A top Iranian Air Force commander says the Army plans to equip all border bases with domestic unmanned areal vehicles (UAVs) within the next few months.
"These drones are to carry only reconnaissance missions for the time being," Deputy Operations Commander Majid Pirhadi told Fars News Agency on Sunday.
He said that the Army would prioritize deployment to bases on its southern and western borders. Pirhadi went on to add that the Air Force was also set to procure target and decoy, combat, and research and development drones in the near future.
Noting that the Iranian armed forces have stepped up efforts to enhance the design and manufacturing of homemade drones, Pirhadi said the army was in the last stages of developing long-range drones. The drones will help bolster the army's offensive and defensive capabilities, the commander stressed.
In April, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) announced that Iran's 'stealth' drone, Pehpad, was scheduled to become operational in the second half of the current year. Pehpad is a radar-evading unmanned aerial vehicle capable of bombing and conducting reconnaissance missions. |