Manufacturer catalog

HESA

HESA is Iran's state-owned aerospace manufacturer in Shahin Shahr, tied to the Iran Aviation Industries Organization and the Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics. Public sanctions notices and reference databases describe the company as a military and civil aircraft producer with a central role in Iran's UAV industrial base.

2 weapons

HESA is the short name most often used for Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industrial Company, also rendered as Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industries Corporation. Treasury and Iran Watch describe it as a state-owned Iranian aerospace manufacturer subordinate to MODAFL through the Iran Aviation Industries Organization.

The company's public footprint spans aircraft inspection, maintenance, repair, overhaul, research, development, production, and flight operations. U.S. Treasury notices identify HESA facilities with military and civilian aircraft work, related military logistics systems, and unmanned aerial vehicle production.

Because HESA operates inside a sanctioned state-defense structure, public corporate disclosures are limited and often appear through government sanctions notices, export-control records, and nonproliferation reference databases rather than conventional company reporting.

Military aircraftUnmanned aerial vehiclesAerospace manufacturing

Notable Systems

Shahed-131, Long-range one-way attack UAV, Aircraft & UAVs

Shahed-131

Long-range one-way attack UAV

A smaller Shahed-series loitering munition; Treasury describes HESA as a producer of Iran's Shahed-series UAVs.

Sources: Treasury sanctions network supporting HESA
Shahed-136, Long-range one-way attack UAV, Aircraft & UAVs

Shahed-136

Long-range one-way attack UAV

A Shahed-series one-way attack UAV; Treasury describes HESA as a producer of Iran's Shahed-series UAVs.

Sources: Treasury sanctions network supporting HESA

Manufacturer History

  1. Founded

    Dealroom describes HESA as a state-owned aerospace company established in 1976 in Shahin Shahr, Isfahan province, while sanctions databases commonly list the company under later Iran Aircraft Manufacturing name variants.

    Sources: HESA company profile, OpenSanctions HESA entity profile

  2. U.S. designation

    Treasury designated Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industrial Company under Executive Order 13382, stating that it was owned or controlled by MODAFL and supported the IRGC. The same notice described HESA aircraft and UAV facilities and identified Farasakht Industries as a HESA subsidiary.

    Sources: Treasury 2008 Iranian military firms designation

  3. Treasury designation update

    Treasury said HESA was updating procurement networks linked to its UAV and military aircraft production and noted the company had adopted the alias Shahin Co. in overseas supplier contracts.

    Sources: Treasury sanctions network supporting HESA

  4. Treasury sanctions network

    Treasury said HESA remained a state-owned subsidiary of MODAFL producing Iran's military aircraft and Ababil-series UAVs, and updated the SDN entry to add FTP Co. as a new alias.

    Sources: Treasury UAV procurement networks report

Subsidiaries
Farasakht Industries
Website links
Official websiteTreasury sanction noticeDealroom company profileIran Watch entity profileOFAC 2008 designation notice

HESA is state-owned and heavily sanctioned, so public corporate details are sparse and appear under several romanized name variants across sanctions and reference databases.

Manufacturer Sources

  • Treasury sanctions network supporting HESAPublisher: U.S. Department of the Treasury | Note: Supports HESA as a state-owned aerospace manufacturer, its MODAFL ownership context, its Ababil- and Shahed-series UAV production, and the Shahin Co. alias. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
  • Treasury UAV procurement networks reportPublisher: U.S. Department of the Treasury | Note: Supports HESA as a state-owned subsidiary of MODAFL that produces Iran's military aircraft and Ababil-series UAVs, and supports the FTP Co. alias. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • Treasury 2008 Iranian military firms designationPublisher: U.S. Department of the Treasury | Note: Supports HESA ownership by MODAFL, aircraft and UAV facility roles, Ababil manufacturing, aliases, addresses, and Farasakht Industries as a subsidiary. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • HESA company profilePublisher: Dealroom | Note: Supports the 1976 founding date, Shahin Shahr / Isfahan location, state-owned status, and the company's early helicopter-manufacturing origin. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
  • Iran Watch HESA entity profilePublisher: Wisconsin Project on Nuclear Arms Control | Note: Supports HESA as a MODAFL-linked aerospace manufacturer involved in military and civilian aircraft, UAV development, production, flight operations, and sanctions-list context. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • OpenSanctions HESA entity profilePublisher: OpenSanctions | Note: Supports HESA naming variants, jurisdiction, state-owned aerospace description, and the official website listing used to standardize the profile. | Accessed: 2026-06-21

Produced weapons

Category

Aircraft & UAVs

Crewed aircraft, drones, and loitering munitions.

2/2
Shahed-131, Long-range one-way attack UAV, Aircraft & UAVs2014 Russia-Ukraine War, 2004 Iranian-Kurdish Conflict +2 moreShahed-131Long-range one-way attack UAVBuilt in: IranThe Shahed-131 is the smaller Iranian one-way attack UAV in the Shahed-131/Shahed-136 family, built around a delta-wing airframe, pre-programmed coordinate navigation, and a compact warhead. Russia operates the type as Geran-1 in Ukraine, Iran has used Shahed-131-series salvos in direct regional attacks, and Houthi sources and U.S. intelligence identify the Waid-1 as the corresponding smaller Houthi designation.