Iran's most senior military commander visits one of the Army's secret underground bases,
which houses a huge fleet of cutting-edge Iranian drones.
During his visit on Saturday, Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces
Major General Mohammad Baqeri got a first-hand account of the Iranian Army’s capabilities
in the development of different types of military, combat and long-range drones.
Iran Army unveils new drone, cruise missile
The Iranian Army also unveiled two new military achievements for the first time during the
top commander's visit to the secret base, called the strategic drone base 313.
The first achievement, Heidar 1 cruise missile, has a range of 200 kilometers and a top speed
of 1,000 km/h when hitting a target.
Heidar 1 is the first cruise missile capable of being launched from a drone.
The Army also unveiled Heidar 2 cruise drone, which can be mounted on a helicopter.
Iran never underestimates threats, always remains vigilant: Baqeri
Addressing Army commanders and activists in the field of designing and manufacturing drones,
Baqeri said Iran will never underestimate threats and always remain vigilant.
He highlighted the significance of drones in modern combats, and said the Iranian Army
has a precise understanding of what is required for future battles and has equipped itself
with new methods and military equipment.
The senior Iranian commander added that drones are becoming more important among the equipment
and methods of battle in various defensive, offensive, ground, naval, air defense, reconnaissance,
surveillance, electronic warfare, and dozens of other operations.
Baqeri said the country is currently producing all equipment needed for manufacturing drones.
"In fact, in each case, we have to examine the possible combat scene with [the help of]
a wise, precise and impartial war game, ... and if we come to the conclusion that we need
some changes, we must enter [the scene of battle] bravely," he pointed out.
Iran's capability to upgrade drones unstoppable: Army chief commander
During a visit to the strategic drone base 313, the chief commander of Iran’s Army,
Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi, said the Armed Forces are now capable of manufacturing
all they require to defend the country and conduct their missions.
"Our [efforts] to upgrade [our] combat power, including drone capability, cannot be stopped,"
he added.
He added that the Iranian Army displayed only parts of its drone capability, and emphasized
that the policy of the Chiefs of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces is to safeguard the
country's independence and territory and establish security for the Iranian people in the face
of possible threats.
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.
Iran started developing drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), in the 1980s during
its eight-year war with Iraq.
The US and Israel accuse Iran of dispatching fleets of drones to its proxies in the Middle
East, including Lebanon's Hezbollah movement, the regime of Syria's President Bashar al-Assad
and Yemen's Huthi rebels.
Video aired on state television showed Iran's armed forces chief of staff General Mohammad
Bagheri and army commander Abdolrahim Mousavi visiting the underground site.
"More than 100 combat, reconnaissance and attack drones belonging to the army are kept
for operations in this base located in the heart of the Zagros mountains," the report
said.
Bagheri, quoted by the official news agency IRNA, described the site as a "safe operational
base for strategic drones".
"We never underestimate threats, we never assume the enemy is asleep, and we are constantly
alert and vigilant," he added.
Mousavi told state television the base was located "several hundred metres (yards) underground",
without giving further details.
State TV said the flagship of the fleet was the "Kaman-22", a drone equipped with missiles
and able to fly at least 2,000 kilometres (1,245 miles).
The US Treasury slapped sanctions on the drone programme of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary
Guard Corps in October last year.
It accused the Guards of being behind a September 2019 drone strike on a Saudi oil refinery,
as well as a July 2021 drone attack on a commercial ship off the coast of Oman that killed two
crewmen.