SpaceWar.com - Your World At War
Iran unveils naval drone division as Biden tours Mideast
Tehran, July 15 (AFP) Jul 15, 2022
Iran's navy on Friday unveiled its first division of ships and submarines capable of carrying armed drones, as US President Joe Biden tours the Middle East.

The United States and Israel, the sworn enemies of Iran, have previously accused the Islamic republic of using drones and missiles to attack US forces and Israel-linked ships in the Gulf.

"The first drone-carrier division of the Iranian navy consisting of ships and submarine units carrying all types of drone for combat, detection and destruction has been unveiled," state television said.

"All types of the latest advanced drones produced by the military and the defence ministry have flown over the Indian Ocean's waters to demonstrate their capabilities," it added, showing images of drones taking off from a naval vessel.

The announcement comes as Biden undertakes his first presidential visit to Israel, where he and the Jewish state's caretaker Prime Minister Yair Lapid on Thursday signed a security pact reinforcing their common front against Iran.

Biden's trip also included a presentation of Israel's "Iron Beam" air defence system, which uses lasers to intercept drones and missiles.

"As we are aware of the aggressive attitude in the (United States') system of domination, it is necessary to increase our defensive capabilities day-by-day," Iranian army commander Abdolrahim Mousavi said on television.

"If the enemies make a mistake, (these drones) will present them with a regrettable response," he warned during the unveiling.

In October 2021, the United States imposed sanctions targeting Iran's drone programme, accusing it of supplying the technology to its allies in the region, such as Lebanon's Hezbollah, the Huthis of Yemen and the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan on Monday said Iran plans to deliver "hundreds of drones" to Russia to aid its war on Ukraine.

On Friday, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian dismissed Sullivan's accusations as "baseless", during a telephone conversation with his Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Kuleba.

Iran began developing its drone programme in the 1980s during the Iran-Iraq war.


ADVERTISEMENT




Space News from SpaceDaily.com
Maven stays silent after routine pass behind Mars
ICE-CSIC leads a pioneering study on the feasibility of asteroid mining
NASA JPL Unveils Rover Operations Center for Moon, Mars Missions

24/7 Energy News Coverage
Thorium plated steel points to smaller nuclear clocks
Solar ghost particles seen flipping carbon atoms in underground detector
Overview Energy debuts airborne power beaming milestone for space based solar power

Military Space News, Nuclear Weapons, Missile Defense
Autonomous DARPA project to expand satellite surveillance network by BAE Systems
IAEA calls for repair work on Chernobyl sarcophagus
Momentus joins US Space Force SHIELD contract vehicle

24/7 News Coverage
UAlbany Atmospheric Scientist Proposes Innovative Method to Reduce Aviation's Climate Impact
Digital twin successfully launched and deployed into space
Robots that spare warehouse workers the heavy lifting



All rights reserved. Copyright Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse.