TEHRAN – The third and main stage of the Defenders of the Skies of Velayat 3 aerial war game began on Tuesday. 

In this stage, upgraded Air Force fighter jets will fire laser-guided, radar-guided and heat-seeking missiles at moving targets and drop smart and precision-guided bombs on mock targets. 

Brigadier General Hossein Chitforoush, the spokesman of the war game, told reporters on Tuesday that all the bombs and missiles that will be used in operations have been designed and manufactured by Iranian engineers.  

He added that new domestically manufactured mobile command systems will control squadrons of fighter jets, which will take part in simulated combat operations. 

Earlier, the Air Force announced that in the main stage of the aerial maneuver, electronic warfare equipment, aerial combat tactics, and ammunition of fighter jets will be tested and transport planes will carry out various operations such as airlifts and the transportation of military equipment and airborne troops.  

Military analysts believe that the significant feature of the Defenders of the Skies of Velayat 3 aerial war game is the participation of the first domestically manufactured fighter, the Sa’eqeh (thunderbolt), in simulated combat operations. 

The Sa’eqeh is a single-seater fighter jet. It is the second generation of the Azarakhsh fighter. Sa’eqeh fighter planes were first tested successfully in September 2007. The Sa’eqeh is a joint product of the Iranian Air Force and the Defense Ministry.