Iran's IRGC holds anti-helicopter drills in Tehran: What to know

Iran said it downed two US helicopters last month as American forces use the aircraft for strikes in the Gulf.

Adam Lucente

May 13, 2026

Iranian forces concluded military exercises on countering helicopter attacks near Tehran on Wednesday as tensions escalated amid fresh US threats and reports that Gulf states carried out strikes on Iran.

What happened: An Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps division in Tehran for countering helicopter operations conducted the five-day drill in and around the capital. The exercise focused on defense against helicopter assaults by the “American-Zionist enemy” and training for such scenarios, the IRGC-affiliated Tasnim news agency reported.

Footage aired by the state media outlet Press TV showed IRGC forces using drones to strike a banner depicting a US Black Hawk helicopter.

During the IRGC's drill in Tehran, an FPV drone struck a........

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