TEHERAN: Iran has reinforced its air defence capabilities by adding combat drones equipped with air-to-air missiles to its arsenal, state media reported on Sunday.
"Dozens of Karrar drones armed with air-to-air missiles have been added for air defence in all border areas of the country," the official IRNA news agency said.
The drones, with an operational range of up to 1,000 kilometres, were exhibited Sunday morning during a televised ceremony organised at a military academy in Teheran.
"The enemies will now have to rethink their strategies" because the Iranian forces have "become more powerful", IRNA quoted the commander-in-chief of Iran's army, General Abdolrahim Mousavi, as saying.
The Karrar interceptor drone, the first version of which was unveiled in 2010, has been equipped with a "Majid" thermal missile with a range of eight kilometres "made entirely in Iran", added the agency.
It "succeeded in its operational tests" during military exercises held in October, Mousavi said.
The development of Iran's military arsenal has sparked concern among many countries, particularly the United States and Israel, the sworn enemies of the Islamic republic.
The latter accuse Teheran of providing fleets of drones to its allies in the Middle East, notably to Lebanese Hizbollah, and to the Houthi rebels in Yemen.
Iran also backs Hamas, which has been engaged in a war with Israel since it launched deadly attacks there on Oct 7.
Teheran has been accused by Kyiv and its Western allies of providing Russia with drones for use in the Ukraine war, a claim it denies.
Western governments, however, imposed several rounds of biting sanctions on Iran over the alleged arms sales.
Iran began manufacturing drones in the 1980s during its eight-year war with Iraq. — AFP