its first ever reactor, which as sent jitters throughout the international community.

Iranian semi-state run news agency Fars has quoted Hamed Saeedi, who is the Managing Director of Farnas Aerospace Company in charge of the project, who commented:

We plan to manufacture UAVs, including unmanned choppers and drones, at this site…

And added

Drones will be of the tactical type, with a short range of 400 to 500 meters flying altitude which cannot be detected by radio waves as they will be stealth aircraft.

Fars also writes: “Iranian officials have always stressed that the country’s military and arms programs serve defensive purposes and should not be perceived as a threat to any other country”.

See this report from Iranian state news channel Press TV: