On the fifth day of the Sacred Defense Week, Iran has successfully conducted the first test-flight of the domestically-upgraded C-130 aircraft, Press TV reported.
The aircraft, which is modeled after the Lockheed Martin's C-130 Hercules, joined the Iranian Air Force in the 1970s.
Defense Ministry Ahmad Vahidi said on Sunday that "the C-130 should have been upgraded earlier but due to international sanctions and losing contact with its manufacturer it (the upgrade) was postponed until now."
Vahidi praised Iranian aviation experts for successfully rendering US-engineered anti-Iran sanctions ineffective.
"The Defense Ministry's aerial industry experts not only upgraded the C-130 aircraft, but also made greater achievements by designing and producing advanced durable parts," said the Iranian minister.
As part of the Islamic Republic's general goal to bolster its military might and inline with military self-sufficiency doctrine, Iran has unveiled a series of domestically-produced weaponry over the past months despite sanctions.
In August, Iran unveiled its first domestically-manufactured long-range Unmanned Aerial Vehicle named Karrar, which is is capable of flying long distances at a very high speed.
The production lines of the Seraj high-speed vessel and a new generation of the high-speed Zolfaghar vessel were also launched in August by Vahidi.
