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Massive Air-Defense War-Games Underway in Central Iran

The Iranian Armed Forces’ joint military drills codenamed “Modafe'an-e Aseman-e Velayat 98” (Guardians of Velayat’s Sky-98) entered its second day on Friday in the Central province of Semnan, in a bid to boost preparedness in the face of potential threats in the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz.

The Iranian Air Force units started the second day of their large-scale military exercises this morning with various types of state-of-the- art missile and radar systems — designed and built at home — boasting their counteroffensive power against different aerial threats.

The military drill is being held over an area of 416,000 square kilometers in the central province of Semnan, simulating the Persian Gulf general area and the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

Speaking on the sidelines of the maneuver on Thursday, Commander of the Iranian Army’s Air Defense Force Brigadier General Alireza Sabahi Fard said the first phase of the drill features detecting and identifying enemy targets, while in the next phase radar system will engage airborne targets.

He warned against any violation of Iranian airspace, which he described as the country’s “redline.”

The drill is aimed at testing the country’s latest military equipment and to enhance its preparedness in the face of potential threats in the simulated conditions of real war. The drill includes various types of homegrown missile systems and radars countering aerial threats in low, medium and high altitudes.

The first phase of the drill, held on Thursday, featured detecting and identifying enemy targets, while the second phase will involve radar systems engaging airborne targets.

On Tuesday, USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) sailed through the Strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of all oil consumed globally passes.

In June, Iran’s air defenses shot down a US-made RQ-4 Global Hawk unmanned aircraft system (UAS), which was sent on a spying mission into the Islamic Republic’s skies.

Iran has conducted major military drills in recent years to enhance the defense capabilities of its Armed Forces and to test modern military tactics and state-of-the-art equipment.

Each year, the country inaugurates a host of new projects and hardware developed with reliance on domestic capabilities. The Islamic Republic maintains that its defense power is driven by deterrence and poses no threat to any other country.

In a relevant development on Tuesday, the Ground Force of Iran’s Army started large-scale military drills in the country’s Northwestern region, in a bid to further boost the combat readiness of its units.

Codenamed “Zolfaghar-e-Velayat”, the military drills of the Iranian Army’s Ground Forces started this morning in a vast strategic area in the Northwestern parts of the country.

Various divisions of the Army Ground Force are participating in the drill, which is focused on practicing the transfer of rapid reaction units via ground and air from across the country to operation zones. The enlisted units will also display their efficacy and work to enhance their readiness in responding to operational requirements and threats through day and night.

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