Manufacturer catalog

Qods Aviation Industries

Qods Aviation Industries is an Iranian defense-aerospace builder associated with unmanned aircraft, including the Mohajer UAV family represented in this catalog by the Mohajer-6. Public sanctions and reference records describe the company as tied to Iran Aviation Industries Organization and Iran's defense ministry, with a difficult-to-source operating history because of name changes and sanctions listings.

1 weapons

Qods Aviation Industries appears in the catalog through the Mohajer-6 manufacturer facet. U.S. Treasury reporting identifies QAI as a key Iranian defense manufacturer responsible for designing and producing UAVs, including Mohajer-6 aircraft transferred abroad.

Open-source and government records use several names for the same organization, including Qods Aeronautics Industries, Qods Aviation Industry, Ghods Aviation Industries, Qods Air Industries, and Light Airplanes Design and Manufacturing Industries. Those aliases are kept together here so the generated builder catalog page does not split one Iranian UAV maker across multiple pages.

Unmanned aerial vehiclesArmed reconnaissance UAVsLight aircraft and aviation systemsParachutes and powered paragliders

Notable Systems

Mohajer-6, Armed intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance UAV, Aircraft & UAVs

Mohajer-6

Armed intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance UAV

QAI is identified by U.S. Treasury reporting as the manufacturer of Mohajer-6 combat UAVs with intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities.

Sources: Treasury Iran-Venezuela weapons trade

Mohajer UAV family

Iran Watch reports Qods involvement in Mohajer UAV development from the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988)-era Mohajer 1 through later Mohajer variants.

Sources: Iran Watch QAI profile

Talash and Saeqeh UAVs

Iran Watch lists Talash and Saeqeh UAVs among systems reportedly developed by Qods Aviation Industries.

Sources: Iran Watch QAI profile

Manufacturer History

  1. Reported establishment

    Iran Watch reports that Qods Aviation Industries was established in 1985.

    Sources: Iran Watch QAI profile

  2. UN sanctions listing

    The UN Security Council narrative summary states that Qods Aeronautics Industries was listed in Annex II of Resolution 1747.

    Sources: UN Security Council Qods narrative

  3. Trade-name change reported

    Iran Watch reports that QAI changed its trade name in Iran from Qods Aviation Industries to Light Aircraft Design and Manufacturing Industries in December 2019.

    Sources: Iran Watch QAI profile

  4. OFAC alias update and executive designations

    U.S. Treasury updated QAI's sanctions entry to add Light Airplanes Design and Manufacturing Industries as an alias and described QAI as overseen by MODAFL for UAV production.

    Sources: Treasury QAI sanctions release

  5. BIS Entity List addition

    The U.S. Commerce Department added Qods Aviation Industry to the Entity List with aliases including Qods Aviation Industries, Qods Air Industries, Ghods Aviation Industries, and Qods Aeronautics Industries.

    Sources: Federal Register Entity List rule

Website links
Iran Watch profileOFAC sanctions recordUN Security Council narrative summary

No verified current official company website was found during this pass. Because QAI is sanctioned, uses multiple aliases, and has reportedly changed its trade name, this profile uses the Iran Watch entity page in the website field as a stable public reference rather than an official corporate site. HeadquartersLocation is omitted because the available sources provide Tehran addresses but not independently verified map coordinates.

Manufacturer Sources

  • Iran Watch QAI profilePublisher: Iran Watch / Wisconsin Project on Nuclear Arms Control | Note: Supports QAI aliases, Tehran address, reported 1985 establishment, IAIO/MODAFL relationship, trade-name change, sanctions context, and reported UAV product history. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
  • Treasury QAI sanctions releasePublisher: U.S. Department of the Treasury | Note: Supports QAI's role as an Iranian UAV design and production organization overseen by MODAFL, plus the Light Airplanes Design and Manufacturing Industries alias. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
  • Treasury Iran-Venezuela weapons tradePublisher: U.S. Department of the Treasury | Note: Supports QAI's Mohajer-series exports to Venezuela and identifies the Mohajer-6 as a QAI-manufactured combat UAV with ISR capabilities. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
  • Federal Register Entity List rulePublisher: Federal Register / Bureau of Industry and Security | Note: Supports Qods Aviation Industry aliases, Tehran addresses, and U.S. Entity List context for Iranian UAV producers transferred to Russia. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
  • OFAC Qods Aviation Industries recordPublisher: U.S. Department of the Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control | Note: Supports QAI's SDN listing, national identification and registration numbers, aliases, Tehran addresses, and MODAFL linkage. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
  • UN Security Council Qods narrativePublisher: United Nations Security Council | Note: Supports Qods Aeronautics Industries as an alias/listed entity and documents production of UAVs, parachutes, paragliders, and para-motors. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
  • Wikimedia Commons Mohajer-6 imagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance and licensing page for a Mohajer-6 photograph attributed to Erfan Kouchari / Tasnim News Agency under CC BY 4.0; the image shows the cataloged QAI-associated Mohajer-6 system. | Accessed: 2026-06-21

Produced weapons

Category

Aircraft & UAVs

Crewed aircraft, drones, and loitering munitions.

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Mohajer-6, Armed intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance UAV, Aircraft & UAVs2014 Russia-Ukraine War, 2020 Tigray War +2 moreMohajer-6Armed intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance UAVBuilt in: IranThe Mohajer-6 is an Iranian armed ISTAR UAV built by Qods Aviation Industries for surveillance, targeting, and light precision-strike missions. It has been documented in Russian service in Ukraine, Ethiopian government use during the 2020 Tigray War, Sudanese Armed Forces use in Sudan, and Iranian cross-border strikes against Kurdish opposition targets in Iraq.