Fars News Agency :: Iran Starts Mass-Production of Naval Cruise Missile
Iran Starts Mass-Production of Naval Cruise Missile
TEHRAN (FNA)- Iran on Saturday inaugurated the production line of a newly unveiled naval cruise missile, called Zafar (Triumph).
The production line was inaugurated by Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi in a ceremony at the Defense Ministry' Aerospace Industries Organization on the occasion of the Ten-Day Dawn ceremonies, celebrating the anniversary of the victory of the Islamic Revolution back in 1979.
The ceremony was also attended by Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Naval Force Brigadier General Ali Fadavi.
During the ceremony, the first cargo of Zafar missiles was delivered to the IRGC.
Speaking to reporters, Vahid said that "Zafar is a short-range, anti-ship, radar guided missile capable of hitting and destroying small and medium-sized targets with high precision".
He added that the missile can be mounted onto light and speed boats, enjoys a high capability in anti-electronic warfare and is highly destructive.
Iran has made giant progress in arms production, specially in area of missile technology, in the last decade.
Iran's latest cruise missile production, Qader (Mighty), was displayed to the public during the military parades marking the Week of Sacred Defense in September.
Later in September, the Iranian Defense Ministry supplied large numbers of the Qader anti-ship cruise missiles to the Iranian Army's and the IRGC naval forces to boost Iran's naval defense power.
Tehran launched an arms development program during the 1980-88 Iraqi imposed war on Iran to compensate for a US weapons embargo. Since 1992, Iran has produced its own tanks, armored personnel carriers, missiles and fighter planes.
Yet, Iranian officials have always stressed that the country's military and arms programs serve defensive purposes and should not be perceived as a threat to any other country.
