On the first day of the war game, codenamed Defenders of Velayat Skies 7, the Iranian Air Defense employed a broad range of equipment, including homegrown and tactical radars, mobile watch posts, and ground-based and air-based eavesdropping systems.
The Air Defense also flew patrol and reconnaissance aircraft to detect ground and naval targets, practiced crisis management in case of CBRN (chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear) attacks, and ran cyber and electronic warfare systems.
Involving more than 17,000 military forces, the war game covers an area of 496,000 square kilometers in Iran’s southern areas, mainly the provinces of Hormozgan, Bushehr and Khuzestan.
Forces from the Army Air Defense, IRGC Aerospace Force, Navy, Police and Basij (mobilization forces), artillery units of the Army and the IRGC, and fighter jets from the Air Force are taking part in the maneuver, whose main purpose is improving coordination among various air defense units of the armed forces.
According to officials, the exercise has set a record in the tactical mobility of armed forces, after the rapid deployment of radar and missile systems, artillery units, as well as communication and electronic warfare systems to the operation zone.
Iran’s Air Defense holds routine military exercises throughout the year. The country’s integrated air defense network protects 3,700 sensitive sites across the country, including nuclear facilities.