Arash-2

The "bigger brother" of the Shahed-136 — Iran's large, long-range one-way attack drone, unveiled in 2022 with the explicit boast that it was designed to strike Tel Aviv and Haifa. Built for deep strategic strike and anti-radar work, it is real and fielded; US forces have publicly destroyed one. As ever with Iranian systems, the headline numbers are state claims.

Overview

The Arash-2 (آرش-۲) is Iran's large delta-wing long-range loitering munition — a roughly 4.5 m piston-engined, rocket-boosted (RATO-launched) one-way attack drone built for deep strategic strike and, Iran claims, suppression of enemy air defenses (anti-radar/SEAD). It is widely described as the Shahed-136's bigger brother: longer-ranged, with a far larger warhead. Two corrections up front, because the public record is muddled: its maker is the Defense Industries Organization (DIO), within Iran's MODAFL — not HESA or Qods (HESA builds the Shahed) — and it is an upgraded Kian-2 (the Kian's turbojet swapped for a piston engine). It must also not be confused with the "Arash-e Kamangir," a separate Iranian air-defense system. For BattlePolicy it sits in the Iran watch as a strategic-strike drone — and a case study in separating Iranian claims from verified fact.

🔒 The full Arash-2 file is for BattlePolicy Pro members. Below the line: development history, design and capabilities, variants, the combat record, advantages and limitations, comparable systems, outlook, the full specifications table, our sourcing, and the analyst assessment — procurement, suppliers and the BattlePolicy verdict. Unlock the full file with BattlePolicy Pro →