FNA- A senior military official announced that Iran has started mass production of the home-made sniper rifle, Shaher.

"We are now mass producing Shaher sniper rifle," Head of the Iranian Army Ground Force's Research and Self-Sufficiency Jihad Brigadier General Seyed Massoud Zavareyee said on Sunday.

He said that Iran has unveiled and tested different sniper rifles so far, adding, "These weapons are usually being mass produced after undergoing different tests."

Shaher is an Iranian-made 14.5 mm anti-materiel sniper rifle capable of penetrating concrete strongholds, armored vehicles and helicopters. It has a maximum effective range of 4 kilometers (2.5 mi). The weapon weighs 22 kilograms (49 lb) and is 1.85 meters (6.1 ft) long.

It can engage helicopters and other low flying aircraft. The anti-armor rounds used by the Shaher are capable of penetrating 50 mm (2.0 in) thick armor and come in different armor-piercing varieties.

The rifle was unveiled in 2012 alongside a series of military vehicles and transportation units.

In April 2014, a new version of Shaher was unveiled, with Pica tinny rails added on the top of the rifle.

In a relevant development earlier in May, the Iranian defense ministry in a ceremony unveiled 4 new military products in the fields of telecommunication and ground combat.

The ceremony was held in Tehran with Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan and Lieutenant Commander of the Iranian Army Brigadier General Abdolrahim Moussavi in attendance.

The new products unveiled included Kalashnikov 133 individual weapon, 'Nasr' 12.7-mm sniper and multi-band software radio named 'Vaase 1' and 'Nasr 2'.

The new weapons enjoy high precision-striking power and high destruction power.

General Dehqan had also in February unveiled and inaugurated the production line of 5 combat and defense products.

The 5 achievements included Fajr 5 guided rocket, Misaq 33 system to fire shoulder-launched weapons, 40-mm grenade-launcher system, Masaf 45*5.56-caliber gun and a new type of pistol.

Addressing the ceremony, General Dehqan underlined the indigenous nature of the weapons, and said they will considerably increase the Iranian Armed Forces' defense power and operational mobility in the fields of personal combat and air defense.