TEHRAN -- Commander of the Army’s Air Defense Force Brigadier General Alireza Sabahi-Fard said Sunday Iranian military experts and technicians have expanded the operational range of the domestically-designed and manufactured Bavar-373 (Belief-373) surface-to-air missile system to 300 kilometers.
Addressing a ceremony at Khatam al-Anbia Air Defense University here, the high-ranking commander said that Iran has run initial tests on Bavar-373 missile system at an operational range of 300 kilomet ers praising the country’s progress in the development of air defense systems for high altitudes.
“We are monitoring the enemies at their bases. Our radars can detect objects at a distance of thousands of kilometers away,” the commander said, adding that the Iranian armed forces are at the highest level of deterrence power.
The Bavar-373 system was formally unveiled during a ceremony attended by former Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on August 22, 2019. It reportedly can detect targets or planes at more than 300 kilometers, lock them at about 250 kilometers, and destroy them at 200 kilometers.
While Iran manufactured the first prototype of the Bavar-373 missile defense system with a range of 200 kilometers, the road-mobile system has been upgraded in direct proportion to potential threats.
The long-range air defense system is said to be capable of detecting up to 100 targets, tracking 60 of them, and engaging with six simultaneously.
Moreover, Bavar-373 uses a vertical launching system with rectangular canisters. It employs three different types of missiles to hit targets at various altitudes.
Iran for the first time employed the homegrown Bavar-373 missile defense system during a joint air defense exercise, codenamed ‘Guardians of Velayat Sky-99’, in late October 2020.
Iranian military experts and technicians have in recent years made substantial headway in manufacturing a broad range of indigenous equipment, making the armed forces self-sufficient in the arms sphere.
Officials have repeatedly warned that the country will not hesitate to strengthen its military capabilities, including its missile power, which are entirely meant for defense, saying the Islamic Republic’s defense capabilities will be never subject to negotiations.
Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has repeatedly called for efforts to maintain and boost Iran’s defense capabilities.