This handout photo made available by the Iranian Army office on Jan 14, 2021 shows an Iranian navy helicopter landing on Iranian warship Makran in the Gulf of Oman. (PHOTO / AFP)
TEHRAN – Iran's armed forces on Tuesday started a large-scale real-combat air defense maneuver in the country to show their preparedness of defending the country's sensitive areas, Iranian media reported.
Forces of the Iranian army and Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) took part in the drill codenamed Modafean Aseman-e Velayat 1401, which is held in two-thirds of the Iranian airspace, official news agency IRNA reported, citing the maneuver's spokesman Abbas Farajpour.
Manned and unmanned aerial reconnaissance of the army's aviation branch and IRGC air forces, as well as detection, tracking, and combat systems of air defense divisions, are being tested, a spokesman said
It would test air defense systems' mobility and the operational forces' pace of reaction in a passive defense scenario, among others, said Farajpour.
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Manned and unmanned aerial reconnaissance of the army's aviation branch and IRGC air forces, as well as detection, tracking, and combat systems of air defense divisions, are being tested, he said.
Fully homegrown air defense systems equipped with advanced active and passive radars would surveil the drill area to track and confront any hostile target once detecting it, Farajpour added.
The war game put the country's air defense systems to the test by involving over 100 manned and unmanned aircraft for launching a mock attack on the country's sensitive nuclear and military centers, semi-official Tasnim news agency, citing Amir-Qader Rahimzadeh, commander of Iran's Khatam al-Anbia Air Defense Base.
He stressed that the armed forces use mostly home-grown air defense weapons in the drill, including those hidden in underground tunnels for security reasons.
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Basij voluntary force and the police will also take part in the joint exercise, the commander added.