TEHRAN, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) launched a major air defense drill on Saturday, official IRNA news agency reported.

The military exercise is carried out in the area of 35,000 square kilometers in Semnan region in the central-north of Iran.

The maneuver is aimed at enhancing the preparedness of the IRGC units in the face of threats.

The home-grown radar systems, commandment tactics, as well as control and electronic warfare systems will be put in the test in the exercise, the report said.

Last week, Iran launched a ballistic missile test, which drew a stern warning from Washington. Iran dismissed the U.S. concerns saying that the test was aimed at deterrence purposes.