Tehran parade
Photo: AP
Iran unveils home-made air defense system
Mere days after Russia decides to sell Tehran its advanced S-300 system, the Islamic republic reveals domestically produced version of interceptor.
Tehran unveiled on Saturday its Bavar-373 long-range air defense system, a domestic development initiated after Russia placed a ban on the export of the Moscow-made S-300 missile system in 2010.
Iran emphasized the vital importance of a home-made counterpart to the Russian system in the years after the ban. Iranian news agency FARS quoted earlier statements by military commanders which claimed the system would be operational within the current year.
The latest product of the Iranian military industry was revealed mere days after Russian leader Vladimir Putin decided to left the ban on the sale of the advanced anti-aircraft system to Tehran.
Military parade in Tehran (Photo: AP)
Rouhani at parade (Photo: AP)
According to the news agency, the Bavar-373 has similar capabilities to the Russian system, which has the ability to strike several airborne targets from an impressive range. Photographs of the domestic production were first revealed in Iran last August.
Iranian military on parade (Photo: AP)
The S-300 is an advanced system with an extensive list of capabilities, which can intercept aircraft, cruise missiles, and the warhead of a ballistic missile at a range of up to 150 kilometers and an altitude of 27 kilometers.
Iranian-made missile (Photo: AP)
Russian military sources have claimed in the past that the Soviet-designed S-300 could outperform the US-made Patriot missiles. If the S-300 is deployed on Iranian soil, it would vastly improve Tehran's ability to defend its nuclear facilities from a strike.
US President Barack Obama said on Friday he was surprised Russia had waited as long as it did to seal a deal to sell missile defense systems to Iran, given the tensions between Russia and the United States. A day earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Iran's drive to find a solution in talks over its disputed nuclear program had spurred his decision to renew a contract to deliver S-300 missile defense systems to Tehran.
