TEHRAN -- Iran’s Air Defense Force on Tuesday successfully tested a new generation of the domestically-manufactured Mersad-16 missile system in the country’s central desert.
Second Brigadier General Muhammad Youssef Khoshqalb, deputy chief of operations at the Army’s Air Defense Force, said the system was for the first time put under the control of the integrated air defense network to intercept, identify, engage and destroy designated targets.
The Mersad-16, he added, enjoys high mobility and is capable of traveling at high speed and low altitudes.
“The Mersad-16 missile system is completely indigenous and benefits from new technologies needed to operate in electronic warfare and simultaneously engage several hostile targets,” he added.
An optimized version of the Mersad-16 system will be unveiled soon, which will be capable of high-speed and high-altitude maneuvering, he said.
Iranian military experts and technicians have in recent years made great progress in indigenously developing a broad range of equipment, making the Armed Forces self-sufficient in this regard.
Iranian officials have repeatedly underscored that the Islamic Republic will not hesitate to build up its defense capabilities, emphasizing that such abilities are entirely meant for the purpose of defense and will be never subject to negotiations.