Baku, Azerbaijan, April 12
By Umid Niayesh - Trend:
The Iranian army will hold military exercises of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) for the first time.
The army's ground forces will hold the drill in the new future, Commander of the Iranian Army Ground Forces, Brigadier General Ahmad-Reza Pourdastan said, the country's Fars news agency reported on April 12.
Pourdastan made the remarks during a press conference on the eve of Iran's Army Day which will be celebrated on April 18.
"The UAV military exercises will take place in the sky of central Iranian Qom or Esfahan cities," the commander added.
On April 18, Iran celebrates the Day of the Armed Forces, on the occasion of which a military parade will be held in Tehran. All units of the Iranian Armed Forces and the Islamic revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) will participate in the parade. The parade will take place in front of the mausoleum of former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khomeini.
The Iranian media outlets say that the country has achieved great progress in the field of UAV manufacturing.
Iran unveiled its largest yet home-made UAV, titled 'Fotros' on Nov. 18, 2013.
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 Sep. 2013. Yasir can fly at an altitude of 15,000 ft., be in flight for eight hours, cover the distance of 200 km, and does not need a runway.
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.