TEHRAN -- Iran’s Army Ground Force has test-fired a strategic domestically-developed surface-to-surface missile (SSM), hitting the designated target with pinpoint precision, deputy head of the force Brigadier General Nozar Ne’mati said.
The missile named Fatih (Conquest) 360 was launched during the second stage of the Eghtedar (Authority) 1401 drills in the central Nasrabad region.
Iranian Army units also fired volleys of indigenous Fajr-5 missiles. The missile has a range of 75 kilometers and can carry 175 kg fragmentation warheads.
Ne’mati explained that Fatih 360 missile can hit strategic targets at the speed of 3,704 km per hour. The can be increased to 5,000 km/h while communicating with satellites for quick navigation and fast strikes against enemy targets.
The missile, he said, has enormous destructive power, enjoys high pinpoint accuracy, is fired from a multiple launch rocket system (MLRS), and locks on the target immediately after blast-off.
Ne’mati said the capabilities of the Iranian Army’s armored personnel carriers have also markedly improved in the face of potential threats with twin-tube Dehlavieh anti-tank missile launchers mounted on them.
Army chief Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi said the young and trained personnel of the Ground Force have integrated sophisticated and high-tech military hardware into the force, taking major strides to counter potential threats.
Mousavi said the Iranian armed forces should always upgrade their training and military equipment in accordance with possible threats.
The Army Ground Force started the two-day exercises on Wednesday.
According to Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters head Major General Gholam-Ali Rashid, the drills were designed and executed according to potential future wars and threats.
The military exercises involved infantry, armored, artillery, air force, drone, engineering, airborne and electronic warfare units supported by air force planes, said the spokesman of the drills, General Karim Cheshak.
On Thursday, Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Muhammad Bagheri hailed airborne operations carried out by Ground Force helicopters, saying they showed the high readiness of the unit.
Air Force head Brigadier General Yousef Ghorbani said the self-protection systems domestically developed to improve the safety of helicopters and upgraded Shafaq missiles were successfully tested during the drills.
He said helicopters equipped with night-vision devices (NVDs) were used for the first time in a completely offensive manner, and they successfully carried out a night combat operation.
Ghorbani also referred to the successful test of upgraded Shafaq missiles and said the accuracy and range of the missiles have been significantly improved.
They were fired from Bell AH-1 SuperCobra attack helicopters and could hit designated targets with pinpoint accuracy.
In Tabriz, Iranian Army’s Air Force commander said the Islamic republic has become self-sufficient in producing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
General Hamid Vahedi said the Air Force has made good progress in UAV production and had created the Kaman 12 and Kaman 22, two strategic and valuable UAVs, in addition to other drones developed by the Defense Ministry.
Iran is among the region’s top UAV manufacturers and its capability in UAV manufacturing is growing day by day, he added.
According to the commander, recent tests have shown that Iran’s UAVs are not only capable of carrying out reconnaissance missions, but also hitting targets with precision weapons.
During a two-day drill last month, the Iranian Army tested a variety of homemade UAVs by using them to hit mock targets with precision weapons.