Shahid Bagheri drone carrier

Iran's first dedicated drone carrier — a converted Panamax container ship fitted with an angled flight deck, aviation facilities and missile armament for forward operations by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy.

Overview

IRIS Shahid Bagheri, also called Shahid Bahman Bagheri and bearing pennant C-110-4, was a drone and helicopter carrier operated by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGCN). Iran converted the 2000-built Panamax container ship Perarin into an aviation-capable forward base with an angled flight deck, ski-jump ramp, hangars and facilities for drones, helicopters, missiles and small craft. It entered IRGCN service at Bandar Abbas on 6 February 2025, according to Naval News and Al-Monitor.

The conversion represented an effort to move Iranian uncrewed-aircraft operations beyond fixed bases and coastal waters without the cost or industrial demands of a purpose-built aircraft carrier. Iranian officials attributed a range of approximately 22,000 nautical miles, or about 41,000 km, and endurance of as much as one year without refuelling to the ship, although those claims were not independently demonstrated under operational load. The embarked air group was likewise not publicly established: several drone and helicopter types appeared at the commissioning ceremony, but open sources did not confirm which aircraft routinely deployed at sea.

US Central Command struck Shahid Bagheri shortly after Operation Epic Fury began on 28 February 2026. Subsequent imagery showed impacts and fires aboard, but the extent of the damage and the ship's final disposition remain unconfirmed. Although some accounts list the vessel as sunk, the available official reporting does not establish whether it remained afloat, was salvaged or was lost.

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