TEHRAN -- Iran on Friday
announced its first naval drone-carrying division in the Indian Ocean as U.S. President Joe Biden fired a volley of threatening shots during his visit of the Middle East to purportedly rally Arab support to against the Islamic Republic.
Each ship carried 50 drones in the division which also included submarines. The drones that were displayed on Friday included the Pelican, Arash, Homa, Chamrosh, Jubin, Ababil-4 and Bavar-5.
The division, as part of Iran’s southern naval fleet, is capable of carrying various combat, surveillance, and suicide drones.
Other than drones that use vertical takeoff systems that were launched from vessels, combat drones were launched from submarines including homegrown Fateh and Tareq.
This makes Iran the only country in the region with the ability to launch UAVs from vessels.
Chief commander of Iran’s Army Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi lauded the successful military exercise, pointing to the need to boost the country’s defense capabilities in the face of threats. He said that given the “aggressive behavior” of the enemies, “it is necessary to add to our defense power by the day”.
Emerging fields such as drones are of great importance and have a decisive role in strengthening defense power, he said.
“Surveillance drones increase the intelligence power of our vessels hundreds of kilometers beyond the borders,” Gen. Mousavi said.
Combat and suicide drones, the commander said, act as the upper hand of the Islamic Republic of Iran in international waters, “both creating deterrence against threats and if required, giving the enemies a response that will make them regret in case they commit a mistake”.
Navy chief Rear Admiral Shahram Irani said the upgrade enables the naval force to have operational and air superiority in the depth of oceans and boosts Iran’s intelligence capabilities hundreds of kilometers away from surface and subsurface units.
Iran’s military doctrine holds that the country’s armed capability solely serves defensive purposes and poses no threat to other states.
Iranian military experts and technicians have in recent years made substantial headway in manufacturing a broad range of indigenous equipment, making the armed forces self-sufficient in the weaponry sphere.
Officials have repeatedly underscored that Iran will not hesitate to boost its military capabilities, including its missile and drone power and that Iran’s defense capabilities will be never subject to negotiation.
Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has repeatedly called for efforts to maintain and boost Iran’s defense capabilities, hitting back at the enemies for disputing the country’s defense program.