Alwaght- Iranian armed forces have initiated a series of military drills in central parts of the country that includes defensive tactics.
The maneuvers are conducted by the Aerospace Division of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) that has deployed forces and equipment in the north-central Iranian province of Semnan.
The recent drills are the aerial defense part of a more comprehensive maneuver dubbed “Defenders of the Velayat Skies,” that kicked off on Saturday after a five-day preliminary phase.
Being conducted in an area of 35,000 square kilometers, the drills are aimed at demonstrating Iran’s power, intelligence command, and defense readiness to counter any threats.
The drills come days after the new US administration warned Iran over its missile tests with US President Donald Trump saying “Iran is playing with fire”. The threat was responded by the Iranian Foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif saying Iran gets its security from its “people”.
During the drills the armed forces will test different types of missile and radar systems, which are designed and manufactured by Iranian specialists and which have diverse ranges.
One of the missile systems, called 3rd Khordad, has a range of 75 kilometers and an altitude of 30 kilometers. It is capable of simultaneously engaging several targets and countering electronic warfare with advanced technology.
Another missile system, Tabas, has a range of 60 kilometers and an altitude of 30 kilometers. It can detect all kinds of hostile targets.
Additionally, the long-range Qadir radar system is three dimensional and can detect and track aerial threats up to a range of 1,100 kilometers.
Another radar system, called the Matla-ul-Fajr radar, is capable of tracking aerial threats and has a range of 500 kilometers. It can also detect different types of planes and drones.
The Islamic Republic has always stressed that its military might poses no threat to other countries. Recently, and in the face of the hostile public statements by the US, senior Iranian officials have voiced Iran’s readiness to defend itself. The IRGC drills are in fact being conducted partly to indicate such preparedness.
