From AI-powered missiles - to drone swarms,
how Iran is reshaping its aerospace sector
with artificial intelligence
August 15, 12:11pm
by Yousef Ramazani
(PressTV)
Artificial intelligence has become an increasingly important
component of Iran’s aerospace industry... where domestic
experts and technologists have developed and localized
technologies that integrate machine learning, image
processing, and autonomous systems into
applications ranging from satellite
observation and coordinated
drone flights to advanced
missile guidance.. and
integrated air-defense
command and control.
It comes as the world stands on the threshold of a new
technological revolution in which artificial intelligence
is no longer a peripheral tool but increasingly
functions as the intelligent core of both
defense and commercial systems.
The integration of artificial intelligence into modern industries
is reshaping traditional concepts of technological power,
enhancing the deterrence, operational efficiency, and
autonomous capabilities of states.
Iranian technologists and researchers... recognizing the rapidly
changing global technological landscape ----- have focused on
combining artificial intelligence with aerospace technologies
and developing domestic capabilities in advanced machine
learning, computer vision, & image-processing algorithms.
Achievements include defense systems designed to analyze threats
and support rapid decision-making, as well as coordinated drone
systems capable of operating collectively and autonomously.
The integration of artificial intelligence with aerospace technologies
is no longer confined to the military sphere. It is also emerging as a
driver of transformation across strategic and commercial sectors,
from satellite-data analysis and precision agriculture to
navigation, environmental monitoring, and
defense systems.
Iran has...... increasingly moved beyond the experimental and
conceptual stages toward the practical deployment of these
technologies. Artificial intelligence is consequently playing
a growing role in improving productivity, operational
accuracy, technological self-reliance, and the
country’s broader aerospace capabilities.
Integrated command - and control: Great
Prophet and Payambar-e Azam systems
One of the most important applications of intelligent computing
in aerospace and air defense is command and control. An air-
defense network -- must process information from multiple
sources, including surveillance radars, passive sensors,
electro-optical systems, and observation posts.
Each sensor provides only a partial view of the environment,
while differing in accuracy, update rates, coverage, and
technical limitations.
The purpose of an integrated command-and-control system is
to transform these disparate observations into a common
operational picture, enabling commanders to assess
threats and make informed decisions rapidly.
Iran’s Payambar-e Azam integrated air-defense command-and-
control system, together with tactical systems such as
Fakour, represents an indigenous software and
communications architecture designed to
connect sensors, command centres,
and defensive units.
Descriptions of the system include capabilities such as target
tracking, threat assessment, decision support for missile
systems, weapon allocation, and the prediction of
potential enemy movements.
The system is intended to provide commanders with a
consolidated picture of the battlefield, allowing them
to evaluate incoming information and make
operational decisions.
According to insiders... Payambar-e Azam incorporates artificial
intelligence to support target tracking & prediction, accelerate
decision-making & process & integrate large volumes of data
received from multiple sources. These capabilities are
intended to facilitate complex analysis, identify
potential threats, and improve the overall
efficiency of air-defense operations.
A modern air-defense command-and-control system, does not
necessarily “think”, like a human. Instead, its computational
functions typically include many interconnected processes.
Sensor fusion combines radar, electro-optical, signals-intelligence,
and other observations ....to create a more complete picture of
individual objects. Track management estimates the location,
speed, and trajectory of aircraft, missiles, or UAVs and
predicts their likely future positions.
Classification helps distinguish different types of objects based
on their observed characteristics, while threat assessment
determines which tracks require the greatest attention.
Resource management then helps match available
defensive systems and weapons.... to the
identified threats.
Finally, the human-machine interface presents the processed
information to commanders and operators, allowing human
decision-makers to interpret the overall situation and
determine an appropriate response.
Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy
says the sophisticated homegrown drones operated by his elite
force have launched missiles featuring artificial intelligence
(AI) capabilities during a major naval drill underway in the
Persian Gulf.
Sahm: Applying machine learning
to satellite imagery
The Sahm intelligent satellite-observation system, developed by the
Iranian company Tiznegar, represents one of the more documented
applications of artificial intelligence in Iran’s aerospace sector.
The system ----- consists of two main components. The first is a
satellite-image processing engine. Since 2019, the company’s
research and development team has been designing and
developing multispectral satellite-image processing
algorithms in Python ---- to detect and analyze
environmental phenomena.
The algorithms and mathematical models are developed using
ground-based data, as well as larger-scale maps and reports.
These datasets provide reference material for algorithm
testing and validation, as well as for machine-
learning training.
The basic principle behind Sahm is relatively straightforward.
Earth-observation satellites ---- record reflected or emitted
electromagnetic radiation across several spectral bands.
Vegetation, water, soil, buildings, smoke, and other
materials interact differently with different wave-
lengths. Computers can therefore analyze these
spectral differences --- to identify land-cover
types and detect environmental changes.
