Iranian army wraps up military drill in southeastern country

Source: Xinhua| 2018-01-25 01:01:54|Editor: Mu Xuequan
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TEHRAN, Jan. 24 (Xinhua) -- The Iranian army concluded the military drill in southeastern parts of the country on Wednesday.

In the third and last day of the large-scale war game, the navy's vessels staged a parade in front of high-ranking officials, including Army Commander Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi, Tasnim news agency reported.

Dozens of vessels, including combat ships, missile-launching vessels, auxiliary ships, and heavy and light submarines, the navy's helicopters as well as the air force's fighter jets and helicopters participated in the parade.

On Monday, Iran launched the exercise, code-named Muhammad Rasulullah-5, covering an expanse of 2.2 million square km, including all of the Makran coasts and the Sea of Oman in the southeast of the country.

On Tuesday, the Iranian naval force tested the indigenous Qadir cruise missile during the war game, semi-official Fars news agency reported.

The missile, which was test-fired for the first time, could destroy simulated enemy target deep in the sea during the military exercise.

The Qadir (meaning "almighty") missile, with a range of 300 km, is a new generation of cruise missiles capable of destroying marine targets with high precision and power. It can be fired from both coasts and vessels.

Besides, the Iranian army "successfully" fired short-range Nasr missile from an onshore mobile launcher to destroy a naval target on Tuesday, Tasnim said.

On the second day of the war game, combined sonic and magnetic demining operations were conducted by the navy's helicopters.

In the meantime, the enemies' simulated planes and drones as well as cruise missiles were destroyed by the air defense units of the army at low, mid and high altitudes, Fars said.

The drill continued Tuesday with testing of radar and surveillance systems to detect ground and aerial activities by the mock enemy, spokesperson Rear Admiral Lower Half Mahmoud Mousavi said.

The exercise continued using missiles and artillery fire to eliminate the assumed threats, Mahmoud Mousavi told Press TV.

Army's Deputy Commander for Coordination, Habibollah Sayyari, said on Monday that the maneuvers were aimed at improving defense capabilities, enhancing the preparedness and morale of the servicemen, and evaluating training tactics, fire power and coordination among forces.

Also, the drill was to promote the capabilities of the army forces and convey the message of peace and friendship to other regional countries, he said.

The first day of the drill on Monday featured the use of various precision-strike rockets and laser-guided artillery. Heavy and light submarines as well as helicopters were also deployed during in the exercise.

During the first day of the war game, combat choppers of the army ground force airborne division opened heavy fire on the hypothetical enemy's naval vessels approaching the coast.

In the meantime, the reports said that Iranian military aircraft gave warning to two foreign warships near the country's southern waters on Monday, forcing the vessels to leave the zone of an ongoing war game.

In the early hours of the exercise on Monday, two warships belonging to the "coalition forces" approached the drill zone to monitor the Iranian navy units, the spokesperson for the war game, Mousavi said.

After army drones detected the two intruding vessels, Iranian patrolling and reconnaissance aircraft flew over the coalition warships, gave them warnings and forced them to leave the drill zone.

Additionally, Commander of the Iranian army ground force Brig. Gen. Kiomars Heidari said Monday that during the first day of the massive military drill in the southeastern parts of the country, the army forces successfully test-fired a rocket named "Labbayk-1" and a mobile artillery battery.

All military equipment used in the war game have been completely designed and manufactured by local experts at Iran's Defense Ministry, Heidari was quoted as saying by Tasnim.

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