TEHRAN, Nov. 17 (Xinhua) --Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi said Saturday that the recent air defense dill of the country was "successful," semi-official Fars news agency reported.
Iran "successfully" tested the latest homemade weapons and equipment during the recent exercise in the eastern part of the country, Vahidi said, adding that the dril" inefficiency" of western sanctions against the Islamic republic.
The West has imposed unilateral sanctions against Iran's financial, oil and military sectors over the country's controversial nuclear program.
On Thursday, Iran's Army and the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) wrapped up the joint four-day air defense drill conducted in an area of more than 850,000 square km, accounting for half of the country.
Speaking to reporters on Saturday, Vahidi underlined the significance of the wargame and stated that "The latest weapon systems in air defense and in electronic, detection and surveillance fields were tested in the wargame successfully."
The new equipment have remarkably boosted the air defense units ' power, and revealed the Iranian defense industry's capabilities, he was quoted as saying.
During the drill, code-named "Modafe' an-e Aseman-e Velayat 4" or "The Defenders of the Sky of Guardianship 4" and in which a large number of soldiers participated, Iran's Army and the IRGC test-fired a range of missiles and unveiled their military achievements.
On Wednesday, Iran testified S-200 air defense missile system " successfully" in the southern port city of Bandar Abbas, the commander of Iranian Khatam al- Anbia Air Defense Base, Farzad Esmaili, said, adding that the missile system had been developed for high-altitude targets.
The missile system could als aircraft and semi-ballistic missiles, said Esmaili.
Also on the day, Iranian air force "successfully" test-fired another two homemade missile systems, "Qader" and "Ya-Zahra 3," in the eastern province of Southern Khorasan, the official IRNA news agency reported.
The "Qader" missile was equipped with electro-optic and laser rangefinder systems, while the "Ya-Zahra 3" missile was designed to be used in low altitudes, said the report.
On Wednesday, semi-official Fars news agency reported that Iranian air defense units exercised targeting an advanced homemade combat drone, called Karrar, with an indigenous anti-aircraft missile, Shalamcheh.
The Karrar UAV was capable of carrying a military payload to carry out bombing missions against ground targets, the report said, adding that it was also capable of flying long distances at a very high speed.
Iran's Shalamcheh is a Mach 3 mid-range missile that can also be used as a short-range air defense system, according to the report.
On Tuesday, Iran "successfully" test-fired the Hawk air defense system, said Fars. The state-run IRIB TV also showed a footage in which the missiles mounted on a lorry and was fired at an aircraft.
One day earlier, Vahidi unveiled a homemade hovercraft that could launch missiles and serve as a launch pad for drones.
The hovercraft was designed and developed by Iranian experts in two modear" and "Thunderbolt," and for transportation missions, said Fars.
Vahidi said "Tondar" could be equipped with different types of weapons produced by the Iranian defense industries, including rockets, guns and unmanned aerial vehicles.
"Thunderbolt" could be used "for coastal patrolling, for offensive reconnaissance operations, for mid-range amphibious missions and asymmetric defense, as a personnel and equipment carrier for logistical support for islands and coastal areas, as a command vessel, or as a sea ambulance for relief and rescue missions," he was quoted as saying.
He further added that the new hovercraft would increase the combat and reconnaissance capabilities as well as the mobility of the Iranian armed forces.
Iranian military units also practised modern tactics in response to recent threats from certain parts of the world.
Commenting on the nature of the recent military exercise, the commander of Iran's Khatam al-Anbia Air Defense Base said the drill displayed the full strength and preparedness of Iran's air defense forces to defend the Islamic republic's interests, and the message sent by the drill was "peace" for the regional and friendly countries and "a strong slap" at the enemies.
Iran has held a series of "Modafe' an-e Aseman-e Velayat" drills since years ago, aiming to prepare its air defense forces in the face of Western threats against the country'
TheUnited Statesand its Western allies suspect that the nuclear activities of the Islamic republic may aim at weapon-grade program, while Iran insists on its "peaceful" nature. The United States andIsraelhave not ruled out the possibility of striking Iran's nuclear establishment.
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