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Iranian Ground Forces Receive New Weapons, Aircraft

By Orkhan Jalilov July 8, 2021

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A variety of strategic weapons and modern defense equipment joined the IRGC Ground Force, in a ceremony attended by Commander-in-Chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Major General Hossein Salami and IRGC Ground Force’s Commander Brigadier General Mohammad Pakpour on July 7, 2021. / Fars News Agency

The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Ground Forces put its new state-of-the-art weapons and aircraft on display during a ceremony held on July 7.

The Ground Forces received precision-guided missiles, as well as various long-range drones designed for combat, reconnaissance and "suicide missions", in which troops carrying out dangerous tasks. Single-seater, attack, reconnaissance helicopters and tactical and multi-purpose vehicles were also added.

A new and upgraded generation of anti-tank missiles, bombs and artillery were among the combat equipment that joined the IRGC ground forces.

Missile launcher systems, equipping attack helicopters with “Ghaem-114” missiles and “Meraj-113” and “Hanif” drones were also joined the ground forces in this ceremony. “Ghaem-114' is an anti-tank missile with a range of 10 km, which is capable of destroying fixed and moving targets with a variety of thermal and laser detectors.

The IRGC had also unveiled a version of the Almas anti-tank missile that can be launched from ground-based tripods, which reportedly has a range of 8km. A drone-launched version of the Almas missile was tested earlier this year.

Addressing the ceremony of joining the new equipment, Deputy Coordinator of the IRGC ground forces General Ali Akbar PourJamshidian, said that “the IRGC ground forces can conduct their operations independently at the tactical, strategic, air, naval, cyber and electronic levels”.

Commander-in-Chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Major General Hossein Salami also praised Iran's domestically developed, modern military technology and described the IRGC ground forces as the "backbone of Iran's defense system".

"The strategic planners of insecurity, from the aggressive US to its European allies and regional partners and local terrorists, are all constantly plotting against the Iranian nation whenever they can," Salami said, adding that "the defeat of the enemy at the origin is a definite strategy for us, and the firearm is the last strategy that the IRGC ground force takes."

In late June, Salami said that Iran possesses drones with a range of 7,000km which can land in any spot. However, the general did not name the drone or disclose any further detail.