Iran fires cruise, surface-to-surface missiles in naval drill

TEHRAN,Jan.2(MNA) – The domestically manufactured coast-to-sea Qader cruise missile was fired on Tuesday during the Velayat-91 naval drill and successfully hit the designated target. The Qader cruise missile has a range of 200 kilometers and flies at a low altitude. It has a high destructive power and can target destroyers and warships. The missile can be fired from warships and the launchers deployed on the coast. The upgraded highly advanced surface-to-surface Nour (Light) missile was also test-fired on the fifth day of the naval exercise and successfully tracked and destroyed the designated target. Iranian experts have upgraded the missile’s anti-radar and guidance systems. The missile is able to detect, track, and hit targets with pinpoint accuracy. In addition, a domestically designed integrated command center became operational on Tuesday. The system enables military commanders to monitor the activities of troops during military exercises. On Monday, a short-range surface-to-surface Nasr (Victory) cruise missile, which is launched from the seashore and has the capability to hit large vessels with high precision, was fired and successfully hit the target. Iran’s newest domestically manufactured medium-range surface-to-air missile, named the Ra’d (Thunder), which had been installed on a warship, was also successfully test-fired during the war games. Iran started on Friday the six-day major naval exercise in an area covering about one million square kilometers from the east side of the Strait of Hormuz in the Gulf of Oman to the northern Indian Ocean. According to Iranian Navy officials, the Velayat-91 exercise is being held to test the country’s new defense and missile systems, combat vessels, submarines, drones, and torpedoes, and provide naval forces with the opportunity to perform combat and reconnaissance missions, repel mock attacks, and practice countering electronic warfare measures. Iran issues warnings to foreign planes, vessels during war games The spokesperson for the exercise announced on Tuesday that Iranian naval and air defense units have issued dozens of warnings to foreign reconnaissance planes that sought to enter the theatre of operation during the maneuvers to monitor Iranian forces’ activities. Rear Admiral Amir Rastgari also said, “The vessels of extra-regional forces approached the theatre of operation of the Velayat-91 exercise several times, and they were given warnings by naval units to keep away from the area of the exercise.” He added that foreign planes and vessels heeded the warnings and stayed away.