Tasnim � Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan highlighted the country�s self-sufficiency in manufacturing military hardware and said his ministry is �seriously� pursuing production of heavy helicopters.

Speaking at a ceremony in Tehran on Tuesday to unveil an advanced homegrown helicopter named �Saba-248�, Dehqan hailed the �important project�, saying it is truly a symbol of resistance economy.

He said the light- and medium-weight two-engine helicopter is multifunctional, has eight seats and can be deployed to a wide variety of missions, including freight and passenger transport missions, rescue operations, aerial photography and reconnaissance missions.

The helicopter can be used as air ambulance and air taxi and can be deployed to offshore missions, the defense minister added.

�We have seriously put the design and manufacture of heavy helicopters on the agenda,� he said, expressing the hope that it will be achieved within a few years.

Iranian military experts and technicians have in recent years made great headways in manufacturing a broad range of indigenous equipment, making the armed forces self-sufficient in the arms sphere.

Tehran has always assured other nations that its military might poses no threat to the regional countries, saying that the Islamic Republic�s defense doctrine is entirely based on deterrence.