Iran to stage major anti-aircraft drills

A senior commander with Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) says the force is set to stage a military maneuver to test-fire its newly manufactured anti-aircraft equipment.

The commander of the anti-aircraft post of the Khatamolanbia Headquarters, Brigadier General Ahmad Miqani, said on Saturday that the Iranian Armed Forces will stage a maneuver across the country in late September or early October.

“The new anti-aircraft systems of the Khatamolanbia Headquarters will be test-fired and evaluated in the military drill,” Miqani was quoted by Fars news agency as saying.

Iran has staged several military drills in 2010 to demonstrate the country’s military capabilities.

Several surface-to-surface and surface-to-air missiles, compatible with destroyers and upgraded hovercrafts were test-fired in the Velayat 89 drills staged by the Army and the Air Force in May.

In addition, the Iranian Air Force took part in the week-long Fadaian-e Harim-e Velayat 2 military maneuvers in the country’s western province of Hamadan in August.

Also in August, Iran unveiled its first domestically-manufactured long-range Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) named Karrar (Frequent Attacker). The drone is capable of flying long distances at a very high speed.

Iran also inaugurated the production line of two other domestically-built UAVs with bombing and reconnaissance capabilities last month.

The two hi-tech drones named ‘Ra’d’ (Thunder) and ‘Nazir’ (Harbinger) are capable of performing long-range reconnaissance, patrolling, assault and bombing missions with high precision.

Iran has launched a campaign for self-sufficiency in the country’s defense industry, inaugurating numerous military equipment projects, including aerial and sea-borne military vehicles such as submarines, combat frigates, and various types of missiles.