Machine learning can further improve this process - by training
algorithms on examples for which the correct classification is
already known. Ground observations, cadastral information,
and previously interpreted satellite imagery can serve as
training and validation data.
Once trained, a model can classify new satellite images, and
generate geographic layers identifying phenomena such as
agricultural land, vegetation stress, water bodies, fires,
and other environmental changes.
For example, an algorithm designed to identify cultivated areas can
use data collected through land surveys and cadastral records, to
establish quantitative criteria for evaluating & analyzing satellite
imagery. Once the image-processing algorithm produces its
results, the information can be linked to descriptive
databases and converted into location-
specific reports.
The second component is a Web GIS platform. This platform
creates and maintains databases containing spatial and
descriptive information generated from the satellite-
image processing algorithms.... allowing the
results to be analyzed, reported, and
displayed geographically.
Sahm is therefore more than a conventional image-processing
program. Its architecture combines an image-processing
engine with a GIS environment --- enabling processed
satellite imagery - to be connected with geographic
and descriptive databases and presented through
maps, analytical outputs, and reports.
Descriptions of the system ....have identified applications in
agriculture, flood monitoring, fire detection, water-resource
management, & the monitoring of atmospheric pollutants.
The system illustrates how artificial intelligence can transform
satellite imagery from raw visual data into structured
geographic information ......for environmental
monitoring and resource management.
Coordinated drone flights:
Swarm intelligence in the sky
Another major area of development is coordinated multi-UAV flight,
in which multiple drones operate simultaneously under a shared
control and planning system.
According to insider accounts, a domestic technology company
--- after obtaining the necessary permits from the Civil Aviation
Organization and other relevant authorities --- developed
localized technologies for intelligent flight systems
and the collective control of drones.
The system was demonstrated for the first time, in Qazvin Province,
where dozens of drones performed coordinated flights, formations,
& aerial displays using a locally developed planning system. The
demonstration required precise synchronization between the
aircraft, as well as advanced navigation, communication,
and flight-management technologies.
Coordinating a group of drones is considerably more complex than
programming a single UAV to follow a predetermined route. Each
aircraft -- must continuously maintain its own position, altitude,
speed, and orientation while also maintaining an appropriate
relationship with the other vehicles in the formation.
A functional multi-UAV system therefore involves several
interconnected capabilities. Localization allows each
aircraft to determine its position; communication
enables drones to exchange information about
their status and surroundings; and formation
control determines their relative positions.
Collision avoidance maintains safe separation, while trajectory
planning establishes appropriate flight paths. Synchronization
ensures that coordinated maneuvers occur within the
required timing tolerances, while fault handling
allows the formation to respond to problems
such as a lost aircraft or communications
interruption.
During the Qazvin demonstration, drones equipped with autonomous
flight algorithms & advanced communications systems performed
synchronized flights, coordinated formation changes, geometric
patterns, and planned individual and group maneuvers.
The underlying technology ...draws on concepts such as swarm
intelligence and multi-agent control, in which individual aircraft
follow distributed rules while coordinating their behaviour with
other members of the group. Artificial intelligence can support
this process ---- by helping to automate the coordination,
synchronization, and adaptation of multiple aircraft.
The same fundamental technology has potential civilian
applications, including synchronized aerial displays,
infrastructure inspection, surveying, search and
rescue, disaster response, and environmental
monitoring.
The significance of multi-UAV technology therefore extends
beyond simply enabling many drones to fly together. The
more important transition is to distributed autonomy:
a system in which multiple aircraft can coordinate
their behaviour while continuously responding to
information from their own sensors... and from
the wider network.
Qassem Basir: Advanced missile
guidance with AI-assisted targeting
The Qassem Basir missile, capable of reaching targets more than
1,200 kilometres away, represents one of Iran’s most significant
recent developments in missile technology.
Iran publicly unveiled the solid-fuel ballistic missile, in May
2025, with officials describing improvements in guidance,
maneuverability, and its ability to operate .....without
reliance on GPS.
The missile was tested on April 17, 2025. Iranian officials say
..that it can distinguish a designated target among multiple
objects and achieve accuracy at approximately the one
metre level.
The missile incorporates an advanced electro-optical or imaging
seeker ---- designed to support target recognition and terminal
guidance. Such a system can provide the missile with visual
information about its surroundings during the final stage
of flight, supplementing its internal navigation system.
Expert descriptions have associated artificial intelligence with two
principal functions. The first is navigation, which means machine-
learning techniques could potentially be used to analyze
sensor data, compensate for navigation errors, and
improve estimates of the missile’s position and
trajectory ....under changing conditions.
The 2nd is machine vision, in which image-processing algorithms
can assist an electro-optical seeker in identifying and tracking
a designated object.. during the terminal phase.
