Iran Arms JetRanger Helicopters

The Iranian Army’s Airborne Division managed to add a combat capability to its Bell-206 JetRanger helicopters, a senior commander announced on Saturday, adding that the chopper has passed the test flight during a wargame in Western Iran.

Commander of the Army’s Airborne Base in Kermanshah Colonel Yusef Qorbani pointed to the latest achievements in the Army Airborne Division, and said, “For example, we could arm JetRanger which is a reconnaissance helicopter and use it as a combat chopper.”

“In the past, the copper was a command and control chopper … and thanks to the efforts made by (Iranian) experts, we have been able to mount combat equipment onto the helicopter in a bid to be able to use the chopper in the battle field as well.”

Qorbani said that the chopper went under operational tests in the Army’s recent Zolfaqar wargames and proved to be fully capable of fulfilling its new combat mission.

Late in October 2012, the Iranian Army staged three days of wargames in Kermanshah by exercising rapid reaction tactics. The Islamic Republic Army ground forces and airborne units were among the operating units in the drills.

Earlier this month, Iranian Army Airborne Commander General Hoshang Yavari said the technical unit of the airborne division repaired three US choppers and brought them back into operation, stressing that the country will continue repairing and overhauling more US-made choppers in future.

Addressing a ceremony in the Southeastern province of Kerman to mark the repaired US choppers’ joining the Iranian airborne fleet, Yavari said that his forces plan to repair a number of downed choppers each year.

He said the Iranian Army’s Airborne Division was run and supervised by American military attaches prior to the revolution and all repair and maintenance jobs were carried out at their orders and under their supervision.

“When Americans were leaving Iran, they said that they would definitely return to the country because they imagined that Iran wouldn’t be able to make use of these choppers,” the General continued.

He said the technical unit of the Army airborne division in Kerman is now repairing two other downed US choppers, adding that the two will soon join the Army Airborne’s operational unit in the near future.