Iranian Army Uses New Air Defense System for 1st Time during Drills

The Iranian Air Force has is holding a massive maneuver to test the country’s latest military equipment and to enhance its preparedness in the face of potential threats in simulated conditions of a real war.

Codenamed ‘Guardians of Velayat Sky-98,’ the military drill is being held over an area of 416,000 square kilometers in the central province of Semnan, simulating the Persian Gulf general area and the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

Various types of home-made state-of-the- art missile and radar systems as well as the Khordad 15th, which was delivered to the Air Defense Force of the Iranian Army in June this year, countered different aerial threats during the exercise.

The Khordad 15th air defense system has been paired with the ‘Sayyad-3’ long-range missiles and is capable of detecting various targets, including warplanes and intruding drones, within a range of 150 kilometers and tracking them at a range of 120 kilometers.

According to the Iranian Defense Ministry, the Khordad 15th system can also detect stealth targets within a range of 85 kilometers and hit them in a range of 45 kilometers.

It is capable of intercepting 6 targets simultaneously, and its ease of mobility would allow servicemen to prepare the air defense system for engagement in less than 5 minutes.

The air defense system is equipped with a phased array radar and independent launch pads and can effectively take action against various aerial targets, such as reconnaissance aircraft, bombers and tactical warplanes.

The Khordad 15th can be operated for shooting down targets at a maximum height of 27 kilometers and within a range of 75 kilometers.

Iranian military experts and technicians have in recent years made great headways in manufacturing a broad range of indigenous equipment, making the armed forces self-sufficient in the defense sphere.

Iran maintains that its military might poses no threat to regional countries, stressing that the Islamic Republic’s defense doctrine is entirely based on deterrence.

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