“[Iran’s] Army Air Force is ready to identify any [kind of] aggression and counter them,” the deputy Chief of Staff of Iran’s Army said on Saturday.
The Iranian commander said during recent years the IRAF has identified and landed unknown aircrafts which entered Iran’s airspace.
On December 4, the Iranian military’s electronic warfare unit announced that Iran had downed with minimal damage the US RQ-170 Sentinel stealth reconnaissance aircraft, while it was in violation of the Iranian airspace.
The aircraft, designed and developed by the American company Lockheed Martin, had crossed Iran’s border with Afghanistan and was brought down as it was flying above the northeastern city of Kashmar.
Mousavi added that with its tactical competence and state-of-the-art equipment, the IRAF is fully prepared to defend the country’s aerial borders.
In recent years, Iran has made major breakthroughs in its defense sector and attained self-sufficiency in producing important military equipment and systems.
However, the Islamic Republic has repeatedly assured that its military might poses no threat to other countries, saying the country’s defense doctrine is based on deterrence.