New Stealth Aspirations: Advanced Drone Adopts Distinctive Flying-Wing Airframe

The Shahed-161 is merely one component of the much larger and increasingly notorious Shahed drone family, which has gained global attention due to its widespread deployment. While the most famous variants, the Shahed-131 and Shahed-136, are one-way "loitering munitions" (often called "suicide drones"), the Shahed-161 belongs to the higher-end, reusable, multi-role UAVs, often designated for more complex combat and reconnaissance roles. This distinction is vital: the 136 is a cheap, mass-produced projectile, while the 161 is a more sophisticated asset meant to be recovered and reused. The continuous expansion and diversification of the Shahed family illustrates Iran's commitment to making drone technology a central pillar of its military exports and regional power projection, with operational deployments providing invaluable real-world combat feedback for continuous development.