Iranian state television on Saturday broadcast footage of an air force base for drones under the Zagros mountain range in the west of the country. The exact location of the base was not revealed, although the TV reporter said he travelled on a helicopter for nearly 40 minutes from the city of Kermanshah to reach it.
State TV said 100 drones were being kept in the heart of the Zagros mountains, including Ababil-5, which it said were fitted with Qaem-9 missiles, an Iranian-made version of air-to-surface U.S. Hellfire. The secret drone facility of the Iranian Army is built 100 meters under the ground.
Armed Forces Chief of Staff Major General Mohammad Bagheri and Army Commander-in-chief Major General Seyed Abdolrahim Mousavi were present at the unveiling ceremony.
Speaking on the sidelines of the ceremony, the Army chief said boosting drone capabilities is unstoppable.
“Today, we had the opportunity to present part of the drone capability of the Iranian army,” Mousavi said, adding, “All these facilities have been provided in line with the foresight of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution and the desired policies of the General Staff of the Armed Forces so that we can do our main task and mission, which is to defend independence of the Islamic Republic and the borders, as well as our country’s prosperity and the establishment of the security of the great nation of Iran.”
He added that the Armed Forces are working to improve their combat capability as much as necessary.
Heidar-2, Iran’s UAV which can be mounted on a helicopter
To achieve this goal in all areas, especially in the field of drone capability through indigenous knowledge, “we have made great progress to date,” the top general remarked.
“You are seeing some of these capabilities that are equipped with all kinds of domestic Iranian warfare and equipment here. Our greatest achievement is that we are not dependent on any country and we provide everything we need to defend the country and carry out missions, and in no way the upgrade of our combat capability, including the upgrade of drone capability, is stoppable,” Mousavi noted.
The army chief stated that he thanks God that the Army can defend the strong and resilient Iranian nation.
“A variety of drones are currently conducting missions in the armed forces, including the army. From the smallest drones to the largest, which is named ‘Kaman 22’. Each of these drones have a variety of missions. For local, tactical and strategic missions, we need a variety of reconnaissance, combat, destroying, scramble, and other types of drones that can perform the missions,” Mousavi elaborated.
The need to strengthen long-range drones with high flight continuity and great capability to carry heavy ammunition to hit strategic targets caused Iran to put upgrading the capabilities of existing drones and equipping them with missiles and bombs with different ranges on the agenda, he stated.
“With the help of motivated, committed and professional youth, we will continue the path of self-reliance by designing and mass-producing drones,” the Army chief concluded.
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Sources: Tehran Times; RUDAW; Haaretz; YouTube; Iran International