Iran will launch war games Saturday involving a range of aircraft, in which the primary functions were air combat and destroying targets in the air and on the ground, the semi-official Fars news agency reported Friday.
The report attributed the announcement of the drill to Iranian Air Force Brigadier General Alireza Barkhor, who said that the exercise will involve three stages: reconnaissance and intelligence; striking targets; and “passive air defense.”
Loading ...He said that the objective of the drill was to boost the skills of the Air Force commanders, conduct operations in simulated combat zone, test defense achievements and display “the combat might of the Iranian Armed Forces.”
“The exercises will be held tomorrow in Isfahan and all fighter jets, bomber jets, transport planes, reconnaissance aircraft, refueling planes and different kinds of drones will take part in these war games,” Barkhor said.
Israel’s Channel 10 reported Tuesday that Iran has bolstered defenses at its nuclear facilities, introduced new radar systems, and “raised its alert” for fear of an Israeli attack. The regime has also being carrying out a series of drills and exercises, including testing anti-aircraft missiles above its Bushehr reactor, the report said.
“The Air Force, alongside other Iranian Armed Forces, is tasked with defending and protecting the country’s airspace, but it has the message of security, stability, friendship and peace for the regional countries,” the report quoted Barkhor as saying.
A senior Air Force commander announced in August that Iran had “attained self-sufficiency in overhauling military aircraft,” despite the international sanctions imposed on the Islamic Republic over its nuclear program, Fars said.
“Thanks God and thanks to the Iranian Air Force experts and engineers, we have become self-sufficient in airplane overhauling, pilot training and many other fields,” Iranian Air Force Brigadier General Mehdi Hadiyan claimed at the time, the report said.
