TEHRAN -- The commander of the Iranian Army Aviation says his unit possesses the most powerful helicopter fleet in the West Asia region.
Brigadier General Yousef Ghorbani made the comment at a ceremony commemorating the martyrdom anniversary of distinguished Iranian pilot Ali Akbar Shiroodi during the Iraq-Iran war in the 1980s in the western province of Kermanshah.
He said sustainable security across the country and along its borders has been achieved thanks to the sacrifices of martyr Shiroodi and other martyrs.
The memory of such martyrs should be kept alive, he said, adding that the people and the youths should know how the enemy’s tanks were targeted and destroyed by Martyr Shiroodi.
“Today, if the aviation unit is the most powerful helicopter fleet in West Asia, and the Islamic Republic of Iran is powerful in the world, and causes jitters among the Zionists, it is by virtue of the blood of the martyrs,” Ghorbani said.
“The aviation unit stands with all its strength when the country faces defense issues, and in times of peace, it stands by the people in disasters and dangers,” he added.

The top commander further said Iran is currently in a position to disrupt the military equations of the so-called superpowers, adding that the enemy is plotting to destroy the Islamic establishment at any moment, but all their plots are foiled with a speech by the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.
Touching upon the cutting-edge technology of the aviation unit’s helicopter fleet, Ghorbani said some of the equipment of the world’s most advanced choppers have been mounted on Iranian helicopters, such as domestically-manufactured night vision systems.
Iranian military experts and engineers have in recent years made remarkable breakthroughs in manufacturing a broad range of indigenous equipment, making the armed forces self-sufficient.
Iranian officials have made clear 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 open for negotiations.