Iran(officially the Islamic Republic of Iran) has inaugurated a locally made surface-to-surface ballistic missile, called Martyr Qassem Soleimani, which has a range of 1,400 kilometers-km (870-mile) and a new cruise missile, called Martyr Abu Mahdi which has a range of over 1000 km(620-mile).
Reason Behind the names
i.The surface-to-surface ballistic missile is named after Iran’s most powerful military commander, General Qassem Soleimani, who was the head (since 1998) of the Quds Force, a unit of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
ii.The new cruise missile is named after Iraqi militia commander Mujahideen Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.
iii.They were killed in an American drone airstrike at Baghdad International Airport in Iraq in January 2020.
Key Info
i.The new Iranian cruise missile will further strengthen Iran’s deterrence power.
ii.The cruise missiles are capable of flying at a low altitude and getting around the enemy’s missile systems.
iii.The Iran government has increased the locally-produced cruise missiles range from 300 to 1,000 in less than two years, which is a great achievement for the Iran govt.
Other Inauguration
i.Iran unveiled a 4th generation light turbo-fan engine for its advanced drones.
ii.It inaugurated the production line of its domestically produced Owj engine for the Iranian-made twin-seat Kowsar fighter jet.
Unveiled T-72 upgrade
i.Iran unveiled a special production line to upgrade and modernize T-72 main battle tanks used by the Iranian Armed Forces when Amir Hatami inaugurated the production line at the Bani-Hashem Armour Industrial Complex near Dorud on August 13, 2020.
ii.The new upgraded T-72 has the same armament that includes a 125mm D-81 smoothbore gun and a 7.62mm co-axial machine gun.
Note– Iran always unveils technological achievements for its armed forces, its space program and its nuclear efforts.
Recent Related News:
i.Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a paramilitary force, launched the underground ballistic missiles from the depths of the Earth in a completely camouflaged way during the last day of ‘Great Prophet 14’(code name- “Payambar e Azam 14”) military exercise near Gulf waters.
ii.For the 1st time India & France conducted joint patrol from the Reunion Island in February 2020 by P-8I aircraft with French Navy personnel to maintain the security of international maritime routes for trade and communications.
About Iran:
Capital– Tehran
Currency– Iranian Rial
President– Hassan Rouhani
