Scope and evidence
This audit covers the original research register for Middle East defence drone coverage audit. The review below records work completed on 21 September 2026. Resolved means the named research task was addressed, not that every national programme or undisclosed capability is catalogued. Partially resolved topics now have published evidence but retain a narrower question.
Israel — Partially resolved
Orbiter family / Aerostar / Dominator / Skylark I and original Skylark 3. Added thirteen model/family records across Aeronautics, Elbit and Rafael, including current brochures and 2026 developments. Remaining work is a complete named customer/variant register, legacy Skylark I baselines, Orbiter 1K/2 LM identity mapping and acceptance of newer maritime concepts.
Türkiye — Partially resolved
STM TOGAN / STM ALPAGUT and later ALPAGU derivatives / Other domestic tactical and VTOL manufacturers. Added TOGAN, TOGAN-M, ALPAGUT, ALPAGU-B, TURUL, STM KUZGUN and TUNGA-X with separate configurations and 2026 announcements. Remaining work is named acceptance for new products, corrected KUZGUN/TUNGA-X figures and additional smaller Turkish manufacturers.
United Arab Emirates — Partially resolved
JENIAH / SHADOW 25 / 50 / HUNTER family. Added nine UAE programme and family profiles, separating supplier baselines, contracts and concepts. Remaining work is variant-level QX technical evidence and dated acceptance or full-scale test evidence for JENIAH, SINYAR and OMEN.
Saudi Arabia — Partially resolved
Current locally developed and licensed-production programmes. Reviewed 21 September 2026. Added SkyGuard from the GAMI/SAMI contract and a dated PSDSARC interview, plus a separately qualified Samoom development profile. Original exhibition reporting identifies Samoom; Akaer's own statement supports industrial development but leaves the model unnamed. First-flight forecasts were not converted into events.
Egypt — Partially resolved
AOI aircraft programmes and locally assembled systems. Reviewed 21 September 2026. Added NUT with its conflicting 2021/2023 official payload figures retained, and HAMZA-1 with HAVELSAN's 9 September 2026 commercial-agreement announcement. No confirmed deliveries are inferred. Other HAMZA numbers were not treated automatically as variants, and exhibition targets were not relabelled as attack aircraft on appearance alone.
Iran — Partially resolved
Shahed-129 / Shahed-131 / 238 / Ababil family. Added eleven distinct programme/family records: Shahed-129, Shahed-131/Geran-1, Shahed-238, Ababil-2 and Ababil-3, Mohajer-2/2N, Mohajer-4, Mohajer-10, Karrar, Fotros and the Saeqeh/IRN-170 flying-wing family. Primary government references, an archived Qods product catalogue and directly reported official ceremonies establish identity; announcement and current-service claims remain separated.
Open research register
These are editorial research tasks, not confirmed capabilities. Remove or revise each row when the evidence has been published.
Israel · Air · High priority
Israeli legacy variants, customer register and new-concept acceptance
Added thirteen model/family records across Aeronautics, Elbit and Rafael, including current brochures and 2026 developments. Remaining work is a complete named customer/variant register, legacy Skylark I baselines, Orbiter 1K/2 LM identity mapping and acceptance of newer maritime concepts.
Türkiye · Air · High priority
New Turkish aircraft: acceptance, corrected tables and smaller makers
Added TOGAN, TOGAN-M, ALPAGUT, ALPAGU-B, TURUL, STM KUZGUN and TUNGA-X with separate configurations and 2026 announcements. Remaining work is named acceptance for new products, corrected KUZGUN/TUNGA-X figures and additional smaller Turkish manufacturers.
United Arab Emirates · Air · High priority
UAE variant data and aircraft acceptance evidence
Added nine UAE programme and family profiles, separating supplier baselines, contracts and concepts. Remaining work is variant-level QX technical evidence and dated acceptance or full-scale test evidence for JENIAH, SINYAR and OMEN.
Saudi Arabia · Air · High priority
Saudi programme acceptance, Shaheen SH-01 and Haboob lineage
Obtain current SkyGuard acceptance and production configuration, and dated Samoom prototype-flight evidence. Research Shaheen SH-01 from a current PSDSARC source. Resolve Haboob/Karayel local-production status and its relationship to existing family coverage before adding a separate airframe; the 2026 IISS assessment describes conflicting production accounts. Recheck Saqr's current status rather than extrapolating from its original disclosure.
Egypt · Air · High priority
HAMZA-2/3, EJune-30 SW and Tornex Jabbar/Voltex roles
Retrieve AOI model-specific sheets and acceptance evidence for HAMZA-2 and HAMZA-3, including distinct foreign partners and configuration provenance. Resolve EJune-30 SW design/manufacturing lineage. Obtain Tornex's own Jabbar-150/200/250 and Voltex-5/10 documentation: original EDEX reporting says these were advertised as aerial targets, while other accounts assign attack roles. Current NUT production, accepted configuration and payload discrepancy also remain unresolved.
Iran · Air · High priority
Iran: later Ababil variants, flying-wing designation mapping and current production evidence
Resolve Ababil-4/5 configuration-specific specifications and industrial attribution; Shahed-238 Iranian production and acceptance separate from Geran-3; numbered Shahed-171/181/191 mapping within IRN-170/Saeqeh without conflating Qods Saeghe 2 target drones; current Mohajer-10 and Fotros delivery evidence; Mohajer-4B/Sadegh and Mohajer-2N performance, export variants and current service scale. Manufacturer assignments for Shahed-131/238, Ababil-2, Mohajer-10 and Fotros remain deliberately unresolved where the selected primary platform sources do not settle them.
Publication history
- — Reviewed every original topic; published supported additions and replaced broad gaps with the remaining evidence questions.
- — Published a regional country review and editable register of remaining research gaps.
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Follow the evidence
Source types identify who makes the claim. Programme milestones and supplier statements should be read in context.
- Aeronautics current family configuration evidence (opens in a new tab)Manufacturer
- STM 2026 programme announcements (opens in a new tab)Manufacturer
- Flaris SINYAR LAR3P unveiling, 18 February 2025 (opens in a new tab)Manufacturer
- GAMI — SkyGuard contract (opens in a new tab)Government
- Egypt SIS — NUT disclosure (opens in a new tab)Government
- DIA — Iran Military Power recognition table (opens in a new tab)Government / military source
- STM aircraft portfolio links (opens in a new tab)Primary source
- EDGE current UAV portfolio (opens in a new tab)Primary source
- DIA Iran Military Power: major Iranian UAV families (opens in a new tab)Primary source
- Saudi Press Agency: KACST Saqr-1 announcement (opens in a new tab)Primary source
- UAE armed-forces journal: EDEX / AOI coverage (opens in a new tab)Primary source
- Elbit tactical aircraft portfolio (opens in a new tab)Primary source
- Turkish Aerospace aircraft portfolio (opens in a new tab)Primary source
- DIA Iranian UAV visual comparison (opens in a new tab)Primary source