The Iranian Army’s ground forces have inaugurated on Friday an extensive set of manoeuvres in the central region of the country, an event slated to span over the course of two days. The exercises witness the active participation of a diverse array of military units, including armored, infantry, mobile assault forces, rapid-response missile troops, helicopter squadrons, drones, engineering units, and support units.
In the midst of these extensive exercises, dubbed “Al-Eqtedar 1402”, the forces have, for the first time, utilized a system of lightweight drones known colloquially as “roving bombs”, as reported by the Fars News Agency.
Colonel Karim Jashk, the spokesperson for the manoeuvres, elucidated that these military exercises are being conducted in the Nasrabad region of Isfahan province. Furthermore, he disclosed that the forces and units participating in these exercises have been mobilized from seven different provinces.
Jashk emphasized that the primary objectives of these manoeuvres include the enhancement of the combat capabilities and readiness of the ground forces, fortifying the country’s deterrence level against potential threats, transferring knowledge and expertise to the younger cadre, and practicing pre-drafted defensive plans.
In addition, Jashk highlighted the distinctive feature of these manoeuvres with the participation of 200 combat and transport helicopters, which will join the rest of the units in the annual exercise theatre.
On the 21st of this month, Admiral Ali Bakhshayi, the commander of the naval mobilization forces of the third region in the Revolutionary Guards, announced conducting naval manoeuvres in the northern waters of the Gulf to support the “oppressed” Palestinian people, as reported by the German News Agency.
According to Fars News Agency, the “Sina” and “Fateh” roving bombs, locally manufactured, successfully hit their stationary and moving targets with utmost precision during their first use in the “Al-Eqtedar 1402” manoeuvres.
For the first time on Friday, the ground forces of the Iranian army utilized these lightweight drone systems, known as “roving bombs,” to evaluate their performance.
The units that utilized the “Sina” and “Fateh” roving bombs were the mobile assault units of the ground forces, which used these bombs to strike stationary and moving targets within a range of 10 kilometers.
The warheads of these two roving bombs weigh 300 grams and one kilogram, respectively, and are utilized for bombing enemy gatherings and various targets in ground combat. The flight duration of these roving bombs ranges between 10 and 15 minutes.
These roving bombs are equipped with a smart guidance system, capable of tracking targets from the moment of launch until impact. They underwent their first field test during these manoeuvres, where they successfully destroyed their targets with precision.
Furthermore, on the first day of the “Al-Eqtedar 1402” manoeuvres taking place in the central part of the country, the Iranian army’s ground forces utilized “Arash” kamikaze drones to execute coastal defense operations and halt the advancement of the attacking forces of the hypothetical enemy. These kamikaze drones successfully destroyed stationary and moving targets with high precision.
Additionally, multi-tasking drones of the ground forces conducted surveillance and reconnaissance operations in the Nasrabad area of Isfahan province (where the manoeuvres are taking place), transferring information and data to command and control centers. Among the drones participating in the surveillance, reconnaissance, and information transfer operations were the latest version of the “Migrant 2” drone and the “Migrant 6” drone.
