Iran set to hold massive military exercise in late September
By Sara Rajabova
Iran's armed forces are scheduled to stage massive military maneuvers this month.
Commander of Khatam al-Anbiya Air Defense Base Brigadier General Farzad Esmaili has announced that the exercise, dubbed the Modafe'an-e Aseman-e Velayat 5 (Defenders of the Velayat Skies 5), would be held late in September, Press TV reported.
Esmaili further said the maneuver would be larger than the previous military exercise, which was held in eastern Iran last year.
He noted that various long-range radars and passive defense systems would be tested during the drill, adding that the maneuver would cover hard-to-reach valleys under extreme weather conditions.
In July, Esmaili said that during the exercises Iran's army will test the latest achievements in the field of air defense.
Furthermore, Esmaili pointed to Iran's growth in air defense systems in recent years, and said that Iran's air defense capability is so advanced that it is not comparable to what it could do during the Iraqi-imposed war on Iran in the 1980s.
He stressed that at present, the air defense units' capability, capacity and expertise can ward off any threat in the region, adding that the air defense forces enjoy a "desirable" level of preparedness.
Esmaili added that Iran has deployed two new radar systems, Shahab and Samen, to identify and trace stealth targets, adding that the country is deploying even more new radar systems and upgraded its electronic surveillance systems in a bid to still boost its air defense capabilities.
He further pointed to the achievements made in the missile sector, saying that the Ya Zahra missile system which was used in previous wargames will also appear in future military drills to display some new special capabilities, including destruction of low-altitude targets in the shortest time of engagement possible.
Iran's Army and the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) conducted a joint drill, titled Modafe'an-e Aseman-e Velayat 4 (Defenders of the Velayat Skies 4), in November 2012.
The drills covered an area of 950,000 square kilometers in the provinces of Khorasan Razavi, North Khorasan, South Khorasan, Sistan-and-Baluchestan, Hormuzgan, Kerman and parts of Fars and Yazd provinces.
The advanced home-made Ya Zahra air defense missile system was among the systems tested in the wargames.
The air defense weapon is capable of identifying, intercepting and destroying aerial targets, including different types of aircraft, choppers and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
Ya Zahra is a mobile system that can be linked to the country's integrated air defense network and is capable of engaging and destroying several aerial targets simultaneously and also has a powerful fast reaction and full detection capabilities.
During the wargames, Iran also tested a variety of missile systems, including anti-cruise weapons.
Also, artillery, shoulder-launched weapons and low-altitude missile systems were used in the military drills.
Iranian air defense units also exercised targeting unmanned aerial vehicles with anti-aircraft Hawk missiles.
The Iranian army recently test-fired different types of newly-developed missiles and torpedoes and tested a large number of its domestic weapons, tools and equipment, including submarines, military ships, artillery, choppers, aircraft, UAVs and air defense and electronic systems during massive military drills.
Iran has repeatedly stated that its military might poses no threat to other countries, reiterating that its defense doctrine is based on deterrence.
Tehran says that the maneuvers are defensive in nature and meant to convey a message of peace and friendship to regional countries.