Regional security challenges make it vital for the Islamic Republic to ramp up the development and production of longer-range radar, drone, and missile systems.
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A Khorramshahr-4 missile is launched at an undisclosed location in a photo released by the Iranian Defense Ministry on Thursday, May 25, 2023. (AP)
In recent decades, Iran has assembled an arsenal of thousands of domestically manufactured ballistic and cruise missiles, relying on the idea of asymmetric warfare to deter possible assault. The Fattah, the country's first hypersonic missile, debuted earlier this month.
According to Iranian Army Air Defense Force commander Alireza Sabahi-Fard, the Islamic Republic must continue to ramp up the development and manufacturing of longer-range radar, drone, and missile systems in order to meet regional security threats.
Read more: Iran's missile programme is a multi-layered threat: Israeli media
In an unexpected visit to an air defense base outside Tehran on Thursday, Sabahi-Fard stated that “corresponding to the potential threats and possible challenges we face, the production of advanced long-range radar, missile, and drone equipment is most definitely on the agenda of the Army’s Air Defense Force this year."
According to the Brigadier-General, “The efficiency of the Army’s Air Defense Force in keeping total control over the airspace over our country testifies to the vigilant observation and monitoring being conducted by air defense specialists at thousands of defense points across the country," adding that the effort to develop an air defense network is what allows citizens to sleep safely.
Earlier this year, Sabahi-Fard highlighted how Iran's air defense forces had become an “absolute air defense power in the region,” employing "state-of-the-art" weaponry at the forefront of global defense technology.
At the time, he applauded the fact that the country does not depend on anyone regarding its air defense, particularly in areas of detection, identification, engagement, information, and communication technology."
Iran's air defense remains one of the most complex in the region with the military utilizing the country's mountainous terrain to create a multi-layered crisscross of home-grown long, medium, and short-range radar, anti-drone defenses, and mobile ground and sea-based missile systems such as the Khordad-3 and Bavar-373.
The country has long warned the US and others not to test its capabilities. Tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia cooled off early in the year via a deal brokered by China.
Tensions with "Israel" are on the rise as Israeli officials continue to threaten Iran's nuclear energy sites claiming their desire to develop a nuclear weapon. Iranian officials have long said the country's military capabilities are solely for defense and that its missile program will never be discussed.
Read more: Iran has become superpower after unveiling Fattah: Israeli media