Iran to Unveil New Radar System

“The powerful Arash radar is one of the most important achievements of Khatam ol-Anbia Air Defense Base which will be unveiled (in the Eastern part of Iran) today,” Commander of Iran’s Khatam ol-Anbia Air Defense Base Brigadier General Farzad Esmayeeli said on Tuesday.

Stressing the indigenized nature of the radar, Esmayeeli said that Arash has been designed and built by the young Iranian scientists at Khatam ol-Anbia Air Defense Base.

“The radar has high capability in detecting and identifying targets and in electronic warfare,” he added.

The commander declined to reveal any more data or information about the details of the new air defense shield or the new radar system.

Senior Iranian air defense officials had announced on Monday that Iran would launch several important air defense systems in a ceremony attended by  General Esmayeeli in Eastern Iran yesterday.

“Today, Commander of Iran’s Khatam ol-Anbia Air Defense Base Brigadier General Farzad Esmayeeli will inaugurate the defensive plans which are aimed at enhancing the operational level of the country’s air defense systems in the Eastern zone,” Commander of Iran's Air Defense Zone in the East Malek Ali Asadifar said on Monday.

He declined to mention the specifics or name the new air defense systems, saying the new achievements and capabilities will not be unveiled to the public and the media and this is a standard procedure among the world countries.

General Esmayeeli had announced in early September that Iran is mulling plans to develop its air defense systems based on the possible threats which might be posed to the country in the next five years.

"Today, the air defense is moving forward concurrently with new threats and what is going on around us shows that we should make the air defense ready to confront the threats not only of the present time but of the next five years," Esmayeeli said in a ceremony in Tehran at the time.

He downplayed the effects of the western sanctions on the progress of Iran's defense industry, and announced that Iran's air defense is implementing 15 operational projects now.

Also at the same time, Commander of Iran's Air Defense Zone in the East Malek Ali Assadifar underlined the country's high level of military deterrence, and said the country's air defense is making rapid progress in accordance with the advancements made in hit-tech enemy fighter jets.

"The more advanced enemy fighters grow, the more sophisticated and advanced the Iranian air defense will be," he said.

In relevant remarks in mid-May, Esmayeeli said his forces are fully prepared to defend the country against threats in the region.

Speaking during a visit to the country's Southwestern Air Defense Zone at the time, he pointed to Iran's eye-catching growth in air defense systems in recent years, and stated that Iran's air defense capability is so advanced that it is not comparable to what it could do during the Iraqi imposed war on Iran in 1980s.

"At present, the air defense unit's capability, capacity and expertise can defuse any threat existing in the region," Esmayeeli stressed, adding that the air defense forces enjoy a "desirable" level of preparedness.

The Iranian Armed Forces have recently test-fired different types of newly-developed missiles and torpedoes and tested a large number of home-made weapons, tools and equipment, including submarines, military ships, artillery, choppers, aircrafts, UAVs and air defense and electronic systems, during massive military drills.

Defense analysts and military observers say that Iran's wargames and its advancements in weapons production have proved as a deterrent factor.

In September, the Iranian Armed Forces displayed the country's latest home-made military tools, weapons and equipments in large military parades in Tehran and across the country.

The annual September 22 parades mark the start of the Week of Sacred Defense, commemorating Iranians’ sacrifices during the 8 years of Iraqi imposed war on Iran in 1980s.

During the parades, the Iranian armed forces displayed different weapons and military tools and equipment, including different kinds of fighters, choppers, drones, ground-to-ground missiles, air-to-ground missiles, surface-to-surface missiles, tactical and armed vehicles, surface and underwater vessels, electronic and telecommunication equipment, light and mid-light weapons, different kinds of artillery and mortar-launchers, air defense systems and engineering and logistic equipment.