Western Media Vertigo over Iran’s newly made drone: Fotros

Iran’s biggest unmanned plane,Fortos, was unveiled by Minister of Defense on Monday. The minister in this ceremony referred to the strategy of Iran’s Defense Ministry in updating the necessary facilities and said,” Fotros UAV has been planned and made by skillful experts in Iran’s Aircraft Industries a subsidiary of the Organization of Aerial Industries of the Ministry of Defense and in cooperation with Research institutes and academic centers of the country in accordance with the demands of Iran’s army demands.

He explained the capabilities of Fotros UAV saying,” This drone has an operational range of 1,700 km to 2,000 km with flight endurance of 16 to 30 hours and is capable of carrying out surveillance, reconnaissance and monitoring missions as well as preform combat operations, being armed with air-to-surface missile type rockets.”

Unveiling Fotros UAV and remarks of the Defense Minister was immediately projected in foreign media. It is noteworthy that these foreign media either based on the remarks of Iran’s Defense Minister or as their own deduction confessed defense developments of Iran in spite of the sanctions. On the other hand however they tried to question these achievements.

Associated Press in a report on the topic wrote, “Iran, since 1980’s has started its programs of military self-sufficiency and occasionally announces its developments in the field of making home-made fighters, tanks, missiles, submarines, UAVs and torpedoes. Most of these independent developments cannot be approved.”

The same approach is followed by the Arab language BBC with its audiences among regional Arab countries. In this line, Arabic BBC production quoted Riyadh Ghahouji, Manager of the Center for Military Studies of the Middle East and Persian Gulf referred to the unique capabilities of Fotros UAV and said,” According to Iranian authorities, what distinguishes Fotros from its previous models is that it can carry out long range missions. This drone can take long hour-flights covering longer distances. UAVs like Ababil UAV, dubbed as Ayyoub by Hezbollah, could be used in strategic operations in shorter distances up to 200-300 kilometers. And this is the basic difference between these two generations of UAV.”

On the other hand Arabic BBC, reported the views of Richard Whites, senior researcher at the US Hudson Research Center quoting him as,” Several countries take the head to make UAVs and it is natural that Iran does so too but it is doubtful if Iran has been able to improve a UAV. Iran has announced that its newly home-made drone is the yet biggest one and this is quite noteworthy because it is important that a UAV is made in smaller sizes so that it cannot be traced and discovered.”

This news channel also tried to show unveiling Iran’s new drone in relation with the upcoming nuclear talks in Geneva and in this line it claimed,” Certainly unveiling Fotros will not be approved by regional states and the countries which are concerned over military objectives of Iran. This measure which has been taken only two days ahead of the new round of talks between Tehran and world powers in Geneva is quite noticeable. Tehran is unveiling its new military achievement amid a delicate optimistic ambiance on an agreement over its nuclear activities.”

France Press (AP) called Tehran’s unveiling Fotros UAV in line with its deterrence capabilities against the Zionist regime and noted the new drone’s priority over other models made by the country, a 2’000 kilometer range of flight. This range makes Israel (the Occupied Lands), with only 1’000 kilometers of distance, within the reach for Iran.”

This report also referred to the previous military achievements of the country and added which has stirred the concern of the US and other western countries.

Western media on the one hand confirm the development in Iran’s defense industries in spite of sanctions and with a reference on the history of Iran’s production of UAVs approved the fact that Iran has entered the line of producing drones and is capable of daily promotion and at the same time question the very same fact.