IRGC Choppers Armed with Homemade Naval Cruise Missile
March 14, 2015 - 15:18
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran’s homegrown long-range naval missile “Qadir” has been mounted on the IRGC
helicopters as an air-launched cruise missile, a senior commander said.
Speaking to reporters in Tehran on Saturday, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy Commander Rear Admiral Ali Fadavi said the IRGC helicopters have been furnished with Qadir cruise missiles, which have been also stationed along the coast as an anti-ship missile.
He made the comments on the sidelines of a ceremony to inaugurate the mass production line of the Qadir. A first cargo of the anti-ship cruise missiles was also delivered to the IRGC Navy.
Qadir can hit the targets within a range of 300 kilometers when fired as a coast-to-sea missile, Fadavi noted, adding that its range will be extended when installed on the naval vessels.
During the ceremony, Iran’s Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan referred to Qadir as a “strategic and effective missile in the naval battles.”
As regards the features of the new missile, Dehqan said it is prepared rapidly for launch, flies in low altitudes with high navigation capabilities, hits the targets precisely with great destructive power, suits for electronic warfare thanks to advanced radars, and can be launched from various types of vessels and even a helicopter, helping extend its operational range.
The minister also noted that videos of the Qadir show it identifying and annihilating a naval target at a distance of 300 kilometers away from the coast.
Back in February 2014, the IRGC had also succeeded to mount the air-launched version of the home-made Nasr (Victory) radar-evading cruise missiles on its helicopters.
The Nasr is a short-range radar-evading missile, which is capable of detonating the targets weighing 3,000 tons.
Tasnim News Agency - IRGC Choppers Armed with Homemade Naval Cruise Missile