The use of electro-optical terminal guidance is technologically
significant as imaging sensors provide information about the
target environment that differs fundamentally from the
data available through inertial navigation alone.
This can allow a guidance system... to update its understanding
of the target during the final phase of flight, without depending
exclusively on satellite-based positioning.
The missile is designed to operate in environments involving
electronic countermeasures and has been successfully
tested under demanding conditions.
AI-assisted aerial mapping:
intelligent reconnaissance UAV
Another example of AI integration in Iranian aerospace is
an unmanned aerial vehicle capable of being remotely
controlled and used to perform mapping operations
and identify specific objects in images in most
fields, including construction, agriculture,
and other applications.
The UAV is equipped with machine vision, including an
imaging camera as well as image processing and
machine learning online at the ground station.
In the field of agriculture, it can be used to identify plant
species, the colour of plants and tree leaves, and
identify images in the form of textures...... at
high altitudes.
In addition to high accuracy and speed, this drone provides
the ability to pass through dangerous and difficult-to-pass
areas at any time interval and enables the use of non-
metric cameras instead of metric cameras, which is
a particularly interesting technical feature.
The system consists of three hardware parts: navigation, data
acquisition, and ground station, as well as a software part.
The UAV software includes navigation control, flight
planning, preparation and processing of images
received from the ground, and the analysis of
image content by artificial intelligence.
In this reconnaissance UAV, artificial intelligence plays a central
role in machine vision and automatic image analysis. The UAV
system uses machine learning algorithms to process image
data in real time at the ground station to automatically
identify objects, patterns, or specific features such
as plant type, leaf colour, or ground texture.
This technology enables the drone to make intelligent decisions
about flight paths or important points for mapping, providing
precise spatial and image data ---- without the need for
direct human control.
If - the machine-learning processing occurs at the ground station,
the system is better described as an AI-assisted aerial mapping
platform rather than an entirely autonomous AI aircraft, which
is actually more interesting because it illustrates a practical
architecture: airborne sensing, communications, ground-
based computing, machine learning, and GIS.
Broader significance of Iran's
aerospace AI developments
Taken together, these examples demonstrate something more
significant than Iran’s growing use of artificial intelligence.
They point to the emergence of a broader technological
architecture in which sensors, communications net-
works, computing systems, and automated
decision-support tools... are becoming
increasingly interconnected.
Satellite imagery -- can be transformed into geographic intelligence
through machine learning, while UAVs can use computer vision to
convert aerial photographs into maps and analytical information.
Multiple drones can coordinate their movements through
distributed control systems, and air-defense networks
can integrate information from numerous sensors
into a common operational picture. Advanced
missiles can, likewise, combine inertial
navigation ......with electro-optical
sensing & terminal guidance.
The significance of these developments lies less in the idea
that Iran has created autonomous machines capable of
replacing human judgment and more... in the gradual
integration of artificial intelligence..... into sensing,
interpretation, coordination, & decision support.
The localization of satellite-image processing technologies through
systems such as Sahm, together with the practical demonstration
of coordinated drone flights, illustrates how domestic research
and engineering capabilities can be used to develop
specialized technologies and reduce reliance
on foreign systems.
Artificial intelligence is consequently becoming an increasingly
important strategic technology for Iran’s aerospace sector. Its
applications extend from monitoring the Earth and managing
natural resources to navigation, autonomous systems, and
air defense, reflecting a broader global shift toward the
integration of intelligent computing...... with aero-
space technologies.
____________________________________________
Israeli forces detain Palestinian newlywed
couple, storm wedding hall in West Bank
August 15, 10:30am
(PressTV)
Israeli forces have detained a Palestinian newlywed couple and
raided a wedding hall amid rising tensions in the occupied
West Bank and East al-Quds, where settlement activity
remains at persistently high levels and extremist
settlers continue to besiege homes and
restrict residents’ movement.
On Friday, Israel’s so-called security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir
published a post on the social media platform X after Israeli
forces arrested the bride and groom for allegedly causing
“traffic jams” ....during their wedding celebrations in the
Negev region of the 1948-occupied Palestinian lands.
The newlywed couple --- was taken by Israeli police for
interrogation while still wearing their wedding clothes.
Separately, Israeli troops raided a wedding hall at al-Eizariya
town in the central part of the West Bank, and assaulted
Palestinians inside.
The developments come amid a days-long Israeli settler siege of
Palestinian homes in the occupied West Bank village of Qusra.
On Friday, Palestinian, foreign, and Israeli activists - reached the
three Palestinian homes that extremist settlers have besieged
for five days in the Ras al-Ain area of Qusra.
The Israeli military barred the activists from entering the
residences, saying that the area was classified as a
“closed military zone.” However, they were able to
distribute food, water, and basic necessities to
the inhabitants.
