From zero to a diverse arsenal: A look at Venezuela’s military drones
Between 2000 and 2025, Venezuela moved from having no drone capability to building a diverse arsenal of unmanned aerial systems for surveillance, reconnaissance and combat. The development reflects more than two decades of cooperation between Venezuelan and Iran, an alliance that allowed the South American country to develop one of the most modern drone industries in the region.
Here are the types of drones Venezuela is known to have:
Arpía 1 (ANSU-100/Mohajer-2): Drone based on Iran’s Qods Mohajer-2 design. Assembled in Venezuela; used for tactical border and infrastructure surveillance. Operated by the Venezuela Military Aviation’s No. 8 Intelligence Air Group.
Antonio José de Sucre-100: Modernized with Iranian support. Light combat and observation unit with real-time reconnaissance and precision attack capabilities, such as anti-tank and anti-personnel with Russian-made guided munitions.
Antonio José de Sucre-200: Venezuelan design with Iranian support; stealth, multi-role unit for medium-range surveillance, air-to-ground strikes, drone combat, and air defense. Still experimental.
Mohajer-6: Iranian design, supplied to Venezuela starting in 2020. Reconnaissance and strike platform with Qaem missiles; used to protect strategic areas. Operated by Military Aviation.
Orlan-10: Russian design, supplied starting in 2020. Tactical reconnaissance drone for border surveillance, target identification, and artillery fire correction. Range of 120 kolometers
ANT-3X “Gavilán”: Venezuelan experimental development designed for light surveillance and training engineers.
Zamora V-1: Venezuelan design based on the Iranian Shahed-136. This is a kamikaze drone, built to loiter over an area until it drops onto a target and explodes.
Read more: Venezuela prepares for potential U.S. attack with armed drones designed by Iran
This story was originally published August 28, 2025 at 12:50 PM.
