During a visit to the IRGC Navy’s drone command headquarters on Wednesday, Rear Admiral Fadavi said the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) unit has become a pillar of the IRGC Navy’s combat and operational power.
Drones account for the fifth pillar of the Navy’s operational capabilities in addition to vessels, commandos, missiles and air-sea equipment, he added.
As time goes by, the significant role of the pilotless aircraft becomes clearer in the world armies, he explained.
Iran is now in possession of a broad range of UAVs which can be used for both civilian and military purposes.
Experts at the IRGC Aerospace Force have already manufactured a homegrown version of the US RQ-170 stealth drone through reverse engineering.
The advanced American aircraft was captured in northeastern Iran in December 2011.