Iran Launches Massive Air Drills

Local Editor

The Iranian Air Defense units started Monday massive drills, to boost their preparedness and air defense capabilities.

Radar air defense and missile systems as well as tapping, artillery and surveillance systems will be employed during the first stage of the drills, dubbed as "Modafe'an-e Aseman-e Velayat 4" [Defenders of Velayat Skies 4].

In this context, Lieutenant Commander of Khatam al-Anbia Air Defense Base General Shahrokh Shahram said on Sunday that different units of the Iranian armed forces, including the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force, Aerospace Forces of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), Airborne units of the Army Ground Force and the Navy as well as the Basij (volunteer) force and the Iranian border guard units, will participate in the annual air defense drills.

Shahram, who is also the spokesman of the drills, stated 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 drones flying in different altitudes.

Earlier, the Commander of Khatam al-Anbia Air Defense Base Brigadier General Farzad Esmayeeli had announced that "the military exercise will be carried out in an area of more than 850,000 square kilometers."

"The drills aim to display the full strength and preparedness of Iran's air defense forces to defend its Eastern borders," he stressed.

Source: FNA, Edited by moqawama.org