Iran drills: Missile defense systems deployed against mock hostile aircraft

Iran has successfully test-fired its long-range surface-to-air S-200 missile as its air defense drills enter the final phase in the country’s southern belt.

Wednesday marked the third and final day of Modafean-e-Aseman-e-Velayat 7 (The Defenders of Velayat Skies 7) wargames featuring Iran’s Army and the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC).

Military commanders from either force came together in the city of Bushehr before S-200 was successfully fired at its designated target on the back of relevant detection and tracking activity.

The day also witnessed the enlisted forces deploying missile defense systems against mock hostile aircraft as per schedule. 

In the morning phase of the exercises, the participating forces debuted the Talash (Endeavor) missile defense system on the southern Khark Island to destroy mock intruding drones.

To eliminate the aircraft, which transpired in under a second, the apparatus had to be operated in tandem with the Ofoq (Horizon) Airborne Fire-Control Radar (AFCR).

Elsewhere on the island, various other missile systems, including Mersad (Ambush), were deployed to annihilate mock aggressive aircraft using medium-range missiles.

The maneuvers’ spokesman Second Head of Brigade Abbas Farajpour said -- despite prior warning, which had been issued to foreign and domestic aircraft to avoid the drills’ general area -- aircraft belonging to extra-regional forces had to be warned away again on 12 occasions during the drills.

The maneuvers take place over an area measuring 496,000 square kilometers throughout Iran’s southern, southeastern, and southwestern parts, the skies above which constitute the country’s most frequented ones.

They involve around 17,000 military personnel. They seek to hone coordination among the different divisions of the Armed Forces employed to defend the country’s airspace.

The second day witnessed the recruits practicing high-precision targeting against mock invasive aircraft. It also featured first-ever application of the long-range aerospace telecommunications system named Aseman (Sky), which provided sustainable contact among the elements of the drill over a range of 150 kilometers.

During the first day’s escapades, various defensive apparatuses were successfully scrambled to designated positions in record time. The forces also tried their hands at intelligence gathering and electronic warfare.

Also debuting during the drills was the Jabbar (Authoritative) Smoke Generation System, which was used to create smokescreen complicating the mock enemy’s observation of action stations.

Having successfully attained all its designated targets, the maneuvers concluded with a parade of the select best-performing units, which had rendered their services to the event.

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