Qaem is an Iranian air-delivered guided bomb family for lightweight precision strike from UAVs and other aircraft. Open-source reporting links Qaem-series bombs to Mohajer-6 and Ababil-5 carriage, describes Qaem-1, Qaem-5, and Qaem-9 size classes, and documents a Qaem-5 loadout on a Russian Mohajer-6 that crashed near Ukraine in May 2024.
Ukraine-war reporting documented Qaem-5 bombs with Russian-operated Mohajer-6 UAVs, including a largely intact aircraft recovered by Ukraine in 2022 and another Mohajer-6 that crashed in Russia's Kursk region in May 2024. Public sources support carriage and fielding in the war, but do not confirm a successful Qaem bomb release.
Role detailsQaem-series air-delivered bombs are reported in several size classes, and public sources also use Ghaem transliterations for the same family. The family should be read as a small guided-glide munition line rather than a single fixed bomb body.
Iran Press lists TV, thermal/IR, laser, and combined optical-laser seeker options across Qaem-1, Qaem-5, and Qaem-9 reporting.
Published ranges are tied to release altitude: Qaem-1 and Qaem-5 are generally reported in the 12-20 km class, while larger or higher-altitude Qaem-9 reporting reaches about 40 km.
Open-source descriptions include fragmentation, incendiary, direct-impact, penetrating or thermobaric effects depending on variant and source wording.
Qaem-series designations are reported as a family of small glide bombs that share seeker options but differ by size, warhead class, and carrier fit.
| Variant | Configuration | Designation notes |
|---|---|---|
| Qaem-1 | Light UAV glide bomb | Iran Press describes Qaem-1 as the smaller family member, with 90 cm length, 12.5 cm diameter, 12.5 kg total weight, a 1.5 kg warhead, and TV, IR, laser, or combined seeker options. Sources: Iran Press Qaem bomb article, ISWNews Qaem smart bombs |
| Qaem-5 | Medium UAV glide bomb | Iran Press lists Qaem-5 at 108 cm length, 15.2 cm diameter, 20 kg total weight, an 8.5 kg warhead, and 12-20 km range depending on release altitude; Ukraine-war reporting identified this variant on a crashed Mohajer-6. Sources: Iran Press Qaem bomb article, ISWNews Qaem smart bombs, Kyiv Post Russia uses drones carrying newest Iranian glide bombs |
| Qaem-9 | Larger glide bomb class | Iran Press and ISWNews report a 15.2 cm diameter, about 30 kg total weight, 8-15 kg warhead class, and 20-40 km range depending on release altitude, while noting limited public imagery of installed Qaem-9 bombs. Sources: Iran Press Qaem bomb article, ISWNews Qaem smart bombs |
Open-source reporting identifies Qaem-series bombs as carried stores for Iranian unmanned aircraft rather than standalone launch systems.
| Carrier | Carrier type | Carriage evidence |
|---|---|---|
 | Unmanned combat aerial vehicle | ISWNews reports Ababil-5 observed with Qaem glide bombs and states that the UAV can carry six Ghaem-1 bombs or four Ghaem-5 bombs; Iran Press later reported Qaem launches from Ababil-5 during an Iranian exercise. Sources: ISWNews Ababil-5 reconnaissance combat drone, Iran Press Prophet Muhammad exercise report |
 | Unmanned combat aerial vehicle | Mehr reported the Mohajer-6 production-line ceremony alongside the Qaem smart guided bomb and said the UAV was armed with Qaem smart guided bombs; later Ukraine-war reporting identified a Mohajer-6 loadout with Qaem-5 bombs. Sources: Mehr News Mohajer 6 Qaem production, Kyiv Post Russia uses drones carrying newest Iranian glide bombs |
Mehr reported that Iran's Defense Ministry inaugurated mass production of the Mohajer-6 UCAV and Qaem smart guided bomb during the same ceremony.
Sources: Mehr News Mohajer 6 Qaem production
Iran Press reported that Qaem-5 and Qaem-9 smart bombs were unveiled in Tehran in August 2019, adding larger members to the family after the Qaem-1 appeared with Mohajer-6.
Sources: Iran Press Qaem bomb article
Kyiv Post and Army Recognition reported that a Russian-operated Mohajer-6 crashed in Kursk Oblast carrying Qaem-5 guided bombs, reinforcing a Russia-Ukraine War context that Defense Express had also documented through a 2022 recovered Mohajer-6 and Qaem-5.
Sources: Defense Express Mohajer-6 and Qaem-5 recovery, Kyiv Post Russia uses drones carrying newest Iranian glide bombs, Army Recognition Mohajer-6 crashes near Kursk
