Army Forces Gear Up for Military Drill West of Iran
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The Iranian Army’s Ground Force, Air Force and Air Defense have deployed troops and weapons to the country’s western areas in preparation for holding a massive military exercise, codenamed Moharram.
The main phase of the 2-day maneuver is scheduled to kick off on Monday. The exercise covers large areas in west and northwest of Iran.
On Sunday morning, two RF-4 aircraft of the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF) carried out reconnaissance sorties over the drill zone.
The IRIAF is going to employ a range of aircraft in the upcoming exercise, including F-4, F-5 and homegrown Saeqeh fighter jets, reconnaissance and interceptor planes, as well as Boeing 747 and C130 transport aircraft.
The Air Defense is to monitor the whole airspace over the maneuver zone. Iranian missile defense system ‘Mersad’, paired with ‘Shalamcheh’ ground-to-air missiles, will target the hypothetical enemy’s Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) during the war game.
The locally-manufactured ‘Fakour (Thoughtful)’ command and control system will be also employed as part of the Air Defense gear.
The Ground Force, meanwhile, plans to send its rapid reaction units to the target zone from a distance of 400 kilometers with airborne and ground tactics.
Other equipment to be utilized in the war game include gunships armed with machine guns and rockets, upgraded Iranian ‘Samsam’ tanks equipped with stabilizer and night-vision systems, as well as Zolfaqar tanks.
A grenade-launcher weapon with a range of 1,800 meters will also come into service in the drill.
Iran has in recent years made great headways in manufacturing a broad range of military equipment, including the air defense systems that use cutting edge technologies.
Tehran has repeatedly stated that its military might is defensive in nature and poses no threat to other countries.
