TEHRAN (Tasnim) � A ranking Iranian commander said the air defense forces have warned off a number of foreign surveillance aircraft that tried to approach the country�s airspace in the last two days, noting that some were identified as U-2 spy planes.


�Yesterday and today, several warnings have been given to the reconnaissance planes belonging to trans-regional forces� near the country�s borders. A number of the planes were U-2,� Lieutenant Commander of Khatam al-Anbia Air Defense Base General Shahrokh Shahram said on Monday.





Warnings to the intruding aircraft are not unusual in Iran. Earlier this month, Commander of Iran�s Khatam al-Anbia Air Defense Base Brigadier General Farzad Esmaili said his forces had identified a U-2 reconnaissance plane and forced it to leave the country�s airspace.

The intruding aircraft, only in possession of the US, was forced to leave the country when the Air Defense systems were prepared to hit the plane, Esmaili said.

The Lockheed U-2 is an ultra-high altitude reconnaissance aircraft operated by the US and has been in service for over 50 years. The spy planes have taken part in post-Cold War conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Iran is using different types of radar and missile systems in its integrated air defense network.

In June, a new long-range radar system, manufactured by the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Force, became fully operational. The advanced air defense radar system, dubbed the �Qadir� (Almighty), has been totally designed and produced by the local military experts at the IRGC aerospace force.

The Qadir identifies the aerial targets on the basis of 3-dimensional detection. The system enjoys nonstop monitoring activity.

With an approximate range of 1,100 kilometers, the homegrown radar system can even detect the targets with pretty small cross-section area.

By Tasnim News Agency

 

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