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Samad (UAV)

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Samad
This drone has been identified by some as a Samad-1 in flight.[1][self-published source]
Role reconnaissance/loitering munition
National origin Iran / Yemen
Manufacturer Yemen
First flight Unknown, at least since August 2018
Status In service
Primary users Houthi movement

The Samad (Arabic: صماد) (also spelled Sammad) is a family of long-range UAVs of unidentified origin used in the Middle East. The Samad is available in three variants: The Samad-1, the Samad-2 (also known as "UAV-X"), and the Samad-3. The Samad family of UAVs is primarily used by the Houthi movement in the Yemeni civil war, where the drone's long range is used to strike targets in Saudi Arabia, Israel and the UAE.

Etymology

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The UAV was named after Houthi leader Saleh al-Sammad, who was killed by the UAE in 2018.[2]

Design

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The Samad is available in three models. All models have distinctive V-shaped tail fins and a pusher engine. Samad UAVs have a ventral protrusion and wing skids, which they use for taking off and landing.[3]

The Houthis say they have designed and manufactured the Samad family of drones. They say that the Samad 1 was designed in 2018[4] and the Samad Samad 2 and Samad 3 in 2019.[4] Independent analysts say the Samad-2 is probably of Iranian origin.[needs better source][5] According to James Rogers, of the Center for War Studies at the University of Southern Denmark, the Samad 3 is believed to be supplied by Iran.[6]

The Samad-1 is the base variant. It has a wingspan of approximately 3.5 meters.[7] It has a range of 500 km and is for surveillance.[8]

The Samad-2 is 2.8 meters long and has a wingspan of 4.5 meters. It has distinctive V-shaped tail fins and is powered by a rear-mounted 3W German 3W110i B2[9] or Chinese pusher-engine DLE 170.[10][11] It is also known as the "UAV-X", the provisional designation given to it in a UN report.[11] The Samad-2 can carry either a reconnaissance or an explosive payload. The reconnaissance version carries a camera, a Nikon D810 digital camera in one model.[11] The attack variant has a warhead of 18 kg of explosives mixed with ball bearings.[11]

The Samad-3 is an "extended-range" version with a conformal fuel tank mounted on the top of the drone. The dimensions are estimated at 4.5m wingspan and a length of 2.80 m , like the Samad-2.[7] According to the Houthis, it has a range of 1,500 km and carries an explosive payload.[8] According to Mark Voskuijl et all Samad-3 flight range is about 1800 km.[12] Qualitatively, the Samad-3 is described as "inexpensive, small, slow and clumsy" and unlikely to strike targets with good accuracy.[13]

Operational history

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The Houthis have operated Samad UAVs since at least August 2018.[11]

The Houthis say a Samad-3 UAV was used to attack Abu Dhabi international airport on 26 July 2018.[14] Analysis by Jeremy Binnie of Jane's of footage released by the Houthis of the attack says it is consistent with a Samad-2 or Samad-3, or also a different drone, the Hudhud 1.[15] The UAE denied there was any drone attack on the airport.[16] Two other alleged claims on a drone attack on the airport were reported by the Houthis, as well as two attacks on Dubai International Airport, all which were denied and unverified. An investigation by Bellingcat, published months before video of the attack was released, said "It is highly likely that a Houthi-led drone attack did not take place in Abu Dhabi and Dubai".[17]

On the morning of 18 May 2021, during 2021 Israel–Palestine crisis, the IDF downed an Iranian Samad UAV, which was launched from Iraq and entered Emek HaMaayano, apparently from Syria or Lebanon.[18]

On 29 November 2023, USS Carney, a US Navy destroyer, downed a Samad-3 (KAS-04), which was launched from a Houthi-controlled area of Yemen and was heading toward the warship in the southern Red Sea.[19] USS Carney was escorting the Military Sealift Command USNS Supply, and another U.S. flagged ship carrying military equipment to the region.[20][21]

On 19 July 2024, a Samad-3 launched by the Houthi government struck Tel Aviv at 3:12 a.m., killing a man and injuring ten others. The Houthi government claimed it had launched a drone that could bypass radar detection systems, whereas the Israeli military claimed that the drone had been identified, but no action was taken due to human error.[22][23]

Operators

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Specifications (Samad-2 / UAV-X)

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Data from UN Panel of Experts on Yemen[11]

General characteristics

  • Crew: none (unmanned)
  • Length: 2.80 m (9 ft 2 in)
  • Wingspan: 4.50 m (14 ft 9 in)
  • Powerplant: 1 × Chinese-made DLE 170 or German-made 3W110i B2 engine

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 200–250 km/h (120–160 mph, 110–130 kn)
  • Ferry range: 1,200–1,500 km (750–930 mi, 650–810 nmi) (est. by engine manufacturer)

