U.S. Warships Hunkering Down 700 km Away Beware
Iran Unveils Naval Missile With Range of 750 km
TEHRAN (Dispatches) -- Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) on Sunday unveiled a new naval ballistic missile with a range of 750 kilometers.
The missile, dubbed Zolfaghar Basir, is the naval variant of the surface-to-surface Zolfaghar ballistic missile, Tasnim news agency reported.
Its range is more than twice that of the Islamic Republic’s other naval missiles, including the Hormuz-2, with a range of 300 kilometers, which Tehran said it successfully tested in March 2017.
Images published by Tasnim showed the Zolfaghar Basir installed on a launcher truck during the inauguration of Tehran’s National Aerospace Park on Sunday.
"This exhibition shows the comprehensive plan of the deterrent power” of the Islamic Republic, IRGC commander Major General Hussein Salami said at the inauguration.
The IRGC used the Zolfaghar in 2017 and 2018 against the Daesh group in Syria in retaliation for terrorist attacks carried out in the country.
The missile was also used in January to target bases in Iraq housing U.S. troops, according to IRNA news agency, days after the U.S. assassinated Iran’s top general Qassem Soleimani in a drone strike in Baghdad.
The unveiling of the Zolfaghar Basir comes more than a week after an American aircraft carrier crossed the strategic Strait of Hormuz, and days after the IRGC opened a new naval base near the waterway, through which a fifth of the world’s oil passes.
Tensions have soared between Washington and Tehran under U.S. President Donald Trump, who pulled out of a landmark 2015 nuclear accord and unilaterally reimposed sanctions on Iran.
Washington suffered a setback in mid-August when it failed to win support from the United Nation’s Security Council to extend an arms embargo against Tehran that will progressively expire starting on October 18.
General Salami said many of Iran’s achievements exhibited on Sunday had come under the sanctions, indicating that Tehran has managed to turn the illegal bans into "an opportunity for expeditious advancement in defense.”
The exhibition featured the IRGC’s other capabilities in other fields, such as the UAVs, satellites, defense systems, reconnaissance devices, and electronic warfare, as well as some of the intruding drones shot down by Iranian forces, including American and Israeli aircraft.
"The war today is one of willpower. The Iranian nation continues down this path with conviction by clearly charting out its way forward,” Gen. Salami said.
"We have figured out the equations which govern independence and esteem, and will never stop manufacturing power,” he said.
On Sunday, the Iranian Army Ground Force also rolled out seven indigenous and high-tech military achievements, including a robot that can carry light to semi-heavy weaponry.
The achievements were unveiled in the presence of the force’s commander Brigadier General Kioumars
Heydari, and commander of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army Aviation Second Brigadier General Yousef Qorbani.
The robot has been named Caracal after a type of wild cat that can be found in parts of Iran. The automaton, which has been designed for ground warfare, has a top speed of 30 kilometers per hour, and has an operating range exceeding 500 meters.
Caracal is equipped with an independent suspension system, smart remote control mechanism, laser rangefinder and an optical system.
The ceremony also wheeled out Hadaf (Goal)-2, a new missile launcher with a canister capable of holding and firing two missiles at the same time. The launcher can be used for rapid deployment purposes and is fitted with an automatic leveler that can help it identify the best possible location for deployment.
The Ground Force also inaugurated the Gohar (Gem) 4WD vehicle that is empowered to carry as much as 500 kilograms (1102 lb) off-road, and travel as far as 700 kilometers at a maximum speed of 120 kilometers per hour.
Gohar can also travel across 70-grade lengthwise and 35-grade edgewise slopes and wade into waters that run 80 centimeters deep.
Chabok (Agile), an extremely fast frequency shuffling system, was another item that was put on display during the event. The apparatus provides a highly secure link among ground and airborne communication devices by changing the frequencies traveling between them at a 200,000-per-second rate, thus blocking all radar jamming attempts by the enemy.
The ceremony also featured unveiling of piston engines for drones with capacities ranging from 40 to 400 milliliters. At the former capacity, the engines can fly a 30-kilogram (66-lb) drone.
A relief and rescue robot dubbed Masih (Messiah) and a new tank carrier were also exhibited at the event.
