IRGC Navy Starts Persian Gulf Wargames

Anti-Ship Missiles Hit Mockup of U.S. Aircraft Carrier

The IRGC navy (IRGCN) today began its “Payambar-e Azam 9” (Great Prophet 9) wargames in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, Fars News Agency reported.

During the exercises today, anti-ship ballistic missiles fired from the coast and anti-ship cruise missiles fired by navy helicopters hit a carrier mockup, modeled after a U.S. NIMITZ class aircraft carrier. This is the first time that the IRGCN has incorporated a carrier mockup in its wargames. In a video released by Fars News Agency, IRGCN fast attack boats are shown training swarm attack and firing rockets at the mockup carrier, with helicopters overhead firing Nasr anti-ship cruise missiles at their target.

IRGCN also reported that several vessels today drilled high-speed mine-laying operations in the Strait of Hormuz.

“We have the most advanced sea mines which cannot be imagined by the Americans,” said IRGCN Commander Rear Admiral Ali Fadavi. (Fars News Agency, 25 February)

IRGCN also fired a number of anti-ship ballistic missiles into the Strait of Hormuz during today’s drills.

Photo: Screen capture of IRGCN video showing missile attacks on a carrier mockup; the Persian Gulf, 25 February 2015 (Fars News Agency/eaworldview)

Iran Armed Forces, IRGC to Hold Joint War Games

Iran's Armed Forces (Artesh) and the IRGC will stage a series of joint war games for the first time in the near future, Commander of Army’s Ground Forces Brig. Gen. Ahmadreza Pourdastan announced today. Gen. Pourdastan did not elaborate on the location and time of the maneuvers, but said the Artesh and IRGC are planning to stage eight large-scale war games during the current Iranian calendar year that began on 20 March.

Source: Mehr News Agency, 11 April 2012

Israeli Strike on Iran Could Bring Wider War

A classified war simulation conducted by the U.S. military forecasts that an Israeli strike against Iran would lead to a wider regional war, potentially drawing in the United States and leaving hundreds of Americans dead, the New York Times reported today.

The war game, held this month, was not intended as a dress rehearsal for U.S. military action, according to officials who spoke with The Times. The game raised fears among planners that it would be impossible to keep America from becoming involved in a confrontation with Iran.

Velayat-90 Military Maneuvers (3)

click photos to enlarge

Iran Marines armed with MP5 SMGs

Marines aboard FB type HSPB

Marine boarding in a simulated assault

Ghadir class IS-120 coastal submarine (SSC)

Ghadir apparently crewed by IRIN

Background: Mk III class coast patrol craft (PB)

Kilo class (Project 877 EKM) diesel-electric submarine (SSK)

Crew of a Kaman (Combattante II) class fast attack craft-missile (PGGF)

Bridge of a Kaman fast attack craft-missile

IRIN officer aboard Kaman fast attack craft-missile

IRINS Larak (LSLH 512) Hengam class landing ship

Left: Handijan class (PBO 1410) tender

IRINA Agusta SH-3D Sea King (AS-61) anti-submarine helicopter

USS John C. Stennis (CVNM 74) Nimitz class nuclear powered super carrier,

reportedly photographed by Iran military aircraft transiting the Straight of Hormuz

IRIN Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari

Videos:





Photos:
Hamed Jafarnejad at Fars News Agency
IRNA

Videos:
PressTV

IRINN

YouTube Videos by maydayfire at IMFV

Velayat-90 Military Maneuvers (2)

Day 2: Video

Day 3: Video

YouTube Videos by maydayfore @ IMF

Tactical stage begins for joint IRIN/IRGCN maneuvers:

According to Mehr News Agency:

TEHRAN, Dec. 27 (MNA) – The tactical stage of the 10-day naval war games, entitled Velayat-90, started on Tuesday, the commander of the Navy told IRNA.
Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari also pointed to the preliminary stage of the war games and said, “Achievements were beyond imagination.”

During the preliminary stage of the maneuvers, Iranian warships, submarines, and other naval vessels spread out across the theaters of operations, which cover a wide area from the Strait of Hormuz to the Gulf of Aden. The deployment of naval units was carried out as naval vessels and helicopters practiced military tactics in preparation for the main stage of the war games.

“We supposed that forces needed more time to spread out across the areas of operations,” Sayyari said, adding that the units, however, acted with speed and efficiency, and “artillery, intelligence, missile, electronic warfare, and other units managed to position themselves in the designated locations sooner than expected.”

The deputy commander of the Navy, Rear Admiral Gholam Reza Khadem-Bigham, also said on Tuesday that during the tactical stage of the maneuvers, the theater of war will be simulated, and naval forces will practice various military tactics.

In this stage, forces will be divided into two groups, namely friendly forces and mock enemy forces, he said.

“Enemy forces, in this stage, should try to enter (the area under the control of) friendly forces, and in response, friendly forces should try to identify and destroy the forces that have the intention of penetrating (into the area),” he explained.

The war games, which started on Saturday, are said to differ from previous ones in terms of the vastness of the area of action and the military equipment and tactics that are being employed.

It has been announced that submarines of the Ghadir class and other classes, warships, missile-firing destroyers, coast-to-sea missile systems, drones, and electronic warfare equipment will be tested during the exercises.

Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari, said on December 22 that the war games would be staged in a large area from the east side of the Strait of Hormuz in the Gulf of Oman to the northern Indian Ocean, adding that in terms of intelligence, the maneuvers would cover a vast area stretching from the northern Indian Ocean to the Gulf of Aden.

Velayat-89 Military Maneuvers (8)

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Commander-in-Chief of the Army Major General Salehi (right) tours a Noor SSM mobile launcher site.

Noor (C-802) SSM mobile launcher in action

IRIS Alborz (72), Alvand class (Vosper Mk 5 type) frigate

firing a Noor (C-802) AShM

IRIS Jamaran (76), Mowj class frigate

IRIS Kharg (431), Kharg class replenishment ship

serving as forward observation vessel

Helmsman on the bridge of the IRIS Kharg

Regional foreign military delegations: Iran's Minister of Defense Brigadier General Vahidi flanked by an Iraq Navy Rear Admiral (Liwa) and Commodore (Amid). Qatari and Omani military personnel are visible in the background.

Minister of Defense Brigadier General Vahidi shakes hands

with an Oman Navy Captain (Aqid)

Photos:

-Hossein Zohrevand, Hossein Mosavi-Faraz, Hamid Reza Niko-Maram at Fars News Agency

-Yunos Khani at Mehr News Agency

-Rooholla Vahdati at Iranian Students News Agency

Velayat-89 Military Maneuvers (7)

Iran Army tactical operations in southern regions of Sistan and Balouchestan province:

click photos to enlarge

BMP-2 Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV)

D-30 2A18 122 mm howitzer in action

Fadjr-5 (Dawn-5) 333 mm MRLS in action

IRIAA Elicotteri Meridionali CH-47C Chinook (219)

Photos: Islamic Republic News Agency

IRGC to Hold Naval Exercise

IRGC Naval Forces will conduct wargames in the Strait of Hormuz in late January. IRGCN Commander Rear Admiral Morteza Saffari told reporters in Tehran that the current condition in the region requires the exercises.

"The sensitive conditions of the Middle East region have multiplied the need for us to be ready to defend the country," Adm. Saffari said.

Saffari added Iran would be trying to send out a message that any aggressors that violate the country's territories will encounter a strong response from the armed forces.

The Iranian army is also scheduled to hold an exercise in late January.

In a related story, Iranian press have widely covered comments by the former Malaysian premier Mahathir Mohamad that the US is preparing an attack on Iran.

"Obama is preparing for a (military) offensive on Iran with the help of his ally, the Israeli regime," IRNA quoted Mohamad as saying.

Mohamad added that the US would introduce "forged evidence" showing Iran aims to "start a nuclear war against the world."

Unity 87 (pictorial)

Unity 87 (video)

IRIAF Phantoms in action during Unity 87

According to Fars News Agency dispatches, Iranian F-4E Phantom II fighter jets accomplished their missions successfully in the second stage of Unity 87 drills, destroying target vessels with AGMs (air-to-ground missiles) and bombs.

The main stage of 'Unity 87' wargames will take place on Thursday.

Naval war game in December

From Fars News Agency:

Iran's Navy Force commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari said Sunday that Iran would hold a war game early December in the Sea of Oman, the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormoz.

The forthcoming war game is dubbed "Unity 87," Sayyari said, adding that "All the movements of the enemy in Oman Sea, Persian Gulf and Hormoz Strait are under control and the enemy will never dare to enter Iran's waters."

He also said that on the occasion of the Iranian navy day on Nov. 27, Iranian Navy Force would be added by a light submarine named "Ghadir," and two small warships named as "Kalat (fortress in Farsi) and Derafsh (banner in Farsi) which are capable of launching rockets."

Meantime, another Iranian Navy commander Rear Admiral Hossein Ashrafi Sunday told a press conference that "the Navy forces are present in the region in the most powerful manner to defend the country's sea borders."

Iran's Basij (voluntary forces) Commander Hojatoleslam Hossein Ta'eb also said Wednesday that Iran would enhance its navy might three times if there is a necessity.

Iran upgraded the naval base in Assalouyeh, a Persian Gulf port in southern Iranian Booshehr province.

Regarding the naval additions, it has been suggested that they include commisioning of a Sina, a modified IPS-16, and one submarine of the Ghadir class. (H/T to Planeman @ IMF)

Samen Missile Launch - Updated

From PressTV:

Iran has successfully test-fired a new domestically-designed and -manufactured missile in line with enhancing its combat capabilities.

The Samen missile was launched Monday during an Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) military drill in the border city of Marivan in the Western province of Kurdistan, Iran.

So far, no further details on Samen missiles have been disclosed.

[…]

During the Monday maneuver, Iranian forces also put to the test IRGC's heavy and semi-heavy artillery and rocket launchers.

Update: From PressTV:

Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) rejects reports of test-firing a newly-designed and domestically- manufactured missile.

Fars news agency had reported on Monday that IRGC had successfully launched a new missile, named Samen, during a military drill in the border city of Marivan.

The public relations office for the IRGC headquarters, however, said in a Tuesday statement that during the Marivan exercise, the forces had not fired any new missiles.

Basij Wargames Part 2

Basij Wargames Part 1

Basij Wargames photographed November 2008. Note American new style BDU's on Basij in top picture, while retaining old style American steel helmets.