TEHRAN (Dispatches) -- Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces Major General Muhammad Baqeri says Iran is among the top seven countries in the military-grade drone industry.
Speaking at a conference on Iran’s air forces, Baqeri said the Islamic Republic started developing its drone technology during the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s and it is now among pioneering powers in the field.
"We are now among the top seven powers in this industry,” Fars news agency quoted him as saying.
Baqeri said Iran must keep up working to boost its home-grown air power and ensure it is not vulnerable to sanctions imposed by foreign powers.
"We must make progress so that enemies could not endanger Iran’s air sovereignty and Iranian aerial forces are able to provide close support for naval and ground forces,” he said.