The unmanned aircraft system (UAS) base on the Iranian island of Qeshm has undergone significant development in recent years, as revealed by DigitalGlobe satellite imagery.
Located in an ideal position to monitor shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, the airfield may support the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps Navy base less than 2 km to the northeast. Several fast attack boats are based at this facility, which also has a covered docking area that some analysts believe is a hardened shelter for Iran’s midget submarines.
The development of the airfield was underway by March 2011, when work to extend the runway by 800 m could be seen. This was completed in 2012 and the runway is now over 1,600 m long.
According to Janes, while this could indicate an intention to operate larger UAS such as the Shahed 129 that was unveiled last year, the aircraft seen at the base in satellite imagery taken on 7 March is around 5 m in length: not much larger than the rail-launched Mohajer series that has been in Iranian service for many years.
Two new hangars were constructed at the same time, suggesting more aircraft are now based at the airfield. A new building with a communications antenna at the western end of the airfield could be a ground-control facility.
There is also a new paved area where a mobile air-surveillance radar can be seen parked in recent satellite imagery. This probably provides information that helps UAS operators avoid collisions with civilian airliners using the nearby Qeshm International Airport.
It could also be used to monitor foreign military aircraft that might be a threat to the UAS and possibly guide ones armed with air-to-air missiles towards targets. Earlier this year, Iran displayed UAS carrying missiles taken from a man-portable air-defence system, giving them a short-range air-to-air capability.
Source: iHLS