TEHRAN – Iran’s military tested a new surface-to-air missile on Wednesday as part of a three-day maneuver in southern provinces of the country. 

The drill, codenamed the Modafean Aseman Velayat 7 (The Defenders of Velayat Skies 7), started on Monday covering an area of 496,000 square kilometers in Iran’s southern areas, mainly the provinces of Hormozgan, Bushehr and Khuzestan.

Sayyad 3 (Hunter 3) was launched from the homegrown Talash (Endeavor) missile defense system. 

The missile has a range of 150 km and is used to target high-altitude flying objects, according to Farajipour, the drill’s spokesman. 

Also, the unveiled missile will replace S200 missiles launched from the Talalsh defense system previously.

The defense system has also been equipped with a made-in-Iran fire control radar, dubbed “Ofoq.” 

Learning from the Iraqi invasion of the country in the 1980s, Iran has developed its homegrown military technology to upgrade its defense capabilities.

It unveiled in August 2016 the first vertical-launching air defense system, Bavar-373 (Belief 373), similar to the Russian S-300 and capable of hitting targets at a high altitude.

The system included missile-launcher vehicles, a command post, and supplements for missile guidance systems, including an engagement radar. 

In addition to indigenous systems, Tehran received the first batch of the S-300 air defense system, making the country’s air space most costly for flying objects to penetrate into.

The country has installed armed eyes and missile sites in upwards of 3700 points across its mainland. 

AK/PA