Iran to stage military drills of UAV for 1st time
By Sara Rajabova
Following the shooting down of an alleged Israeli spy drone by Iran's armed forces, the Iranian army is planning to hold military exercises of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) for the first time in the new future.
Deputy Commander of the Army's Ground Forces Brigadier General Kioumars Heidari said the army's ground forces will hold the drill in the Iranian calendar month of Aban (October 23-November 21).
Heidari added that the exact location of the exercise will be specified soon.
Earlier the Commander of the Iranian Army Ground Forces, Brigadier General Ahmad Reza Pourdastan said that the UAV military drills will take place in the sky of the central Iranian Qom or Esfahan provinces.
The Iranian media outlets say that the country has achieved great progress in the field of UAV manufacturing. Iran unveiled its first domestically manufactured long-range combat drone, the Karrar (Striker), on August 23, 2010. Since then the country has manufactured a variety of other high-tech surveillance and combat unmanned aerial vehicles. The country showcased its largest yet home-made UAV, titled 'Fotros' last November.
The first Iranian medium-altitude long-endurance UAV, the Shahed-129 was unveiled in September 2012, which is capable of carrying out combat and reconnaissance missions for 24 hours.
Iran started mass production of the "Yasir" UAV in September 2013. The UAV is equipped with light powerful modern cameras, and can precisely control the target. The Yasir UAV can be used for rescue, military operations and for controlling traffic.
On August 24, Iran unveiled two unmanned aerial vehicles, Karrar-4 and Mohajer-4.
Besides, Iranian Army's Ground Force received new homemade military equipments including 155mm self-propelled howitzer, 14.5 mm sniper rifle and armored vehicle.
The equipments were handed over to the units of the Army's Ground Force in the country's western and eastern regions on August 26, IRNA news agency reported.
The 14.5mm sniper rifle dubbed Shaher was unveiled in 2012. The rifle is capable of targeting and destroying concrete strongholds, armored vehicles and choppers within the range of 3 kilometers.
The 155mm self-propelled howitzer dubbed Hoveyzeh is based on the American-made M109A1. The howitzer is a rebuilt M-109A1, which has been built using scraped and decommissioned M-109s. Many parts of the vehicle are manufactured by the Iranian army defense industry.
Iranian army Groud Force also was equipped with armored vehicle armed with 23-mm cannon dubbed Sedad. The armored vehicle is Russian-made BTR-82 type.
In recent years, Iran has made major breakthroughs in its defense sector and attained self-sufficiency in producing important military equipment and systems.
Iran has also conducted several military drills to enhance the defense capabilities of its armed forces and to test modern military tactics and equipment.
Since 1992, Iran has manufactured its own tanks, armored personnel carriers, missiles, radars, boats, submarines and fighter planes. Tehran has frequently announced that its military might poses no threat to other countries, stating that its defense doctrine is based on deterrence.