Tasnim� A large-scale military exercise by Iran�s Air Defense resumed across southern regions of the country on Tuesday with missile drills to target hostile drones.





The chief plans on the second day of the war game, codenamed Defenders of Velayat Skies 7, includes detection and interception of the hypothetical enemy�s unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) with homegrown missile systems.

Highlights include the launch of Shalamcheh missiles by Mersad medium-altitude missile defense system.

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.

The Air Defense has employed a broad range of equipment, including tactical radars, mobile watch posts, and ground-based and air-based eavesdropping systems.

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.