Iran Unveils Underground Base for Fighter Jets

Voice of America
08 Feb 2023, 04:36 GMT+10

Tehran, Iran - Iran's army on Tuesday unveiled its first underground base for fighter jets designed to withstand possible strikes by U.S. bunker-busting bombs, state media reported.

The base, named Oghab 44 (Persian for eagle), can accommodate 'all types of fighter jets and bombers, in addition to drones,' the official news agency IRNA said, releasing images and videos from inside the base.

The exact location of the base was not revealed, but state media said it was 'at the depth of hundreds of meters under the mountains,' and capable of withstanding 'bombs by strategic U.S. bombers.'

In May last year, Iran's army revealed an air force base for drones under the Zagros Mountains in the western part of the country.

The latest unveiling comes the day before Iran marks Air Force Day, part of the buildup to the 44th anniversary on Saturday of the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

A handout picture provided by the Iranian Army Office on Feb. 7, 2023, shows a fighter jet during the unveiling of Iran's first underground military air base in an undisclosed location.

State media on Tuesday showed Iran's armed forces chief of staff Major General Mohammad Bagheri and the army's commander-in-chief Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi at the new base.

Oghab 44 is 'one of numerous tactical underground air bases for the army's air force built in different areas of the country in recent years,' IRNA reported.

It can prepare fighter jets to 'counter possible offensives' such as those practiced by the U.S. and Israel in their recent military drill, according to state media.

Iran has mostly Russian MiG and Sukhoi fighter jets that date back to the Soviet era, as well as some Chinese aircraft, including the F-7.

Some American F-4 and F-5 fighter jets dating back to before the revolution are also part of its fleet.

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