Tuesday, January 3, 2023

What is the purpose of Iran’s recent drone, air defense exercises? - analysis

Iran completed the third day of its Zulfikar 1401 joint military exercise, during which it tested air-defense missiles, which it claimed destroyed an “aerial target.”

In photos released by Iran, Iranian military personnel appeared to be cheering the results. The overall perception of these drills is that, except for the use of drones to target a mock-up of a ship and a port, most are not particularly threatening. On Sunday, Iran made a mock-up of a port and a ship designed to look like Israeli targets, a clear message.

Also in the drill, Iran showed off submarines and helicopters. It claimed it had “annihilated underwater targets by firing advanced homegrown torpedoes during a large-scale war game underway in the country’s southeastern waters,” according to a report. READ MORE