Daily Times

Iran’s armed forces will on Wednesday launch large scale drone drills across the country involving 150 unmanned aerial vehicles to show off its “power”, state media reported Tuesday. “The accuracy and power of weapons… the capabilities of guidance and control systems and the combat capabilities of drones are among the things that will be tested and evaluated in this exercise,” deputy coordinator of the armed forces Admiral Habibollah Sayyari told the state broadcaster. “This is the first time that a joint drone exercise is conducted at the level of the four forces of the Islamic republic of Iran’s army and the country’s joint air defence base,” Sayyari added. No details were given as to how long the exercises would last. Iran started developing drones in the 1980s during its eight-year war with Iraq. “This is only a part of the drone power of… Iran’s army, which is carrying out operations in various reconnaissance, surveillance and combat missions,” Sayyari added. The drills will take place “from the warm waters of the Gulf and the Sea of Oman in the south, to the eastern, western, northern and central parts of the country,” he said.