The Iranian Army and the Aerospace Division of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) have started joint air defense drills in the south of the country.
Launch of a missile of the Mersad air defence missile system (Photo: irna.ir / Hossein Heidarpour)
Joint air defense drills have been started by the Iranian Army and the Aerospace Division of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) in the south of the country, the PressTV news portal reported on Monday.
The drills, codenamed Modafean Aseman Velayat 7 (The Defenders of Velayat Skies 7), were started early Monday at the order of commander of the IRGC’s Khatam al-Anbiya Air Defense Base, Brigadier General Farzad Esmaili.
According to PressTV, the three-day maneuvers are taking place in the southern, southeastern, and southwestern parts of Iran, over an area, measuring 496,000 square kilometers (308,000 square miles), the sky over which is one of the most frequented of the country.
The main aim of the military exercises is to refine coordination among various divisions of the Iranian Armed Forces, which are used to defend the country’s airspace. According to the news portal, on the first day, the drills were held in two stages.
About 17,000 servicemen participated in the first stage of the drills and simulated a large-scale electronic warfare. Domestic and foreign planes have been cautioned to stay away from the drill zone.
The second stage was started in the afternoon and focused on practicing of intelligence gathering during reconnaissance missions, as well as on taking aerial footage from designated targets in the sea with usage of reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
Servicemen actively used the Iranian Matla’el-Fajr (the Emergence of Dawn) and Fath (Conquest) 2 radars, as well as tapping devices and mobile outposts for visual monitoring in order to collect intelligence and relay the data to decision-making centers. The army’s forces also carried out crisis management exercises to counter psychological warfare, and used low-, medium-, and high-range missile systems during the second phase.
Launch of a missile of the Mersad air defence missile system
A command post of the Mersad air defence missile system
The Mersad air defence missile systems with anti-aircraft missiles
Position-radar stations of the Mersad air defence missile system
Adjustment and launch of targets
Loading of the SAM FM-80 anti-aircraft missiles into a transporter-launcher container
Those Mersad missiles look suspiciously much like like the US Hawk missile system. That’s like 1960’s technology. I doubt the US Chairforce and IDF will lose much sleep over those. Although it might still be useful against the Saudi’s. The Laurel and Hardy Air Force of the world.
Those terrible hats…it would be much easier to take the Iranians seriously if they didn’t wear such really awful hats.