Iran’s Navy Fires Cruise Missiles in War Game
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The Iranian Navy launched cruise, coast-to-sea and sea-to-sea missiles in an ongoing military exercise in the country’s southern waters.
During the second day of the large-scale naval drill, codenamed Velayat-97, on Saturday, the homegrown ‘Naqdi’ destroyer and ‘Tabarzin’ corvette launched ‘Qader’ and ‘Qadeer’ cruise missiles at offshore targets.
Moreover, the Navy’s onshore systems fired coast-to-sea missiles to detonate the hypothetical enemy’s vessels.
Qader and Qadeer missiles, with a range of 250 km and 300 km respectively, can be fired from vessels, coastal systems, and military aircraft.
The war game is being held in an area of 2 million square kilometers in Iran’s southern waters, from the Strait of Hormuz to the southeastern coasts of Makran, the Sea of Oman and the northern parts of the Indian Ocean, down to the 10-degrees latitude.
The drill is held in four separate phases, including naval parades, simulation of a real naval war, maritime and land offense to practice recapturing the territories occupied by the enemy, and the display of the Navy’s power by launching various types of missiles and torpedoes.
The Navy flies patrol, reconnaissance and bomber drones for the first time during the war game.
Iran’s Armed Forces hold routine military exercises throughout the year.
Iranian officials have repeatedly underscored that the country will not hesitate to strengthen its military capabilities, including its missile power, which are entirely meant for defense, and that Iran’s defense capabilities will be never subject to negotiations.
