Iran Navy test-fires anti-radar missile
Sun Jan 1, 2012 10:48AM
UPDATE1
Iran's Navy test fired its anti-radar missile in the Strait of Hormuz on January 1, 2012 (file photo)
Iran's Navy has successfully test-fired its first home-built medium-range anti-radar missile, Mehrab, during ongoing major naval maneuvers near the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
The new surface-to-air projectile was launched on Sunday during the “power phase” of the massive 10-day-long drills, said Rear Admiral Mahmoud Mousavi, the spokesman for the Navy's Velayat 90 war games.
The Navy launched the exercises on December 24. The military maneuvers cover an area from east of the Strait of Hormuz at the mouth of the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Aden.
The mid-range missile, designed and manufactured by Iranian experts, is equipped with state-of-the-art technology and an intelligent system that enables it to evade radars, target radio emission sources, and thwart jammers, he added.
On the second day of the power phase, the naval forces will launch anti-surface torpedoes from the Ghadir-class submarines. The Iranian marine units will also be deployed aboard sea vessels and target radar-evading drones by shoulder-launched missiles, the Iranian commander noted.
On the concluding day of the power phase on Monday, a major contingent of the surface, subsurface and naval aviation units will organize into a new tactical arrangement to prepare for the last phase of the naval drills, Mousavi said.
The military drills take place in line with a recent directive by the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, instructing Iranian armed forces to maintain total readiness to defend the nation against any potential threats.
Iran maintains that the maneuvers are defensive in nature and intend to convey a message of peace and friendship to the countries of the region. It has also extended a public invitation to regional states to hold joint naval drills with Iranian forces.
ASH/MB/MA/AS/HN
