Press TV- Iran’s large-scale air defense drills have entered their final stage in the country’s southern belt, with the enlisted forces deploying missile defense systems against mock hostile aircraft as per schedule.

Wednesday marked the third and final day of Modafean-e-Aseman-e-Velayat 7 (The Defenders of Velayat Skies 7) maneuvers featuring Iran’s Army and the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC).

The morning phase of the exercises saw the participating forces debuting the Talash (Endeavor) missile defense system on the southern Khark Island to destroy mock intruding drones.

To enable the elimination of the aircraft, which transpired in under a second, the apparatus had to be operated in tandem with the Ofoq (Horizon) Airborne Fire-Control Radar (AFCR).

Elsewhere on the island, various other missile systems, including Mersad (Ambush), were deployed to annihilate mock aggressive aircraft using medium-range missiles.

The maneuvers’ spokesman Second Head of Brigade Abbas Farajpour said -- despite prior warning, which had been issued to foreign and domestic aircraft to avoid the drills’ general area -- aircraft belonging to extra-regional forces had to be warned away again on 12 occasions during the drills.

The maneuvers take place over an area measuring 496,000 square kilometers throughout Iran’s southern, southeastern, and southwestern parts, the skies above which constitute the country’s most frequented ones.

They involve around 17,000 military personnel. They seek to hone coordination among the different divisions of the Armed Forces employed to defend the country’s airspace.

The second day witnessed the recruits practicing high-precision targeting against mock invasive aircraft. It also featured first-ever application of the long-range aerospace telecommunications system named Aseman (Sky), which provided sustainable contact among the elements of the drill over a range of 150 kilometers.



[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="555"] Military equipment are seen during the second stage of the Modafean-e-Aseman-e-Velayat 7 (The Defenders of Velayat Skies 7) wargames in Iran’s southern areas, December 27, 2016 (Photo by Tasnim)[/caption]

During the first day’s escapades, various defensive apparatuses were successfully scrambled to designated positions in record time. The forces also tried their hands at intelligence gathering and electronic warfare.

Also debuting during the drills was the Jabbar (Authoritative) Smoke Generation System, which was used to create smokescreen complicating the mock enemy’s observation of action stations.