Hypersonic, cruise missiles, and longest-range drones displayed in military parade
TEHRAN- On the anniversary of Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Iran in 1980, on Friday Iran showed its military hardware, including “the longest-range drone in the world” and ballistic and hypersonic missiles.
The Iranian armed forces performed military parades around the country and in the Persian Gulf to honor Sacred Defense Week.
Saddam Hussein’s army launched a comprehensive land, air and naval invasion against Iran on September 22, 1980. The war, which lasted until the summer of 1988, caught the nascent Islamic Republic by surprise.
President Ebrahim Raisi and top military and government officials oversaw the parade near the mausoleum of Imam Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic.
At the yearly parade, the newest military equipment, such as various missiles and drones, are often on exhibit. The display of the Fattah and Paveh missiles was one of the parade’s high points.
Fattah, literally meaning “the opener”, is a precision-guided two-stage solid-fueled rocket with a range of 1,400 km and a terminal speed of Mach 13 to 15.
The new long-range cruise missile Paveh can fly 1,650 kilometers (1,025 miles) in its maximum range.
The parade also featured the unveiling of “the longest-range drone in the world” in addition to the Mohajer, Shahed, and Arash unmanned aerial vehicles on show.