Commander says Iran Army Aviation at cutting edge of technology despite sanctions

Commander of the Iranian Army’s Ground Force Brigadier General Kioumars Heidari made the remarks on Monday on the sidelines of a ceremony in the capital Tehran commemorating the martyrs of Iran’s Army Aviation.

“The Army Aviation is today on the edge of technology, and its weapons and special equipment cannot be compared with those [it possessed] during the Sacred Defense” against the former Iraqi regime’s war on Iran in the 1980s, he said.

“Today, the Army Aviation has turned into a strategic force … from a tactical unit.”

Heidari also hailed the unit’s offensive capabilities and the measures taken towards the mechanization of its navigation system.

The Army Aviation is equipped with strategic missiles, which have a range of 200 kilometers, and all its flying objects can navigate and fly at night, he noted.

Also on Monday, Commander of the Iranian Army’s Air Defense Force Brigadier General Alireza Sabahifard said that his force has always been developing and making progress despite unfair sanctions.

The force, he added, is equipping, optimizing, updating and increasing the efficiency of its air defense systems while upgrading its drones in an attempt to cut reliance on foreign countries.

Sabahifard further expressed hope that Iran’s Air Defense Force would be able to share its scientific and technical experience with other countries by the lifting of sanctions.

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 repeatedly underscored that the country will not hesitate to strengthen its military capabilities which are entirely meant f