Iran has unveiled a significant addition to its naval capabilities by adding its first drone carrier, the Shahid Bagheri, to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) fleet.
The converted vessel, originally a commercial container carrier, has been retrofitted into a mobile naval platform capable of launching drones and helicopters. Experts say the carrier improves Iran’s asymmetric warfare strategy and signals Tehran’s intentions to extend its operational reach beyond the Persian Gulf into more distant waters—but they also point to significant limitations in its offensive and deterrent capabilities.
Farzin Nadimi, an expert on Iran’s navy at the Washington Institute, explained the advantages of the vessel to The Media Line. “It can be a useful tool for power projection and a support base for anti-piracy and maritime security missions,” he said. “It extends Iran’s maritime reach and enables the launch of surveillance drones and helicopters. Additionally, it has utility in supporting mine-clearing operations if equipped with the proper systems.”
The ship, which was shown in a publicized military exercise last month, boasts a runway of around 590 feet and can operate for up to a year without refueling. Previous IRGC naval strategy, by contrast, has focused on small fast-attack craft and coastal missile systems.
Drones launched from the Shahid Bagheri could be employed for extended reconnaissance missions, providing real-time intelligence on adversary movements in the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman, and potentially the Eastern Mediterranean. Theoretically, they could also be used for long-range strike operations, including attacks on military installations or critical infrastructure in adversary states such as Israel.
In practice, though, the Shahid Bagheri’s offensive capabilities are limited, Nadimi said. “It produces too large a footprint for any covert operation and lacks adequate protection, making it vulnerable to modern anti-ship weapons,” and defeating the purpose of an asymmetric naval fleet, he explained.
Nadimi said that the ship’s deterrence value is similarly limited. Aircraft carriers are typically the centerpiece of a strike group and are heavily protected, and the ship itself would be a high-value target in any conflict scenario, limiting its deployment in high-intensity engagements.
“To avoid making this ship a vulnerable target, the IRGC will likely assign a couple of its new missile corvettes to rotate on escort duty. Otherwise, it risks becoming a sitting duck,” Nadimi said.
The ship’s many limitations mean it does not significantly threaten Israel, Nadimi said, noting that its novelty allows it to provide good propaganda value as a “poor man’s aircraft carrier.”
Shahin Modarres, Iran team lead at the International Team for the Study of Security Verona, pointed to the vessel’s detectability as an impediment to its deterrence capabilities.
Unlike aircraft carriers operated by global naval powers, “the Shahid Bagheri lacks integrated carrier strike group support, meaning it is vulnerable to aerial and missile attacks,” he told The Media Line.
Modarres said that the vessel could feasibly launch drones for surveillance and for limited strikes but that it would face significant challenges in offensive operations against well-defended adversaries. “The use of long-range drones for strikes would necessitate circuitous flight paths to avoid interception, reducing their operational effectiveness,” he explained.
The ship has limited protection
Launching a drone from a small boat or a commercial ship is an asymmetric tactic that is difficult to detect, but deploying drones from a carrier with a distinctive angled flight deck, like that of the Shahid Bagheri, is not, Modarres said. He added that the ship “has limited protection and could easily be targeted by modern anti-ship weapons.”
While Iran’s coastal defense systems and naval assets could provide some level of protection in the Persian Gulf, “the ship’s survivability in a high-threat environment—such as the Eastern Mediterranean—would be extremely low. Israeli air and naval forces could easily track and neutralize the vessel in a conflict scenario,” Modarres added.
Iran has previously relied on regional proxies such as Hezbollah and the Houthis to conduct drone strikes against Israeli or Western targets, Modarres said. “The deployment of a naval drone platform does not fundamentally alter this equation, as long-range drone attacks originating from the Shahid Bagheri would still face significant interception risks from Israeli air defenses, including the Iron Dome, David’s Sling, and Arrow missile defense systems,” he noted.
That said, the deployment of long-range drones from the Shahid Bagheri could enable Tehran to monitor international waters and maritime chokepoints with greater efficiency, particularly the Gulf of Aden, where Iran has long sought to secure its shipping lanes from piracy and external threats.
Despite the vessel’s limitations, the introduction of the Shahid Bagheri is still likely to be met with concern from regional rivals, particularly Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, both of which have already been targeted by Iranian drones launched by Yemeni Houthi forces. “The deployment of a maritime drone carrier may be perceived as an escalation, prompting Persian Gulf states to strengthen their own naval defenses and drone countermeasures,” Modarres said, adding that the US and allied states would closely monitor the ship’s deployment.
“The presence of this drone carrier in international waters, particularly in the Gulf of Aden or near the Strait of Hormuz, could lead to increased tensions and the reinforcement of US naval assets in the region,” he added.