Iranian Air Force to Stage Wargames Friday

The Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF) plans to conduct massive air drills over the county’s Southern waters on Friday, a senior commander announced on Thursday.

The two-day exercises are the main and second phase of large-scale drills codenamed Fadaeeyan-e Harim-e Vellayat IV, Deputy IRIAF Commander Brigadier General Alireza Barkhor told reporters.

Units from all IRIAF bases will take part in the three-phased drills, he added.

The maneuvers are part of annual exercises aimed at testing indigenous air defense systems, improving the units’ combat readiness and displaying the country’s military might and achievements, the commander added.

According to Barkhor, air-to-air combat and targeting flying objects are the “technical core” of the exercises.

The drills involve different types of interceptor fighters, bomber fighters, transport aircraft and reconnaissance planes, the commander added.

He also said that the drill seeks to send a message of peace, friendship and security to the regional countries.

The latest air drills, codenamed ‘Fadaeeyan-e Harim-e Vellayat III’, were held in Iran’s Northwestern regions in September 2012.

During the aerial drills the Iranian Air Force fighter jets practiced electronic war operations and Iran’s two well-known home-made fighter jets, namely Saeqeh (Thunderbolt) and Azarakhsh (Lightening) staged successful missions and bombed the specified targets under full radio silence.

Saeqeh and Azarakhsh were among the several squadrons of the Iranian Air Force fighter jets which conducted night raids on fixed and mobile targets under complete radio silence.

Different plane equipments, ammunitions and tactics went under test in the four phases of the exercises codenamed ‘Fadaeeyan-e Harim-e Vellayat III’.

An array of fighter jets, fighter bombers, cargo and transportation planes, including F-4, F-5, Sukhoi-24 (SU-24) fighter-bombers, Mig-29 and the logistic C-130 planes, were used in the exercises.