Development of the Karrar was underway as of 2002, possibly under the name "Hadaf-1".
A subscale model of the Karrar was also seen around 2004.
The Karrar is also known as the "Ababil Jet"; the Ababil is an unrelated UAV also offered by the same manufacturer, HESA.
Iran said the Karrar took "500,000 hours" to develop, but independent analysts say this is unlikely.

The Karrar was unveiled on August 23, 2010, one day after the activation of a nuclear reactor in Bushehr, by Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
It was framed as a "long-range bomber drone," and is the first long-range UAV manufactured in Iran.

Multiple sources report that the Karrar has been exported to Hezbollah.
The Karrar has supposedly been used in the Syrian Civil War.

In a 2011 article, Iranian military expert Galen Wright posited that the Karrar was not merely a target drone, but was mainly to be used as a sort of semi-disposable launch platform for an environment where Iran was unlikely to have air superiority.
Another article, from Defense Update, takes a similar view, and suggests in particular that the Karrar could be useful for using cruise missiles to target ground-based radars and naval ships.
In 2018, Daily Beast reporter Adam Rawnsley said that the Karrar, despite Iranian claims, does not possess the capacity to deploy weapons and is merely a target drone.

Today, Karrar is regularly used by Iran's air defense force for training.
Karrar target drones have been used to test Mersad SAM systems, S-300PMU-2 SAM systems, Sayyad-2 SAM systems, Fakour-90 air-to-air missiles, and Sayyad-3 SAM systems.
Development of the Karrar was underway as of 2002, possibly under the name "Hadaf-1". A subscale model of the Karrar was also seen around 2004. The Karrar is also known as the "Ababil Jet"; the Ababil is an unrelated UAV also offered by the same manufacturer, HESA. Iran said the Karrar took "500,000 hours" to develop, but independent analysts say this is unlikely.
The Karrar was unveiled on August 23, 2010, one day after the activation of a nuclear reactor in Bushehr, by Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. It was framed as a "long-range bomber drone," and is the first long-range UAV manufactured in Iran.
Multiple sources report that the Karrar has been exported to Hezbollah. The Karrar has supposedly been used in the Syrian Civil War.
In a 2011 article, Iranian military expert Galen Wright posited that the Karrar was not merely a target drone, but was mainly to be used as a sort of semi-disposable launch platform for an environment where Iran was unlikely to have air superiority. Another article, from Defense Update, takes a similar view, and suggests in particular that the Karrar could be useful for using cruise missiles to target ground-based radars and naval ships. In 2018, Daily Beast reporter Adam Rawnsley said that the Karrar, despite Iranian claims, does not possess the capacity to deploy weapons and is merely a target drone.
Today, Karrar is regularly used by Iran's air defense force for training. Karrar target drones have been used to test Mersad SAM systems, S-300PMU-2 SAM systems, Sayyad-2 SAM systems, Fakour-90 air-to-air missiles, and Sayyad-3 SAM systems.
HESA Karrar