Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro made the announcement during a ceremony, stating that the drones will be used to monitor Venezuela's borders.

Late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said in January 2012 that his country had manufactured its first unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), dubbed Arpia-001 (Harpy-001), in cooperation with Iranian experts.

The UAV has a 100-kilometer (60-mile) sweep and can fly solo for some 90 minutes and reach an altitude of 3,000 meters (9,000 feet).

Iran has made important breakthroughs in its defense sector in recent years and attained self-sufficiency in producing important military equipment and systems.

Iran unveiled its latest indigenous UAV, a reconnaissance and combat drone dubbed Hamaseh (Epic) in May 2013.

On December 17, 2012, Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC)’s Navy Rear Admiral Ali Fadavi said Iran had launched the production line of ScanEagle drones.