Iran to Unveil New Missile Defense Shields in September

“Missile systems with the capability to stand against electronic warfare and mid-range and long-range radars will join the integrated air defense system on September 1,” Esmayeeli said in the Northeastern city of Semnan on Thursday.

“The radar and missile defense systems will cover an important part of the country in the South and Southeast,” he added.

Esmayeeli underlined that defensive depth is one of the main important feature of these systems, specially the long-range radar defense systems.

Esmayeeli announced in June that the country is able to meet all its needs in manufacturing air defense systems.

“We have been able to build all our needed (air defense) systems domestically,” the senior commander told reporters in the Central province of Isfahan.

Noting that defending the Iranian airspace is a priority in the country’s defensive doctrine, he said that increasing the number of air defense systems has always had a message of peace and friendship.

Also in April, Esmayeeli announced that Iran plans to add two new powerful missile defense systems into its integrated air defense network this year, including its own version of the Russian S-300 named Bavar 373.

“The long-range air defense missile system, Bavar (Belief) 373, will be built by the end of this (Iranian) year (which started on March 21) and will be deployed in specified regions,” Esmayeeli told reporters in Tehran, referring to the Iranian version of the sophisticated Russian S-300 missile defense shield.

He also announced the country’s plan to test mid and long-range Talash (Endeavor) missile system, and said, “The system will be brought into operation by the end of this year.”

Warning that the most important threats posed to Iran are from the sky, Esmayeeli said if Yemen had enjoyed a powerful air defense, it would have been able to defend itself against the Saudi airstrikes and end the war on the very first day.