Iran claims to have built warning system capable of intercepting cruise missiles [The Media Line].
By THE MEDIA LINE NEWS AGENCYahmadinejad 88(photo credit: )
Iran has developed a system that can track and destroy radar evading missiles, a senior office announced.
Brigadier General Ahmad Miqani, Commander of Khatam ol-Anbia Air Defense Base, was quoted as saying that Iranian experts have "build hi-tech missile defense systems capable of tracing and intercepting Cruise Missiles", reported the official Iranian news agency FARS.
He went on to describe the optimization of existing systems with the cooperation of Iranian universities and businesses. Dozens of locally made systems will be capable of competing with the world's modern systems.
Some analysts, however, are unconvinced by the plans.
"I don't believe they are capable of producing advanced surface to air missiles themselves," Yiftah Shapir, Head of the Military Balance Program at The Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv, told The Media Line.
"When [Iran] really needs something, they buy it from the Russians, that's why they are so anxious to buy the S-300," he said, referring to the advanced Russian made air defense system, sometimes referred to as the SA-20 Gargoyle by Western military personnel.
The Iranian armament industry started during the 1980-88 war with Iraq, due to an international embargo. Since 1992 Iran has produced fighter jets, tanks and cruise missile.
Among the missiles developed is the "Sajil" capable of reaching Europe and Israel, which Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has called to be "wiped off the map."
There are some international fears that Iran's current nuclear energy program, might be a cover for the development of nuclear weapons. Previous sanctions to oppose this program have been unsuccessful.
In addition to diplomatic efforts, many observers believe Israel is considering military action against Iran, the precedent being the 1981 air raid on the Iraqi Osiraq nuclear reactor, located south east of Baghdad, which became part of Israeli military legend.
However, the present-day situation with Iran is vastly different from the situation almost 30 years ago. The 975 miles from Jerusalem to Teheran is almost double the 543 miles from Jerusalem to Baghdad. Iranian nuclear installations have allegedly been spread all over the country, which is much larger that Iraq, and Iran has invested heavily in fortifying these sites and investing in various defense systems.
Some experts argue that if Iran will acquire the S-300 it would make an Israeli air strike impossible due to the advancement of the system.
"Attacking Iran once they have it will be much more difficult, although not impossible" Shapir said, mentioning that knowledge of the system in the west enables the possibility of developing ways to avoid it.
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