Iran’s drone-carrier warship Shahid Bagheri — floating base up in flames: What to know

The Shahid Bagheri, Iran's drone-carrier warship, knocked out and now up in flames, was designed to extend the Islamic Republic Guard Corps (IRGC)’s reach across the world’s oceans using drones and missiles.

When Iran unveiled its first drone-carrier warship in early 2025, the message was unmistakable: Tehran intended to project power far beyond its shores.

Now, barely a year after its dramatic debut, the vessel at the centre of that ambition — the Shahid Bagheri — is reportedly on fire following US military action, according to Brad Cooper, Commander of United States Central Command.

Here is what we know about the ship that Iran hoped would reshape naval warfare in the region.

The Shahid Bagheri was inaugurated on February 6, 2025, according to the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency.

Operated by the naval arm of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the ship was presented as a major technological milestone for Iran’s military.

Unlike traditional aircraft carriers designed to launch fighter jets, the Shahid Bagheri was built primarily as a drone carrier — essentially a floating base capable of deploying large numbers of unmanned aircraft.

The ship features a 180-meter runway, specifically designed for drone operations.

Footage broadcast during the launch ceremony showed at least three drones and four helicopters positioned on the deck.

Iranian officials said the vessel could operate several squadrons of drones, along with helicopters and cruise missiles.

Rather than building the ship from scratch, Iran converted a commercial cargo vessel into a military platform. According to Ali Reza Tangsiri, commander of the IRGC Navy, the transformation took more than two years.

This approach allowed Iran to create a large operational platform relatively quickly and cheaply compared with constructing a conventional aircraft carrier.

The ship also includes a range of support facilities, including:

• A military hospital
• Crew accommodations
• A gym and training facilities

These features were designed to support long deployments far from Iranian territory.

At its launch ceremony, Hossein Salami, commander-in-chief of the IRGC, said the vessel could operate independently at sea for up to one year.

That capability would allow Iran to maintain a naval presence in distant waters — from the Indian Ocean to potentially the Mediterranean.

The ship was also reportedly capable of launching cruise missiles, giving it a dual role as both a drone base and a strike platform.

Iranian leaders framed the drone carrier as part of a broader deterrence strategy.

“Iran needs to increase its deterrence capacity to prevent war,” Salami said during the inauguration ceremony, insisting that Tehran does not seek conflict but refuses to yield to threats.

The ship fit into Iran’s military self-sufficiency programme. Since 1992, the country has pursued domestic production of key weapons systems — including submarines, fighter jets, drone and tanks — in an effort to reduce reliance on foreign suppliers.

Iran is known to have supplied drones to Russia for "swarms" vs Ukraine.

Despite its symbolic importance, the ship has now reportedly been struck during the current regional conflict.

According to CentCom commander Brad Cooper, the vessel is on fire, suggesting it may have been targeted in recent US strikes against Iranian military assets.

If confirmed destroyed or disabled, the loss of the Shahid Bagheri would represent a major blow to Iran’s naval ambitions — and a dramatic end to what was meant to be the centrepiece of its drone-powered maritime strategy.

In modern warfare, even ambitious new platforms can become high-profile targets — and sometimes, very quickly.