Mado

Mado is an Iranian aerospace-manufacturing company specializing in aircraft propulsion systems, particularly engines and propellers used in unmanned aircraft. It is distinct from other businesses using the name Mado and is documented in public sources as an Iranian manufacturer rather than a consumer-food brand. Available information about the company is limited, and much of its public profile comes from sanctions notices and reporting concerning Iran’s military-industrial and unmanned-aircraft sectors. The company’s product history includes several small piston-engine designs displayed at a 2014 trade fair. These included the MD26, a single-cylinder two-stroke engine; the MD275, a horizontally opposed two-cylinder two-stroke engine; and the MD550, a horizontally opposed four-cylinder two-stroke engine described as a copy of the Limbach L550E. Mado has also been associated with a single-rotor Wankel-type engine resembling the Chinese BMP MDR-208, as well as multiple wooden propeller designs. The available product list is explicitly non-exhaustive and does not establish the full scope of Mado’s engineering or production activities. Mado’s corporate significance is closely tied to its reported relationship with Iranian military structures. Publicly cited ownership information has included Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Brigadier General Abdollah Mehrabi. The company’s managing director, Yousef Aboutaleni, has also been identified in connection with the company. In October 2021, the United States added Mado, Aboutaleni, and Mehrabi to its Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List. The designations alleged links to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and followed scrutiny concerning the MT Mercer Street attack. In October 2022, the United States again designated Mado and Aboutaleni under Executive Order 13382 for providing, or attempting to provide, support, goods, or services to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps; Mehrabi was separately designated for acting for or on behalf of an IRGC aerospace-related organization. Mado has also been sanctioned in connection with support alleged to contribute to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. These measures materially affect the company’s international commercial position by restricting access to the United States financial system and imposing blocking sanctions on its property and interests in property subject to U.S. jurisdiction. No reliable public source in the supplied material establishes Mado’s revenue, workforce, formal headquarters, founding date, export markets, or current production volume. Its public identity is therefore best characterized as a specialized Iranian aircraft-propulsion manufacturer with reported connections to Iran’s military and unmanned-aerial-vehicle supply chain.

Mado is an Iranian manufacturer associated with aircraft propulsion systems, including small piston engines, rotary engines, and wooden propellers. The public record does not establish the company’s founding year, original founders, formal headquarters, corporate registration history, or complete ownership structure. Consequently, its history is best reconstructed from product references and government sanctions information rather than from a conventional corporate chronology. One documented source for Mado’s engineering activity is a 2014 trade fair, where a non-exhaustive product list identified several engines and at least eight types of wooden propellers. The MD26 was described as a single-cylinder, two-stroke engine. The MD275 was a two-cylinder, horizontally opposed two-stroke engine. The MD550 was a four-cylinder, horizontally opposed two-stroke engine and was described as a copy of the Limbach L550E, an engine design associated with light aircraft and unmanned-aircraft applications. Mado was also associated with a single-rotor Wankel-type engine whose appearance was similar to the Chinese BMP MDR-208. These products indicate an emphasis on compact propulsion systems suitable for small aircraft, although the available references do not document exact performance, production volumes, customers, or service histories. The company’s later public profile became dominated by its reported connections to Iran’s military-industrial system. Publicly cited information has included IRGC Brigadier General Abdollah Mehrabi on an ownership list. Yousef Aboutaleni has been identified as Mado’s managing director. These reported links placed the company within U.S. sanctions actions concerning the IRGC and Iranian unmanned-aircraft capabilities. On 29 October 2021, the United States added Mado, Aboutaleni, and Mehrabi to the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List. The action was associated in public reporting with alleged support for the IRGC and with scrutiny surrounding the MT Mercer Street bombing. On 29 October 2022, the United States designated Mado and Aboutaleni under Executive Order 13382, alleging that they provided or attempted to provide financial, material, technological, or other support, goods, or services for the IRGC. Mehrabi was designated separately under the same executive-order framework for acting or purporting to act for or on behalf of an IRGC aerospace-related organization. The sanctions block property and interests in property subject to U.S. jurisdiction and restrict transactions involving the designated parties by U.S. persons. Reference material also states that Mado has been sanctioned for contributions connected to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The available sources do not provide enough detail to describe the relevant transaction, supply relationship, or date with confidence. No reliable information in the supplied material confirms whether Mado continues to manufacture each of the engines displayed in 2014, whether its product range has expanded, or how sanctions have affected its operations. Mado’s documented historical identity is therefore that of a specialized Iranian propulsion supplier whose technical product references precede, and whose international public profile is now strongly defined by, sanctions and alleged links to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard aerospace network.

