Iran announced on Thursday that it has equipped it's military's air defense units with a new, domestically-produced, medium range missile, semi-official Iranian news agency Press TV reported.
Iranian military official, Brig.-Gen. Alireza Sabahifard, was quoted in the report as saying that the Mersad missile system was both designed and produced by Iran's Revolutionary Guard. He called the successful completion of the missile's production proof that "the country's enemies have been left disappointed in their desperate attempts to impose sanctions on Iran.”
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Iranian Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi said last year, while the Mersad was still in development, that the anti-aircraft missile was equipped with technology to "destroy modern aircraft at low and medium altitudes.”
“The state-of-the-art technology used in Mersad links it to other
anti-aircraft batteries and provides it with the unique ability to
combat electronic warfare," Vahidi was quoted as saying by Press TV.
The announcement
came days after Vahidi stated that Iran has begun to mass produce the Qader marine cruise missile, designed to target warships, frigates and coastal targets.
An unspecified number of the missiles, equipped with a range of 200
kilometers, were delivered to the Iranian Navy as well as to the
Revolutionary Guard's naval division, the
Tehran Times reported on Wednesday.
Russian news agency Ria Novosti quoted the Islamic Republic's naval
chief, Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayarri as saying Tehran plans on sending
ships into the Atlantic Ocean to create a strong presence in the
vicinity of the US coastline.
"The Iranian Navy will have a powerful presence near the United States borders," Sayarri reportedly stated.
