Iran Air Defense Forces Stage Large-Scale Drill

Air defense units of the Iranian Army and the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps launched a major joint military exercise on Monday.
The air defense exercise includes forces from the Khatam al-Anbia Air Defense Base, the IRGC Aerospace Force and squadrons from the Air Force, Tasnim News Agency reported.
The wargame, codenamed Velayat, is being held in an area spanning half a million square kilometers in northern, central and western Iran.
The drill involves tactics to employ command and control systems to detect, track and intercept hostile targets, conducting air defense operations in electronic warfare, using passive aerial detection systems as well as air-based defense gear, including manned and unmanned aircraft, and countering anti-radiation and cruise missiles.
Iran’s air defense forces hold annual wargames to boost capabilities to defend the country’s airspace.
In comments in September, Leader of Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei underlined the important role played by the Air Defense Base in protecting the country, saying the base is on the frontline of countering enemies.
A domestically developed 35-millimeter cannon was unveiled on the same day and the air defense forces employed the new indigenous weapon during the military exercise.
The artillery system, dubbed Seraj, features a 35-mm cannon with modified shells and is equipped with a radar system and an optical system.
Gunners detonated dummy hostile drones with Seraj cannons at various distances over the sky of the wargame’s zone.
The new artillery system is capable of detecting and targeting small flying objects.