Iran’s new drone ship, Shahid Bagheri, was recently spotted offshore the Iranian naval port of Bandar Abbas in the Persian Gulf. Satellite images accessed by NDTV show the vessel, which was originally a container ship, looks similar to an aircraft carrier but meant for drones.
High-resolution satellite images collected by Maxar show the ship off Bandar Abbas port. Shahid Bagheri has a ski jump similar to a STOBAR aircraft carrier, but the short runway suggests it’s meant only for drones and could be used for helicopter operations.

Overview and detailed closer view of Shahid Bagheri. High res here
The military drone carrier is believed to be conducting its first sea trials since leaving the nearby Iran Shipyard and Offshore Industries (ISOICO) shipyard in late November. Iran has no aircraft carrier and has operated fighter jets and helicopters since the 1970s and 80s.
The drone carriers will allow the Iranian navy to bring the unmanned aerial vehicles closer to the battlefield. Despite facing years of sanctions from the West, Iran has managed to produce its fleet of armed drones that have proliferated to different battlefields in the region and even to Europe where Russians have reportedly used the Iranian Shahed drones against Ukraine. The Shahed 129 drone, unveiled in 2012, is mass-produced and is based on Israeli drones. The Mohajer 6 is said to have been delivered to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) since 2018. The drones have been used by militant groups like Hezbollah, Houthi and Hamas against Israel, Iran’s arch-rival in the Middle East.
The satellite images also captured two additional Iranian naval vessels that were similarly modified from previously being commercial ships, the ‘Shahid Mahdavi’ and the ‘Shahid Roudaki’, which were anchored nearby.

Overview and detailed closer view of Shahid Mahdavi offshore of Bandar Abbas. High res here
The other two vessels do not have a ski-jump ramp, suggesting that it can be used for drones with the capability for vertical take-off and landing, unlike the Shahed and Mohajer drones which require a runway for takeoff.

Overview and detailed closer view of Shahid Roudaki offshore of Bandar Abbas. High res here
The Maxar satellite images, taken over a period of time, show the historical imagery views of the construction and modifications to the Shahid Bagheri in the shipyard of Iran Shipbuilding & Offshore Industries Complex (ISOIC).

Shahid Bagheri in dry dock of ISOICO shipyard Iran. High res here
The images show how the top of the ships were scraped off and the runway for constructed, suiting the needs of Iran, which is in direct conflict with Israel and a regional cold war with Saudi Arabia.

Shahid Bagheri at the quay of ISOICO shipyard Iran. High res here
The New Jersey Sightings
The Maxar images come at a time when a US lawmaker claimed that Iran might be launching drones over New Jersey from a “mothership” off the East Coast. The Pentagon has debunked the claims saying “There is no truth to that.”
“There is no Iranian ship off the coast of the United States and there’s no so-called ‘mothership’ launching drones towards the United States,” Reuters reported quoting Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh.
Republican Congressman Jeff Van Drew said he had uncovered what appeared to be an Iranian plot.
“What we’ve uncovered is alarming – drones flying in from the direction of the ocean, possibly linked to a missing Iranian mothership,” he said on X.
The Pentagon said an initial assessment had shown the drones were not from another country and that the US military had not shot them down because they did not pose a threat to any military installations.
“We have no evidence that these activities are coming from a foreign entity or the work of an adversary,” Ms Singh said.