The Ground Force’s commander hailed Messiah as a remarkable helping hand for the military’s medical staff, who are busy fighting the new coronavirus pandemic.
The missile, dubbed Zolfaghar Basir, is the naval variant of the surface-to-surface Zolfaghar ballistic missile, Tasnim news agency reported.
Its range is more than twice that of the Islamic Republic’s other naval missiles, including the Hormuz-2, with a range of 300 kilometers, which Tehran said it successfully tested in March 2017.
Images published by Tasnim showed the Zolfaghar Basir installed on a launcher truck during the inauguration of Tehran’s National Aerospace Park on Sunday.
"This exhibition shows the comprehensive plan of the deterrent power” of the Islamic Republic, IRGC commander Major General Hussein Salami said at the inauguration.
The IRGC used the Zolfaghar in 2017 and 2018 against the Daesh group in Syria in retaliation for terrorist attacks carried out in the country.
The missile was also used in January to target bases in Iraq housing U.S. troops, according to IRNA news agency, days after the U.S. assassinated Iran’s top general Qassem Soleimani in a drone strike in Baghdad.
The unveiling of the Zolfaghar Basir comes more than a week after an American aircraft carrier crossed the strategic Strait of Hormuz, and days after the IRGC opened a new naval base near the waterway, through which a fifth of the world’s oil passes.
Tensions have soared between Washington and Tehran under U.S. President Donald Trump, who pulled out of a landmark 2015 nuclear accord and unilaterally reimposed sanctions on Iran.
Washington suffered a setback in mid-August when it failed to win support from the United Nation’s Security Council to extend an arms embargo against Tehran that will progressively expire starting on October 18.
General Salami said many of Iran’s achievements exhibited on Sunday had come under the sanctions, indicating that Tehran has managed to turn the illegal bans into "an opportunity for expeditious advancement in defense.”
The exhibition featured the IRGC’s other capabilities in other fields, such as the UAVs, satellites, defense systems, reconnaissance devices, and electronic warfare, as well as some of the intruding drones shot down by Iranian forces, including American and Israeli aircraft.
"The war today is one of willpower. The Iranian nation continues down this path with conviction by clearly charting out its way forward,” Gen. Salami said.
"We have figured out the equations which govern independence and esteem, and will never stop manufacturing power,” he said.
On Sunday, the Iranian Army Ground Force also rolled out seven indigenous and high-tech military achievements, including a robot that can carry light to semi-heavy weaponry.
The achievements were unveiled in the presence of the force’s commander Brigadier General Kioumars
Heydari, and commander of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army Aviation Second Brigadier General Yousef Qorbani.
The robot has been named Caracal after a type of wild cat that can be found in parts of Iran. The automaton, which has been designed for ground warfare, has a top speed of 30 kilometers per hour, and has an operating range exceeding 500 meters.
Caracal is equipped with an independent suspension system, smart remote control mechanism, laser rangefinder and an optical system.
The ceremony also wheeled out Hadaf (Goal)-2, a new missile launcher with a canister capable of holding and firing two missiles at the same time. The launcher can be used for rapid deployment purposes and is fitted with an automatic leveler that can help it identify the best possible location for deployment.
The Ground Force also inaugurated the Gohar (Gem) 4WD vehicle that is empowered to carry as much as 500 kilograms (1102 lb) off-road, and travel as far as 700 kilometers at a maximum speed of 120 kilometers per hour.
Gohar can also travel across 70-grade lengthwise and 35-grade edgewise slopes and wade into waters that run 80 centimeters deep.
Chabok (Agile), an extremely fast frequency shuffling system, was another item that was put on display during the event. The apparatus provides a highly secure link among ground and airborne communication devices by changing the frequencies traveling between them at a 200,000-per-second rate, thus blocking all radar jamming attempts by the enemy.
The ceremony also featured unveiling of piston engines for drones with capacities ranging from 40 to 400 milliliters. At the former capacity, the engines can fly a 30-kilogram (66-lb) drone.
A relief and rescue robot dubbed Masih (Messiah) and a new tank carrier were also exhibited at the event.
The Ground Force’s commander hailed Messiah as a remarkable helping hand for the military’s medical staff, who are busy fighting the new coronavirus pandemic.