A military drone tournament has been launched in central Iran in recent days with Russia, Belarus and Armenia in attendance.
Iranian state television showed footage of a ceremony Monday in the city of Kashan , where dozens of representatives from the four countries gathered to open the tournament that is judged by members of all delegations.
The 2022 “Falcon Hunt” unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) competition, part of the seventh iteration (repeat) of broader annual military games launched by Russia in 2015, was organized by the aerospace division of the Revolutionary Guard Corps Islamic Government (IRGC) in a city where many of the elite force’s drone tests take place.
Ali Balali, senior adviser to IRGC aerospace chief Amir Ali Hajizadeh and spokesman for the tournament, said the competition would be judged on performance and consistency in aerial reconnaissance during the day and at night, as well as how well the aerial vehicles unmanned aircraft could help guide precise artillery fire.
The more than 70 servicemen who participated will also undergo fitness and shooting tests during the competition, which is expected to end on Aug. 28 , Balali told the state-affiliated Tasnim news website.
He added that the objective of the games is to communicate a “message of peace and friendship and the joint cooperation of the Islamic Republic of Iran with other countries to counter global terrorism”, in addition to facilitating an “exchange of experiences and military achievements” on drones. .
Iran will also reportedly host two other categories this year, namely a diving competition in southern Konarak run by the country’s military and a sniper competition in central Yazd run by IRGC ground forces.
Iran prepares military exhibition
On Monday, Iran’s Defense Minister Amir Ashtiani announced that a military exhibition will begin on August 22, during which President Ebrahim Raisi and other top officials will learn about the latest “achievements” of the country.
The drone shows come after months of US claims that Russia plans to buy “hundreds” of drones from Iran to use in the war in Ukraine, something Tehran has denied.
CNN reported last week that the American Union believes that Russian officials have already conducted training sessions in Iran, in addition to the American nation believing that Russian officials received a display of several Iranian weapons-capable drones at an airfield in Kashan. .
Iran has maintained that it will do nothing to escalate the war in Ukraine , which it has said must be resolved through dialogue, but has not condemned Russia either.
Tehran and Moscow have been developing ever closer ties, with Russian President Vladimir Putin traveling to Tehran in July on a rare trip abroad since the war began in February.
Russia also built a satellite for Iran that it successfully launched into space last week from a base in Kazakhstan amid Western concerns it could be used by the Kremlin in the Ukraine war.
Meanwhile, Ukraine has been deploying Turkish-built ‘Bayraktar’ UAVs and pleading with the US to provide more powerful armed drones.