• 2022

  Mado designated under Executive Order 13382

  [1]Mado (manufacturer)en.wikipedia.org

  The United States designated Mado and Aboutaleni for alleged provision or attempted provision of support, goods, or services to the IRGC.

• 2021

  Mado added to the U.S. Specially Designated Nationals list

  [1]Mado (manufacturer)en.wikipedia.org

  The United States designated Mado together with Yousef Aboutaleni and Abdollah Mehrabi in an action citing alleged links to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

• 2014

  Engine and propeller range documented at a trade fair

  [1]Mado (manufacturer)en.wikipedia.org

  A non-exhaustive trade-fair product list identified the MD26, MD275, and MD550 piston engines, a Wankel-type engine, and at least eight types of wooden propellers.

A specialized Iranian aircraft-propulsion manufacturer serving military and unmanned-aircraft applications, with its public profile shaped primarily by reported IRGC links and international sanctions.

• Aircraft piston engine

  Mado MD26

  The MD26 is described in the available trade-fair material as a single-cylinder, two-stroke aircraft engine. The reference does not provide displacement, power output, dimensions, intended aircraft types, production volume, or current availability. Its inclusion in Mado’s documented range indicates a focus on compact propulsion for small aircraft or unmanned-aircraft applications, but specific operational deployments cannot be confirmed from the supplied sources.

• Aircraft piston engine

  Mado MD275

  The MD275 is identified as a two-cylinder, horizontally opposed, two-stroke engine. The opposed-cylinder layout is associated with compact aircraft propulsion, but the available reference does not establish its rated output, cooling system, fuel requirements, airframe integrations, or production status. It was among the engines listed in Mado’s 2014 trade-fair material.

• Aircraft piston engine

  Mado MD550

  The MD550 is described as a four-cylinder, horizontally opposed, two-stroke engine and as a copy of the Limbach L550E. Its documented configuration places it among Mado’s larger piston-engine offerings. The available sources do not establish whether the design was licensed, modified, or produced under a formal agreement, nor do they provide reliable performance or production data.

• Rotary aircraft engine

  Mado Wankel-type engine

  Mado has been associated with a single-rotor Wankel-type engine resembling the Chinese BMP MDR-208 in appearance. The reference material does not establish the engine’s displacement, output, fuel system, production volume, or specific aircraft integration. It is documented as part of the company’s propulsion portfolio rather than as a confirmed mass-produced commercial product.

• Aircraft propellers · 2014

  Mado wooden propellers

  The 2014 trade-fair material identified at least eight types of wooden propellers associated with Mado. The supplied sources do not list individual model names, dimensions, pitch specifications, compatible engines, or production status. Their inclusion suggests that Mado’s activities extended beyond engine manufacturing to associated aircraft-propulsion hardware.

• 2022

  Executive Order 13382 designation

  Mado and Aboutaleni were designated by the United States on 29 October 2022 for alleged provision or attempted provision of financial, material, technological, or other support to the IRGC. Mehrabi was separately designated for acting or purporting to act for or on behalf of an IRGC aerospace-related organization.

  Source

• 2021

  U.S. sanctions connected to alleged IRGC links and the MT Mercer Street attack

  The United States designated Mado, Yousef Aboutaleni, and Abdollah Mehrabi on 29 October 2021. Public reference material links the action to alleged support for the IRGC and identifies Aboutaleni in connection with scrutiny surrounding the MT Mercer Street bombing.

  Source

• Sanctions related to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

  Reference material states that Mado has also been sanctioned for contributions connected to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The supplied sources do not provide sufficient detail about the specific conduct or designation date.

  Source

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• 2022

  Executive Order 13382 designationOther

  Background

  The designation alleged that Mado and its managing director provided or attempted to provide support, goods, or services to the IRGC.

  Action taken

  The United States designated Mado and Yousef Aboutaleni under Executive Order 13382 on 29 October 2022.

  Aftermath

  The action further limited Mado’s access to transactions involving the United States and U.S. persons and increased sanctions exposure for counterparties.

  Source

• 2021

  U.S. blocking sanctions imposed on MadoOther

  Background

  The United States cited alleged links between Mado and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in designating the company and associated individuals.

  Action taken

  Mado was added to the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List on 29 October 2021.

  Aftermath

  The designation restricts transactions involving Mado by U.S. persons and blocks property and interests in property subject to U.S. jurisdiction.

  Source

1. 1Mado (manufacturer)en.wikipedia.org