Iran has unveiled a bomb-carrying military unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) based on a U.S. drone that crashed into its territory in December 2011. This drone probably supplied intelligence that led to the death of Osama bin Laden.

Admitting it had reverse engineered the Lockheed Martin RQ-170 Sentinel UAV used mainly for high-altitude spying, Iran said its version called the "Saeqeh" (Thunderbolt) is armed with four smart bombs that can hit targets with "pinpoint accuracy."

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Iran, however, has only revealed pictures of a static version of the Saeqeh propped up on supports and festooned with four bombs. It hasn't shown video of the UAV in flight or revealed any of its flight characteristics. This omission has led some western analysts to assume the static model is unflyable and it for propaganda purposes alone.

The RQ-170 Sentinel, which was introduced in 2007, is a stealth UAV operated by the U.S. Air Force (USAF) for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). The Sentinel, which isn't used for combat operations, is outfitted with reconnaissance equipment. The version lost over Iran was operated by the CIA.

Iran's semiofficial Tasnim news agency said the Saeqeh is a homegrown aircraft "made by reverse engineering the RQ-170. It said Saeqeh is part of a broad range of UAVs with civilian and military applications.

After Iran's capture of the drone, Iranian media said data recovered from the UAV showed it was used to spy on the Pakistan hideout of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden shortly before he was killed by U.S. forces in 2011.

The Iranian government first revealed to the public the first model of the Saeqeh in May 2014, saying it could be armed to attack U.S. Navy warships. Then, as now, Iran provided no proof this UAV could fly.

Iran said it captured the drone with minimal damage when one of its electronic warfare units managed to seize control of the UAV. The U.S. disputed this and said the probable cause was a glitch in the command-and-control system. How it fell from high altitude without being smashed to pieces hasn't been explained, however.

TagsIran, unmanned aerial vehicle, Saeqeh, Lockheed Martin RQ-170 Sentinel, CIA, osama bin laden