Knowledge-Based Companies Boost Presence in Iran’s Defense Industry

Now, Iran’s knowledge and technology have reached a point that the country is capable to manufacture the most advanced and latest of the art military equipment.

Iranian Defense Minister Mohammad-Reza Ashtiani has said some 755 Iranian knowledge-based companies are cooperating with the defense industry.

He added that some 1,100 products related to the defense industry have been so far developed by knowledge-based companies.

In different fields, such as missiles and drones, we have made great progress. We worked on the cruise and ballistic missiles, Ashtiani stressed.

After the termination of the 1980-88 imposed war, the need for manufacturing kinds of military, civilian, and transport aircraft was felt.

Production of the Simorgh plane prepared the ground for designing and manufacturing more advanced aircraft in the country.

Simorgh light military transport aircraft is the result of redesigning and developing aircraft of the same generation, Iran-140, which is the Iranian sample of the Antonov An-140 aircraft made in Ukraine.

Simorgh is 23 meters long, 25 meters wide, and 8 meters high and can carry loads of up to 6 tons.

Characteristics of Simorgh transport aircraft include lightness, suitable cargo volume, suitable flight radius, suitability to Iran's climatic conditions, and ability to land and take off in short runways; its speed allows it to play an ambulance role. 

The idea of drone manufacturing dates back to the years before the Islamic Revolution. After the Revolution, the Armed Forces made huge investments to gain the required technology.

During the past years, Iran's drone power has been accompanied by a significant jump by focusing on the quantity and quality of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

The country is now a forerunner and a leading country in designing and producing drones, meeting the needs of domestic and foreign markets.

Arash-2 is one of the more recent drones developed and manufactured by Iran. Reaching the range of two thousand kilometers in a suicide, anti-radar drone has made the Islamic Republic of Iran the holder of the longest range of these UAVs in the world.

In addition to having such a great advantage in this unmanned bird, this drone can be launched from different places to the target. In fact, the Arash UAV can be launched both from the land and from the sea to destroy the target. One of the unique characteristics of the Arash UAV is that it can also destroy fixed and floating targets.

The Persian Gulf Explorer is the first Iranian-made ocean vessel for research purposes. The vessel is 50 meters long, 10 meters wide, and 12 meters high. It is able to maintain on the sea for 4-5 days and can sail 3,000 miles.

The vessel is also equipped with three laboratories and two freezers. It has received approval from reputable domestic and foreign institutions and offers numerous applications in the field of physical oceanography, marine chemistry, marine biology, geology, sea geophysics, and professional climatology including atmospheric and meteorology in addition to sea mapping.

The Iranian Navy has also redeployed two guided missile destroyers, named Gorz (mace) and Khanjar (dagger). Each of the vessels weighs 285 tons and is 47 meters in length.

They have been equipped with advanced radar-controlled missiles, anti-surface and air defense guns, modern radars, sea-to-sea missiles, and radar jamming systems that allow them to carry out missions in oceans. 

Some 320 domestically-made parts have been used in building the destroyers and all the repair and overhaul operations are carried out with the support of knowledge-based companies.

The Saba-248 is a multifunctional helicopter built by the Defense Ministry in cooperation with knowledge-based companies. With two engines and eight seats, it can be deployed to a wide variety of missions, including freight and passenger transport missions, rescue operations, and aerial photography. The aircraft can also be used as an air ambulance and air taxi.

Its engine is one of the fourth-generation engines and has its own system and controls. The helicopter also uses the Full Glass Cockpit system. This helicopter is important because it has two engines and many of its systems are dual; it has two hydraulic pumps and suitable dual pumps.

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