Iranian Army Ground Force to Hold 4 Wargames: Commander


TEHRAN (Tasnim) - Commander of the Iranian Army Ground Force Brigadier General Ahmad Reza Pourdastan announced Saturday that his forces are scheduled to stage 4 military drills during the current Iranian year (started on March 21), two of which he said are expert wargames.

Speaking at a press conference here in Tehran on Saturday, held to brief reporters on the plans to mark Iran’s National Army Day on April 18, the senior commander said the Army Ground Force will hold 4 military exercises during the current Iranian year.

Two of the planned drills will be held in Iran’s southeastern and southwestern regions respectively, Pourdastan explained, adding that the entire units of the armored, artillery, airborne and Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) divisions will participate in the exercises.

He also unveiled plans for another two “expert” drills.

For the first time, the ground forces will stage an “expert drone wargame” either in the Aliabad region, near the central city of Qom, or in the central province of Isfahan, the commander noted.

And the fourth wargame on the agenda includes an “expert cyber drill”, he added.

Brigadier General Pourdastan further pointed to the latest achievements of the Iranian experts and technicians in the sphere of military equipment, saying the Ground Force’s newest weapon, a six-barrel firearm, will be officially unveiled on April 20.

The new weapon, dubbed “Moharram”, is a 50 caliber firearm with high-speed shooting capability, he explained.

The Iranian military experts and technicians serving in the Army Ground Force have in recent years made great headways in manufacturing a broad range of indigenous equipment, making the force self-sufficient in the arms sphere.

Earlier in September 2013, Brigadier General Pourdastan unveiled the force's latest version of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), dubbed ‘Yasir’.

According to the senior commander, Yasir, which enjoys high flight capability, has been locally mass-produced.

According to the commander, the Research and Self-Sufficiency Jihad Organization of the Iranian Army has conducted remarkable work in producing new equipment, especially electronic warfare systems.

Pourdastan had also announced earlier that the country has equipped army units with a new type of advanced suicide drone which is capable of destroying both air and ground targets.