Iranian drones equipped with homegrown AI-powered missiles: commander

TEHRAN, Jan. 26 (Xinhua) -- A top Iranian military commander said Sunday the country's drones have been equipped with homegrown missiles that employ artificial intelligence (AI) technology, the official news agency IRNA reported.

Commander of the Navy of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Alireza Tangsiri made the remarks in an address to reporters in the southern Iranian province of Bushehr while he was elaborating on a two-day large-scale naval drill held by his forces in Iran's southern waters.

He said the IRGC Navy equipped two homegrown combat drones Mohajer-6 and Ababil-5 with the domestically developed "Qaem and Almas" missiles incorporating AI technology.

Tangsiri added the IRGC Navy and Iran's Defense Ministry are developing AI-empowered cruise missiles with operational ranges of over 1,000 km and the ability to hit targets at different altitudes.

According to Tangsiri, the drill starting on Friday off the coasts of Bushehr and Khuzestan provinces aimed to show "peace and friendship" to neighbors and show that Iran and regional states could ensure security and confront any threat. ■