Iranian Fighter Jets to Exercise Reconnaissance Missions over Wargame Zone

A senior Commander of the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force said IRIAF fighter jets are due to exercise aerial reconnaissance and data transmission capabilities during the air defense drills underway in the country.

The Air Defense units of the Iranian Armed Forces started massive exercises, codenamed “Modafe’an-e Aseman-e Velayat 4 (Defenders of Velayat Skies 4)”, on Monday to boost their preparedness and air defense capabilities.

An array of fighter jets, including F-4, F-5, F-14 and Sukhoi-24 (SU-24) fighter-bombers have taken part in the exercises.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Deputy Commander of the Iranian Air Force for Research and Studies Brigadier General Hossein Chitforoush said that a number of the IRIAF fighter jets are acting as hypothetical enemy planes which will try to hit hypothetical targets during the air defense drills.

“The other mission of the IRIAF planes is taking photographs from the entire wargames zone with high speed and precision and then transfer them to the operating central command of the wargames zone in the shortest time possible,” Chitforoush underscored.

Lieutenant Commander of Khatam al-Anbia Air Defense Base General Shahrokh Shahram, who is also the spokesman of the drills, said on Sunday that the operating units will exercise defending hypothetical sensitive sites.

In addition to testing mobility and rapid reaction capability of participating units, the air defense units will test artillery and missile systems’ capabilities for confronting different types of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) flying in different altitudes.