Aircraft & UAVs

Ababil-3 UAV

The Ababil-3 is an Iranian fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle in the Ababil family, typically described as a dedicated surveillance and reconnaissance platform. Open sources place it in HESA's Ababil-series production and show it as a carrier for the Almas air-to-ground missile.

Ababil-3 UAV, Unmanned aerial vehicle, Aircraft & UAVs

Image source: Wikimedia Commons Ababil-3 in flight

Profile

Origin: Iran
Built by: Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industrial Company (HESA)
Type: Unmanned aerial vehicle
Service note: 2008-present
Produced: By 2008-present

UAV reconnaissance surveillance

Specifications

Role: Dedicated surveillance and reconnaissance UAV
Top speed: About 200 km/h
Range: About 100 km round trip
Endurance: About 4 hours
Service ceiling: About 5,000 m

Service And Conflict Use

Service History

In service: In Iranian service as a surveillance UAV; open-source references also connect the type to Syrian use and to an air-launched Almas compatibility claim.
Used by: Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps

Carried Munitions

Open-source imagery and captions identify the Ababil-3 as a UAV that can carry the Almas air-to-ground missile.

Launched item

Item type

Launch evidence

Almas anti-tank guided missile

Air-to-ground anti-tank missile

A Wikimedia Commons caption identifies Almas as an air-to-ground anti-tank missile for Ababil-3 UAVs.

Sources: Wikimedia Commons Almas guided missile

Ababil-3 UAV Images

Ababil-3 UAV, Unmanned aerial vehicle, Aircraft & UAVs - view 1 — Source: Wikimedia Commons Ababil-3 in flight

Ababil-3 UAV, Unmanned aerial vehicle, Aircraft & UAVs - view 2 — Source: Wikimedia Commons Ababil-3 UAV

Ababil-3 UAV, Unmanned aerial vehicle, Aircraft & UAVs - view 3 — Source: Wikimedia Commons Almas guided missile

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Sources

Treasury Iran UAV procurement networkPublisher: U.S. Department of the Treasury | Note: Supports HESA as a state-owned MODAFL subsidiary that manufactures Iran's military aircraft and Ababil-series UAVs. | Accessed: 2026-06-23 Military Factory Ababil-3Publisher: Military Factory | Note: Supports the Ababil-3 type, ISR role, production timing, and basic performance figures. | Accessed: 2026-06-23 Wikimedia Commons Ababil-3 in flightPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance for the Ababil-3 in-flight image used as the primary image. | Accessed: 2026-06-23 Wikimedia Commons Ababil-3 UAVPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance for the Ababil-3 UAV gallery image. | Accessed: 2026-06-23 Wikimedia Commons Almas guided missilePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance for the Almas missile image used in the gallery and for the Ababil-3 compatibility caption. | Accessed: 2026-06-23