Iran Army features new helicopters, missiles in northeast military exercise

The Iranian Army’s Ground Forces presented their operational capabilities during a large-scale military exercise held in the northeastern Iran.

News ID: 5837

Date: 21 January 2025 - 23:13

TABNAK, Jan 21: The military drill featured various units of the Army Ground Forces, including artillery, armored divisions, airborne units, drone squads, electronic warfare units, and missile groups, all participating to enhance their operational readiness and effectiveness in potential combat scenarios.

Brigadier General Karim Cheshak, deputy commander for Army’s Ground Forces for Operations, said on Tuesday that the exercise involved the use of Fajr-5 missiles and precision-guided artillery, supported by heavy fire from Cobra helicopters targeting simulated terrorist group locations.

The primary objective of the war game was to enhance the combat readiness of the Army Ground Forces, he said.

“This exercise prepares our forces for response and counter-operations against any aggressive action,” he said.

He further noted that the drill aimed to demonstrate Iran’s military edge and power in the face of psychological operations by the enemy while boosting national morale, unity, and cohesion.

The commander said that the exercise also sought to promote deterrence and disrupt enemy calculations. “We rehearsed pre-planned strategies using the latest weapons and equipment of the Army Ground Forces,” he added.

Brigadier General Nozar Nemati, deputy commander of the Ground Forces, said an "integrated system for countering all types of UAVs", which had previously been in the testing phase, has now been operationally assessed during this exercise.

Iranian forces successfully destroyed hostile targets with Fajr-5 missiles, displaying their ability to deploy UAVs directly from their bases to target and eliminate simulated enemy fortifications and equipment.

In addition, Second Brigadier General Qassem Khamoushi, commander of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army Aviation (IRIAA), reported the successful completion of the 65th Airborne Special Forces Brigade’s first nighttime heliborne operation.

This operation used night vision equipment installed on the helicopters, he said.