Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy Rear Admiral Ali Fadayi said the IRGC has conducted the final stage of its missile drill in the Persian Gulf, firing 4 missiles at a mock sea target.
The missiles were fired simultaneously at a sea target as large as a warship and sank it in 50 seconds, Fadayi stated.
He stressed Iran's missile capability, and noted that Iran's missile systems can reach the entire Persian Gulf coastline and beyond where the US bases are.
The Commander said the IRGC Navy plans to hold massive naval drills in the Strait of Hormuz during the current Iranian calendar year (March 2012-March 2013).
Also in July, the IRGC Aerospace Force test-fired a supersonic anti-ship ballistic missile in the last phase of the Payambar-e Azam 7 (The Great Prophet 7) massive missile wargames.
The IRGC units fired several Khalij-e Fars (Persian Gulf) naval missiles at naval targets in the last phase of the wargames.
The IRGC also exercised bombing specified targets by fighter bombers and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs).
In early 2011, Iran started the mass-production of the Persian Gulf anti-ship missile which is designed to destroy targets and hostile forces at sea.
The supersonic projectile, which carries a 650-kilogram warhead, is immune to interception and features high-precision systems.
Also on Monday, the IRGC successfully test-fired the home-made Ra'd air defense missile shield on Monday.
A report aired by Iran's state-run TV on Monday evening showed footages of the test-fire during a military exercise by the IRGC Aerospace Force.
The footages showed that the missiles, Ta'er (bird), fired by the Ra'd defense system hit a flying target and destroyed it completely.
The IRGC displayed the highly advanced air defense shield during military parades in Tehran on Friday.
According to IRGC Air Defense Unit, the highly-advanced home-made Ra'd (Thunder) air defense system is equipped with “Ta'er” (Bird) missiles, which can trace and hit targets 50km in distance and 75,000f in altitude.
Following the parades, Commander of the IRGC Aerospace Force Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh told FNA that the Ra'd air defense system has been developed to target aggressive US planes.
“The system has been built in a bid to confront US aircraft and can hit targets 50km in distance and 75,000 feet in altitude,” Hajizadeh said.
The production and use of the system can boost Iran's air-defense capabilities in various fields, officials said earlier this month.
IRGC Commander Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari had informed last week that his forces had started the production of the Ra'd system.
“The Ra'd air-defense system, which is more advanced than the Buckeye system has recently been developed and is now being mass-produced,” Jafari told reporters in a press conference last Sunday.
“Ra'd is ranked as a mid-range radar system. The air-defense system will boost the Islamic Republic's ability to counter aerial threats,” Jafari added.
Source: Fars News Agency – FNA
