Iran announced its own analogue of the Switchblade 300 kamikaze drone
It is called Meraj-521 and has a range of 5 km
The Iranian military presented the Meraj-521 barrage munition. It is an analogue of the American switchblade 300 kamikaze drone of the AeroVironment company.
Meraj-521 has already been tested. He was protested at the exercises of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The barrage ammunition will enter service with the Saberin special operations forces.
The new Meraj 521 short range loitering munition unveiled. 5km range, akin to Switchblade 300 & CH-901. Already apparently handed over to Saberin SOF units
I believe we've seen a triple launcher for this before a year or 2 ago pic.twitter.com/U5o2QrYBUQ
— Iran Defense|نیروهای مسلح جمهوری اسلامی ایران (@IranDefense) October 19, 2022
The kamikaze drone looks like the Switchblade 300. It can stay in the air for up to 15 minutes and has a range of 5 km. Optionally, the barrage ammunition is equipped with three types of warheads weighing from 500 g to 1 kg. A launcher is used to launch the Miraj-521, and it is controlled via a special tablet.
In comparison, the Switchblade 300 has a maximum flight time of 10 minutes, but it can hit targets up to 10 km away. The American kamikaze drone is used to destroy light armored vehicles and personnel. The warhead has an explosive charge equivalent to a 40 mm grenade.
