Iran identified and repelled an American U2 reconnaissance plane that was trying to intrude into Iranian airspace above the Sea of Oman, a senior commander said here on Tuesday.
Commander of Khatam al-Anbiya Air Defense Base Brigadier General Farzad Esmaili said the country’s air defense systems identified the radar-evading plane on February 10 but it left the area after receiving a warning from Iran’s air-defense units.
“The U.S. U2 plane was flying from Pakistan’s southwest to the east of the Sea of Oman and was being monitored by our radar and electronic surveillance systems every moment,” the Iranian commander said, adding that Iran’s Persian Gulf radar gave it a warning when it was trying to enter Iran’s airspace above the Sea of Oman and southeast of the Strait of Hormuz.
The plane, which is one of the world’s most technologically-advanced reconnaissance aircraft, probably intended to take images of and gather information about Iran’s southern region, he added.
Chairman of the Iranian army's Joint Chiefs of Staff Brigadier General Muhammad Hussein Dadras said the Islamic Republic’s achievements in the field of aeronautics have made the country’s airspace immune to any invasion.
“There is no vulnerability in our country’s airspace,” he said.
“The enemy has constantly attempted to violate our country’s airspace using their drones and aircraft, which have either received warnings from us or have been downed,” he noted.
Earlier in November, Iran’s Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi said the Iranian military had driven away an unidentified aircraft violating the country’s airspace above Iran’s territorial waters in the Persian Gulf.
The Islamic Republic of Iran vigilantly and precisely monitors all the movements of its enemies and takes decisive, necessary and timely actions, Vahidi said.
On December 4, 2012, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) navy commander, Rear Admiral Ali Fadavi, said his forces had captured a U.S. ScanEagle drone over the waters of the Persian Gulf after it violated Iranian airspace.
In December 2011, the Iranian military grounded a U.S. RQ-170 Sentinel stealth aircraft while it was flying over the Iranian city of Kashmar, some 225 kilometers (140 miles) from the Afghan border.
The U.S. RQ-170 Sentinel stealth aircraft was brought down with minimal damage by the Iranian Army's electronic warfare unit. The aircraft is one of the United States' most advanced spy drones.

Jamaran 2 Destroyer

Vahidi said Iran plans to launch the indigenous Jamaran 2 destroyer in the Caspian Sea in the near future.
He said the new warship is the symbol of the power of the defense ministry’s marine industries.
“After being launched and undergoing final tests… this destroyer will be delivered to Iran’s Navy,” Vahidi added.
In recent years, Iran has made great achievements in its defense sector and attained self-sufficiency in producing essential military equipment and systems.
Iran's navy launched the indigenous Sahand destroyer in the southern port of Bandar Abbas on September 8, 2012 alongside the overhauled super-heavy Tareq 901 submarine.
The Iranian navy launched its first destroyer, Jamaran, in the waters of the Persian Gulf in February 2010. The 1,420-ton vessel is equipped with modern radar systems and other electronic warfare capabilities.
Tehran has repeatedly assured other countries that its military might poses no threat to other states, insisting that the Islamic Republic’s defense doctrine is entirely based on deterrence.

Source: Fars