Press TV - Experts at Iran’s Defense Ministry and the Army Aviation have designed and produced three new missiles to be mounted on the military’s attack helicopters, with a view to their mass-production in near future.
The missiles, all of whom have a range of more than eight kilometers, are respectively dubbed Heidar, Qamar-e Bani Hashem, and the airborne version of the Dehlaviyeh armor-piercing missile, Fars News Agency reported on Thursday.
The agency identified Heidar missile as a precision air-to-ground missile that can be used against armored and ground-based targets, including enemy gatherings. It can pierce its target as deep as one meter and be fitted with various seeker systems that would enable its deployment in different weather conditions.
Qamar-e Bani Hashem missile can be used against the same targets, but can also function as an air-to-air projectile, lock onto its targets upon release, and be deployed in the dark.
The new make of the Dehlaviyeh missile is a laser-guided air-to-ground projectile, which is similarly suitable for deployment against armored targets and is low in weight. It can pierce targets as deep as 1.20 meters.
The new products have undergoing various tests and “will soon enter mass-production,” Fars said.
While asserting that its military power is deterrent in nature, Iran has invariably defendedits inalienable right to enhance its military prowess against potential regional and extra-regional intrusion.
In early February, Iran unveiled a surface-to-surface missile with a range of more than 1,350 kilometers during celebrations marking the 40th anniversary of the 1979 Islamic revolution.
The missile, named Hoveyzeh after a city in southwest Iran known for its resistance during the 1980s Iraqi war, was showcased at an exhibition of defense achievements in Tehran on Saturday.
"This cruise missile needs a very short time for its preparedness and can fly at a low altitude," Defense Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami said during the unveiling ceremony.
Hatami added that the missile, which has been designed and manufactured by experts at the ministry's aviation industries organization, has a range of over 1,350 kilometers.