According to the Voice of Russia, during the upcoming exercises, Iran will launch a self-produced attack helicopter, which is a copy of the American Cobra AH-1.
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| American AH-1W combat helicopter. |
This is information cited by Jane’s news agency from Deputy Commander of the Iranian Army, Brigadier General Heydari Kyomars.
According to this source, Iranian helicopters have received a number of new systems, roughly equivalent to the American Apache AH-64.
In the 1960s and 1970s, Iran purchased 202 AH-1J SeaCobra helicopters from the US, of which 62 were equipped with launch systems for anti-tank missiles.
The supply of military equipment to Iran ended in 1979 when the Islamic revolution occurred in the country. It is unclear the exact number of Cobra aircraft equipped with the Iranian army.
As noted by Jane’s, Iran had to illegally import some aircraft parts from foreign markets.
In June 2011, the US announced that it had identified an international network through which Iran could purchase spare parts and engines for AH-1 helicopters.
According to VietnamPlus