Avionics
unknown

References

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  1. ^ a b c Stijn Mitzer; Joost Oliemans (September 2019). "The Oryx Handbook of Iranian Drones".
  2. ^ "تعرف على طائرة "صمّاد 3" التي قصفت مطار أبو ظبي". عربي21 (in Arabic). 2018-07-26. Retrieved 2019-09-28.
  3. ^ Binnie, Jeremy (July 10, 2019). "They take off and land on their ventral protrusions and wing skids".
  4. ^ a b "الطائرات دون طيار: التقنية والأثر العسكري والاستراتيجي". studies.aljazeera.net.
  5. ^ Shahryar Pasandideh (September 20, 2019). "Saudi Oil Attack Points to More Advanced Iranian Missiles and Drones". www.worldpoliticsreview.com.
  6. ^ Rogers, James (September 16, 2019). "4/6 Distance is an issue here & gives the perpetrators (whoever they may be) a certain amount of deniability. Take the Samad 3 for example. Believed to be supplied by Iran, it has the ability to reach 1450km & strike deep within the UAE & SA. This distance leads to deniability".
  7. ^ a b Binnie, Jeremy (July 8, 2019). "My crude dimensional analysis based on the first photo indicates the Sammad-3 has roughly the same wingspan (4.5m) as the 'UAV-X' recovered in Saudi Arabia & UAE, the Sammad-1 thus being closer to 3.5m. The UAV-X in third photo lacks the 'wing box bulge', so might be a Sammad-2".
  8. ^ a b Binnie, Jeremy (July 10, 2019). "Houthi video says the Sammad-3 has a 1,500km range (fits with estimated range of UAV-X) and carries an explosive warhead. Sammad-1 has 500km range and is for surveillance".
  9. ^ "3W-110i B2 CS – 3W Modellmotoren". Retrieved 2023-12-03.
  10. ^ "DLE170 V2 Power 3D". www.dl-motoren.de. Retrieved 2023-12-03.
  11. ^ a b c d e f Ahmed Himmiche; Fernando Rosenfeld Carvajal; Wolf-Christian Paes; Henry Thompson; Marie-Louise Tougas (25 January 2019). "Letter dated 25 January 2019 from the Panel of Experts on Yemen addressed to the President of the Security Council". United Nations Digital Library System. Panel of Experts on Yemen.
  12. ^ Voskuijl, Mark; Dekkers, Thomas; Savelsberg, Ralph (2020-09-01). "Flight Performance Analysis of the Samad Attack Drones Operated by Houthi Armed Forces". Science & Global Security. 28 (3): 113–134. doi:10.1080/08929882.2020.1846279. ISSN 0892-9882.
  13. ^ Kirkpatrick, David D.; Koettl, Christoph; McCann, Allison; Schmitt, Eric; Singhvi, Anjali; Wezerek, Gus (September 16, 2019). "Who Was Behind the Saudi Oil Attack? What the Evidence Shows". The New York Times.
  14. ^ Binnie, Jeremy (24 May 2019). "Video confirms Yemeni attack on Abu Dhabi's airport in 2018". Jane's Defence Weekly. IHS Jane's 360.
  15. ^ Binnie, Jeremy (May 24, 2019). "Looking at the shadow in the footage of the 26 July 2018 attack on Abu Dhabi IAP, the attack UAV could be the suspected Samad-2/3 documented by the UN panel of experts".
  16. ^ "Yemen's rebels 'attack' Abu Dhabi airport using a drone | Yemen News". Al Jazeera. 2018-07-27. Retrieved 2019-08-12.
  17. ^ Investigating Houthi Claims of Drone Attacks on UAE Airports Bellingcat, 7 Nov. 2018, retrieved 7 June 2019.
  18. ^ Fabian, Emanuel (7 March 2022). "IDF airs footage of drone interceptions, accuses Iran of escalating 'UAV terror'". The Times of Israel.
    כץ, אודם (7 March 2022). "כך יירט צה"ל את המל"טים האיראניים בדרכם לישראל". IDF (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2024-08-04.
    זיתון, יואב; ראב"ד, אחיה; אוסמו, ליעד (2021-05-18). "הופל מל"ט שחדר לבקעת הירדן, אזעקה בדרום אחרי 6 שעות של שקט". Ynet (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2024-08-04.
    "נתניהו חשף: "איראן שלחה מל"ט חמוש לתוך ישראל"". סרוגים (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2024-08-04.
  19. ^ "USS Carney Shot Down an Iranian KAS-04 Drone, Says CENTCOM - USNI News". 2023-12-01. Archived from the original on 2023-12-01. Retrieved 2023-12-03.
  20. ^ "US carrier group in Mideast intercepts Iranian-produced drone". Salina Post. 2023-12-03. Retrieved 2023-12-03.
  21. ^ "Interview: Inside the Houthi arsenal that can reach Israel". Amwaj.media. Retrieved 2023-12-03.
  22. ^ Explosive drone from Yemen hits Tel Aviv apartment, killing man, wounding others Times of Israel, 19 July 2024, retrieved 19 July 2024.
  23. ^ Yevgeny Ferder, 50, named as victim of Houthi drone attack on Tel Aviv Times of Israel, 19 July 2024, retrieved 19 July 2024.
  24. ^ Stijn Mitzer; Joost Oliemans (September 2019). "List of Iranian Arms and Equipment Supplied to Houthi Militants in Yemen since 2015".
  25. ^ Michael Knights; Crispin Smith (May 14, 2021). "Kataib Hezbollah Leads Drone Warfare Inside Iraq". washingtoninstitute.org.
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