Tehran, Iran, August 21
By Mehdi Sepahvand – Trend:
The military budget for the current Iranian fiscal year (which started March 20) is twice that of the previous year, President Hassan Rouhani told a conference of high-ranking military commanders of the country on the occasion of the national Defense Industry Day.
This year Iran also has a greater chance regarding aerospace technology to use its talents as well as the opportunities that exist at the international level thanks to the nuclear deal, the president said, Fars news agency reported August 21.
The nuclear deal, put into practice on January 16, has given the chance to defend its positions on regional development more forcefully. Iran is being threatened by the Islamic State (aka IS, ISIS, ISIL, Daesh) which currently reins over swathes of Iraq and Syria to its west.
Last week the country accommodated Russian bombers in one of its military bases from which to launch air raids on the IS in Syria.
During the same conference, Iran unveiled its first home-made turbojet engine. The engine dubbed Ouj is fully designed and manufactured by Iranian experts, Defense Minister Hossein Dehghan said.
The engine’s operating altitude reaches 50,000 ft and can be installed in various aircrafts with maximum takeoff weight of 10 tons, Dehghan said.
The minister also revealed that in the near future Iran will build an underwater cruise missile.
The Islamic Republic says that has made great achievements in its defense sector and attained self-sufficiency in producing essential military equipment and systems in recent years.
Iran has manufactured its own tanks, armored personnel carriers, missiles, radars, boats, submarines and fighter planes since 1992. Iran also unveiled its first domestically-manufactured long-range unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in 2010.