Baku, Azerbaijan, April 16
By Khalid Kazimov – Trend:
The Iranian army aviation corps on Monday unveiled the latest military achievements ahead of the army day in the country.
Brigadier-General Ali Jahanshahi, the deputy commander of the ground forces of the Iranian army, attended the ceremony.
During the ceremony, an airborne missile dubbed “Shafaq” with a range of 12 kilometers was unveiled.
Also, the aviation corps showcased night vision cameras installed on the helicopters.
The Iranian sources suggest that the country has made great achievements in its defense sector and attained self-sufficiency in producing essential military equipment and systems in recent years.
Since 1992, Iran has manufactured its own tanks, armored personnel carriers, missiles, radars, boats and submarines.
Iran in 1970 purchased more than 200 AH-1J Sea Cobra gunships and created the largest fleet of military helicopters in the Middle East, including Huey-class 205 and 214s.
As a result of the Western-imposed sanctions following the Iranian Revolution, the country sought independently manufacturing in order to meet domestic needs.
The country reverse-engineered parts, assemblies and, in some cases, whole aircraft, including the Bell 205, 206 and 214, since the 1990s.