Since Sunday, Israeli settlers have surrounded three families
by blocking the roads that lead to their residences, thereby
restricting their ability to enter or exit.
This has raised concerns that they may be compelled to vacate
their homes and that their properties could be confiscated.
The Israeli military has deployed hundreds of soldiers to Qusra
in recent days under the pretext of dismantling a settlement
outpost established by settlers near the town.
In recent months, the Ras al-Ain region has experienced multiple
attempts by settlers to create a settlement outpost and
(mis)appropriate Palestinian land and residences.
Palestinian authorities have cautioned that the siege
may serve as a mechanism to displace inhabitants
and seize their properties.
________________________________________________
US Navy scrambles to deploy replacement
to relieve USS Lincoln aircraft carrier:
Report
August 15, 9:13am
(PressTV)
The United States Navy has reportedly scrambled to deploy a
replacement ..to relieve the personnel aboard the embattled
USS Lincoln aircraft carrier, which is facing dire conditions
due to an extended deployment.
MS NOW reported on Friday that the George Washington Carrier
Strike Group, currently near Malaysia, is sailing to West Asia
to replace the Lincoln.
USS George Washington, USS Robert Smalls and USS Shoup, are
passing through the Strait of Malacca after making a westbound
transit through the Singapore Strait, a Navy official confirmed...
to USNI News.
The George Washington Carrier Strike Group will reportedly
replace the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group in the
Arabian Sea ............in about eight days.
Senators demand investigation into 'alarming'
conditions aboard USS Abraham Lincoln
Family members of the 5,000 sailors and Marines aboard the
Lincoln ---- clashed with the US Navy leadership over the
difficult conditions ---- demanding to know when
the deployment would end.
The Lincoln, on which the personnel are said to be in dire
conditions due to food and supply shortages and
multiple other issues causing complaints on
board the ship, has been in the Arabian
Sea since January.
It has set a Navy record of 241 consecutive days at sea,
breaking the 206-day-at-sea record set by USS Dwight
D. Eisenhower in 2020 ..in the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Lincoln’s deployment was scheduled to end in May;
however, the mission was extended --- as the Trump
regime remains embroiled in an illegal war on Iran.
Sailors and Marines aboard the Lincoln have complained
that they were told that Trump's war on Iran would be
very short, lasting only "a few weeks."
In a post on X on Wednesday, Senator Ruben Gallego cited
the dire conditions aboard the Lincoln. "The way Donald
Trump is treating our service members -- as he carries
out this continued deployment is not just disgusting,
it's dangerous."
Family members of sailors aboard the Lincoln have expressed
concern about their mental health deteriorating --- due to the
conditions, with some sailors having reportedly attempted
to jump overboard. While the US Navy has acknowledged
supply challenges, it has denied that a mental health
crisis was taking place on the Lincoln, which has
5,000 aboard.
_________________________________________
IRGC chief: Iran brought world’s
most heavily armed military
to its knees
August 15, 6:48am
(PressTV)
The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC)’s chief commander
says that the country has brought “the most heavily armed
military in the history of the world to its knees” through
successful offensive and defensive operations
conducted under intense fire.
In a message on Saturday thanking the forces for six months of
“unprecedented jihad,” Major General Ahmad Vahidi said their
performance against “the most bloodthirsty enemies of
humanity” had captivated the world and revived hope
among the oppressed.... for ultimately overcoming
global powers.
“You, relying on Almighty God and fighting victoriously under
extremely difficult conditions—from the scorching heat and
heavy humidity of the southern islands and coasts to the
freezing temperatures of the towering border mountains
in the north—brought the most heavily armed army in
the history of the world to its knees through
successful offensive and defensive
operations under heavy fire,”
he said.
Vahidi also praised the forces for acts of sacrifice inspired by the
Prophet Muhammad’s family, saying they had recreated, in new
forms, the “glorious epics” of the eight-year war imposed by
the Iraqi Ba’athist regime on Iran and revived memories
of the historic battles of Badr and Khaybar.
He added that --- through innovative battlefield management under
the leadership of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah
Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei, and with divine assistance, the
forces had opened new avenues for resistance among
oppressed people worldwide, while their ability to
impose their will on the enemy was presented
as evidence that an Islamic order could
ultimately prevail ...globally.
Vahidi also praised the Iranian people for their continued presence
and support, saying that the world would soon be more prepared
than ever for “the rising sun of divine leadership.”
He concluded by expressing hope that the suffering of oppressed
and resilient people across the region, particularly in Palestine
and Lebanon, would soon come to an end.
The United States and the Israeli regime launched their illegal war
of aggression against Iran on February 28. Yet only forty days
later, on April 8, the aggressors were forced to accept a
ceasefire in the face of Iran’s determined resistance
and highly effective retaliatory operations.
Observers note that Iran’s impressive performance in defending
itself and striking back has earned the Islamic Republic
widespread international respect.