Iran mounts air-to-air, air-to-surface missiles on drones

The Iranian Army's Ground Force has equipped its Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) with air-to-air and air-to-surface missiles to reinforce its defensive measures, a senior commander announced Saturday. Commander of the Army Ground Force Brigadier General Ahmad Reza Pourdastan made remarks on the sidelines of massive Ground Force drills underway in the Central province of Isfahan since Friday. The exercises codenamed 'Beit ul-Moqaddas 26' started in the presence of Pourdastan and a number of other high-ranking Army commanders. The Ground Force staged the first phase of the drills by firing the latest home-made missiles in Isfahan province's Nasrabad region near Kashan city on Friday and started the second stage of the exercises in the same region on Saturday. Pourdastan told reporters today that the Ground Force's UAVs will have a major role in the drills, and added, "We will use all our drones which have reconnaissance, online imaging and suicide (attack) capabilities as well as the air-to-air and air-to-surface missiles mounted on them." He said that his forces will also stage electronic warfare drills during which the Ground Force units will communicate with each other while staging offensive attacks against enemies' communication systems. Iran has recently made giant advancements in aerospace industries, specially in designing and manufacturing pilotless drones. Earlier this month, Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Navy Rear Admiral Ali Fadavi announced that the IRGC has established drone bases around the strategic Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf, adding that the pilotless planes have been equipped with home-made mid-range missiles. Also in December, Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari said the IRGC is capable of mounting guided missiles and bombs on its drones. “We have recently acquired the capability to mount guided and precision-targeting missiles with pinpointing capability and bombs on drones, which is actually among branches of advanced hi-tech in this field,” Jafari told reporters in Tehran. He referred to Iran’s latest achievements in building drones, and said, “Our latest achievement in this regard is a drone which can fly for 30 hours and high-speed engines can increase its range.” Also in November, Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan announced that Iran's new drone enjoys unique strategic capabilities, including 30-hour-long flight durability, and has been developed for combat and surveillance missions. Dehqan said the new drone, ‘Fotros’, has been designed and built by the Iranian Airplane Manufacturing Industries Company affiliated to the Defense Ministry’s Aviation Industries in cooperation with knowledge-based companies and academic centers and on the basis of the needs of the country’s Armed Forces. “This strategic drone has an operational range of 2,000 kilometers, and can fly to a ceiling of 25,000 feet in altitude for 16 to 30 hours, and these specifications enable it to conduct combat missions in addition to surveillance and reconnaissance missions," Dehqan said addressing a ceremony held in Tehran to unveil the new drone. The minister said Fotros can be armed with various types of "air-to-surface missiles and rockets". He underlined that the reliability test of the drone has been successfully conducted in the country’s laboratories and test centers, including standard international land tests at low, medium and high speed, adding that test results have been even better than what was expected. The minister further pointed to the missions which could be done by Fotros in detail, and said the drone can be used for “protecting land and sea borders, monitoring oil pipelines, telecommunication lines and road traffic control, monitoring affected areas during earthquakes, blaze and floods, and environment protection", adding that it can send "real-time photos and images while it is on a missions". He reiterated that Iran’s Defense Ministry has become self-sufficient in designing and manufacturing different kinds of defensive, offensive and surveillance drones. General Dehqan underlined that Iranian researchers are currently working on various models and designs of drones according to the country’s defensive needs. Also in September 2012, Iran announced that it has started using UAVs for its air defense units as part of its broader plans for strengthening the country's air defense capability. Speaking to reporters on the occasion of the National Day of Air Defense here in Tehran on September 3, 2012, Commander of Iran's Air Defense Unit Brigadier General Farzad Esmayeeli said Iran has equipped its air defense units with Haazem drones. Haazem is a drone designed and manufactured by Iranian air defense experts in three short, mid and long range models and for air defense missions. The drone can be used as a target for air defense systems and also for reconnaissance missions. The UAV can also be equipped with missiles and used for aerial bombardments as well.