Publish Date: 10 December 2023 - 09:27

TEHRAN, Dec. 10 (MNA) – During a ceremony on Sunday morning, the Iranian air defense units took delivery of homegrown Karrar drones equipped with a sophisticated air-to-air missile that allows for the interception of hostile aerial targets.

The ceremony was held in the presence of the commander of the Iran Army Air Defense Force Brigadier General Alireza Sabahi Fard.

The commander of the Iranian Army Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi also attended the ceremony.

The Karrar drone paired with Majid missile would allow the air defense units along the border areas to intercept and destroy hostile aerial targets at a much lower cost than the sorties made by manned jet fighters.

The homegrown Majid air defense missile can track and intercept targets with thermal and optical seekers.

The new missile-armed drones will enable the air defense units to carry out air-based tactical defense operations in various geographical locations at a lower cost than the employment of manned warplanes and with much lower risks.

In September, Deputy Commander of the Iranian Army’s Air Defense Force Brigadier General Alireza Elhami said Karrar has been equipped with a radar.

The general said Karrar has several times forced the foreign manned and unmanned aircraft to change their course over the Persian Gulf and Sea of Oman at high altitudes.

Karrar is the first Iranian military drone that has set a service ceiling record by reaching an altitude of 47,000 feet, he noted, adding that the drone has given radar or radio warnings to the foreign aircraft that have been approaching Iran’s coastal waters or its flight information region (FIR).

Known as an advanced interceptor drone, Karrar is among the new generation of Iran’s jet drones, configured to intercept the enemy’s flying objects. It enables the country’s armed forces to conduct a broader range of air defense operations at high altitudes.

Attending the army event, the Commander-in-Chief of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army stressed that the event was another stage of upgrading the capabilities of the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Defense Force.

Addressing Iran's enemies, he said that the enemies should reconsider their air-to-air combat strategies and tactics, especially in the drone field, because Iran has a special status in this field today.

Also, the Commander of Iran's Army Air Defense, said that with scientific and round-the-clock joint work between the Air Defense Forces and the Ministry of Defense, for the first time, Iranians succeeded in building and producing armed drones and Majid missiles.

MNA/TSN/IranPress