
Iran New Drone Fleet: Homa, Dideban & Shahin‑1

Iran’s Secretive Yet Powerful VTOL Drone Trio: Homa, Dideban & Shahin‑1
Iran recently introduced three homegrown drones—Homa, Dideban and Shahin‑1. Here’s an in-depth description of the intelligent machine made by Iranian Military.
🔹 1. Homa – The Eagle-Eyed Hybrid Recon Drone
What You Didn’t Know
- Hybrid VTOL architecture: Combines quad-rotor vertical takeoff with fixed-wing cruise—uncommon in small tactical drones.
- Night-vision & EW-resistant: Reports highlight its ability to operate in electronic warfare environments, hinting at anti-jamming tech .
- Serious endurance: 10–12 hours flight time, 100 km radius, max ceiling 3,600 m—features rivaling some Western systems.
Specs Snapshot
- Wingspan: 5.54 m; empty weight: 120 kg; payload: 40 kg; MTOW: 260 kg
- Max speed: ~200 km/h; ceiling: 3,600 m; endurance: 10–12 h en.mehrnews.com+1presstv.ir+1.
Why It Matters
This is no lightweight locust—it’s a heavyweight surveillance platform capable of long loiter times, outmatching most hybrid VTOL recon drones at its size.

- 🔹 2. Dideban (“Watchdog”) – The Swarming Tactical Scout
Under-the-Radar Facts
- Swarm-capable: Designed to operate in packs for multi-target scouting—an advanced tactic for mid-tier drones.
- Portable & day/night ready: Light enough for infantry deployment, yet built with dual camera systems for 24/7 operations .
- Altitude optimized: Operates around 6,000 ft (1,800 m), ideal for battlefield coordination and fire direction.
Why It Matters
A lightweight swarm drone with night vision and battlefield-level altitude? That’s a tactical asset usually reserved for cutting-edge militaries—and now home-grown.

- 🔹 3. Shahin‑1 (“Falcon-1”) – Iran’s FPV Kamikaze Drone
What’s Under the Radar
- FPV-guided warhead: A fast, first-person-view loitering munition—extremely precise with human-in-the-loop targeting tehrantimes.com+4presstv.ir+4presstv.ir+4tehrantimes.com.
- Jack-of-all-altitude: Designed to attack both ground and aerial targets across varying battlefield heights .
- Future-ready concept: Brainchild of Iran’s “asymmetric warfare” doctrine—light suicide drones with surgical strike potential.
Why It Matters
Precision FPV drones such as Shahin‑1 bridge cheap swarm munitions and expensive guided missiles—allowing focused strikes with minimal collateral impact.

- ⚙️ Common Features: What Iran Really Showed
- Fully VTOL – No runway needed; deployable from stealthy locations—mountains, seas, or urban rooftops.
- Fixed-wing switch – Most can transition to forward flight, boosting endurance and range.
- Night & EW ready – At least two nocturnal-capable types and electronic warfare resilience hint at robust ops.
- Mass production push – Iran emphasized “self-sufficiency,” indicating plans for large-scale deployment.
🌐 Strategic Impact: Beyond What’s Public
- Naval ambitions: Ships like the Shahid Bagheri drone carrier have flown Homa variants at sea—part of a broader naval ambitions.
- Ground-force transformation: With Dideban providing real-time battlefield data, Iranian artillery gains a drone-guided razor edge.
- Precision asymmetry: Shahin‑1 showcases a pivot from area saturation towards pinpoint drone strikes with operator guidance.
🎯 Final Takeaway
What may seem like incremental developments are part of a strategic pivot. Iran’s newly showcased VTOL drones are:
- Built for real-world deployment—no fancy prototypes, but mass-ready platforms.
- Enhanced with hybrid tech—blending VTOL and fixed wing for endurance.
- Tuned for today’s battlefield—swarming scouts, night-time recon, guided kamikazes, with electronic counter-countermeasures
Iran isn’t just showing off drones—it’s signaling a new era of autonomous, precision, and mass-produced unmanned force multipliers.
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