Commander: Iran Unwilling to Use Foreign Cooperation for Air Defense

Commander of Khatam ol-Anbia Air Defense Base Brigadier General Farzad Esmayeeli stressed the need for Iran to rely on its own experts and industries in the field of air defense, and said the country is not eager to have the cooperation of foreigners in developing its air defense capabilities.

“Although there might be many foreign scientists willing to cooperate with Iran in the field of air defense, we are not willing to do so, because we believe that air defense should have secret tactical and technical layers in a bid to be able to confront enemies,” Esmayeeli underscored.

The commander announced that 250 local experts are cooperating with Khatam ol-Anbia base in the field of air defense, and stated that the country enjoys the necessary capability and technical knowledge to supply its air defense needs.

Earlier this month, Esmayeeli had said that Iran is producing the indigenous version of the sophisticated S-300 air defense system, and added that the country has already completed one-third of the project.

Speaking to reporters on the occasion of the National Day of Air Defense here in Tehran, Esmayeeli said that Iran has already completed 30% of the missile system’s production project, dubbed as Bavar (Belief) 373, and expressed the hope that Iran would complete the system by the end of this Iranian year (March 2013) or the next year.

“We are through with developing the threat-detection capability of the system and its sensitive parts have been manufactured in Iran,” Esmayeeli said, and added, “We have no problem for supplying the missiles needed for this system.”