Iran reveals underground airbase — RT World News
Built in an unknown location, the “Eagle 44” site can launch fighter jets and drones
The Iranian army on Tuesday inaugurated a new underground air base. Built in an undisclosed mountainous location, the base is impervious to bombardment and can maintain, power, arm, and launch fighter jets, bombers, and drones.
Video footage of the “Oqab 44” (Eagle 44) installation was released on Iranian state media. Footage shows what appears to be an F-4 Phantom fighter-bomber emerging from behind blast doors, before taxiing through a wide tunnel and taking off from an outside runway.
The base is equipped with command posts, hangars, maintenance sites, fuel depots and navigational equipment, Iranian news agency IRNA reported. The Iranian military has built several such sites across the country, IRNA added, noting that although their locations remain secret, all are being built. “under the mountains”.
Iran on Tuesday unveiled its first underground air base, called ‘Eagle 44’, the country’s official IRNA news agency reported. “It is one of the most important air bases in the army, with fighters equipped with long-range cruise missiles and built in the depths of the earth. pic.twitter.com/KACSXkljyc
— Iran International English (@IranIntl_En) February 7, 2023
Footage of one such base – a drone site named “Strategic UAV Base 313” – was revealed by the Iranian military last year. However, “Eagle 44” is the first underground base in the Islamic Republic publicly revealed capable of hosting fighters and bombers.
“Any attack on Iran from our enemies, including Israel, will see a response from our many airbases, including Eagle 44,” Iranian Armed Forces Chief of Staff Mohammad Bagheri told reporters during a visit to the base on Tuesday.
The unveiling of the base comes at a time of heightened tension between Iran and Israel, with Tehran blaming the Israeli military for a drone strike on a military site in the city of Isfahan last month. Although Israel has neither confirmed nor denied its involvement, the media has claimed that the attack was orchestrated in Tel Aviv, while Ukrainian officials have cryptically suggested that the attack was somehow linked to Iran’s alleged supply of “kamikaze” drones to Russia.
Both Moscow and Tehran have denied Iranian drones are being used in Ukraine, with the Kremlin saying it uses domestically-made drones to target Ukrainian military and infrastructure targets.
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