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In recent years, the Iranian government states that it has self-sufficiency in essential military hardware and defense systems.
Iran established an arms development program during the Iran–Iraq War to counter the weapons embargo imposed on it by the U.S. and its Western allies. Since 1993, Iran has manufactured its own tanks, armored personnel carriers, missiles, radars, boats, submarines, unmanned aerial vehicles, and fighter planes.
From 1925 to the Iranian Revolution in 1979, Iran used to be equipped with the very latest Western hardware. Cases exist where Iran was supplied with equipment even before it was made standard in the countries that developed it (for example the US F-14 Tomcat, or the British Chieftain Tank). Primary suppliers included the United States, Britain, France, the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany), Italy, Israel, and the Soviet Union.
The Iran–Iraq War, and post revolutionary sanctions at the time had a dramatic effect on Iran's inventory of western equipment. Under the pressures of war, all supplies were quickly exhausted and replacements became increasingly difficult to come by. The war eventually forced Iran to turn to the Soviet Union, North Korea, Brazil, and China to meet its short-term military requirements. Nevertheless, the experience of using quality equipment was not lost on any of the branches of the Iranian armed forces. Disappointed by the older Warsaw Pact equipment, Iran sought to develop its own ability to mirror the technology of its likely enemies, and to provide a totally reliable source of equipment for the future.
After the Iranian revolution, developments in military technology were carried out with the technical support of Russia, China, and North Korea; building upon the foundations established by western contractors. Iranian reliance on these countries has rapidly decreased over the last decade in most sectors as Iran sought to gain total independence; A major exception however, is the aerospace sector, where Iran is still dependent on external help. Iran has, at present, reverse engineered existing foreign hardware, adapted it to their own requirements and then mass-produced the finished product. Examples of this abound, such as the Boragh and the IAMI Azarakhsh. In an attempt to make its military industries more sustainable Iran has also sought to export its military products, see Iranian Military Exports.
The following list consists of some weapons systems that Iran manufactures domestically:
Short-range missiles are considered to have a range up to 1000 kilometers.
Medium-range missiles are considered to have a range between 1000 and 3000 kilometers.
Midget Submarines
The Qods Mohajer is an Iranian single-engine tactical unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) built by the Qods Aviation Industry Company in four main variants from the 1980s to the present day. The Mohajer family is primarily used for reconnaissance, and is among the most mature and well-known Iranian UAVs.
Mersad is an Iranian low- to mid-range air defense system developed in 2010. It fires Shahin (Falcon) missiles which are reverse-engineered, domestically upgraded versions of the American MIM-23 Hawk surface-to-air missiles. It uses a series of domestically produced radars and electronic devices.
The Noor is a long-range anti-ship cruise missile manufactured by Iran. The missile is in primary service with the Iranian Navy. The missile is a reverse engineered Chinese C-802 anti-ship missile.
The HESA Karrar is an Iranian jet-powered target drone manufactured by Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industrial Company (HESA) since 2010. The Karrar is a derivative of the American 1970s-era Beechcraft MQM-107 Streaker target drone, probably incorporating elements from the South African Skua, with hardpoints added for munitions. The Karrar was developed during the Ahmadinejad presidency.
Bavar-373 is an Iranian long-range road-mobile surface-to-air missile system unveiled in August 2016. Iran describes it as a competitor of the S-300 missile system. It is manufactured by the Iranian Defence Ministry in cooperation with unspecified local manufacturers and universities.
The Shahed 129 is an Iranian single-engine medium-altitude long-endurance unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) designed by Shahed Aviation Industries for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The Shahed 129 is capable of combat and reconnaissance missions and has an endurance of 24 hours; it is similar in size, shape and role to the American MQ-1 Predator and is widely considered as one of the most capable drones in Iranian service.
Raad or Ra'd is an Iranian modern aerial defence system deployed in September 2012.The system is designed to enhance Iran's capabilities in terms of defense, and as a partner to Bavar 373 air defense system. According to Fars news agency, the Raad is designed to confront fighter jets, cruise missiles, smart bombs, helicopters and drones. The system is also designed specially for US fighters. The system is equipped with "Taer" (Bird) missiles, which can trace and hit targets in ranges up to 105 km and at altitudes from 25 to 27 km, Ra'd is a mid-range radar system and air defense system.
Sayyad is a series of solid fuel surface-to-air missiles (SAM) manufactured by Iran.
The Taer 2 is an Iranian mid-range radar guided solid fueled surface-to-air missile (SAM) designed to defend against aerial threats at altitudes of up to 25–27 km (75000 ft) and distances of up to 50 km. It is meant for use as part of the Ra'ad air defense system, and was revealed during a military parade in Tehran on 21 September 2012. It shows similarities to the Soviet 9M317 missile just as the Raad air defense system does to the Buk missile system.
The Sevom Khordad or 3rd Khordad is an Iranian road-mobile medium range air defense missile system that was first unveiled on 11 May 2014. It is believed to be an upgraded version of the Ra'ad air defense system and somewhat superior to the other version of Ra'ad, Tabas, although it is more similar to the Ra'ad than the Tabas is. Its operational capabilities were confirmed when it shot down an American Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk near the Strait of Hormuz. It is named after the Liberation of Khorramshahr which occurred on 3rd Khordad on the Persian Calendar.
Martyr Haj Qasem is an Iranian ballistic missile which was unveiled in August 2020. It is named after the Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani, who was assassinated by the US in January 2020.
Abu Mahdi, complete name: "Shahid (Martyr) Abu-Mahdi al-Muhandis missile", is an Iranian naval cruise missile with a range of over 1000 km. The missile is named after Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, an Iraqi companion of Qasem Soleimani who was killed in an American airstrike in 2020. It was unveiled on 20 August 2020 simultaneously with the Haj-Qasem missile. The Abu Mahdi missile can be launched by diverse types of platforms, including sea, land and air launchers.
The HESA Kaman-12 is an Iranian unmanned aerial vehicle operated by the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force. Its first flight was on 11 September 2020. The unmanned aerial vehicle possesses a speed of 200 km/h, with a range of 1,000 kilometers, and its one-way range is approximately 2,000 km.
The Mohajer-6 is an Iranian single-engine multirole ISTAR UAV capable of carrying a multispectral surveillance payload and/or up to four precision-guided munitions.
The Qare'a (disposable) rocket launcher is an Iranian lightweight composite material disposable rocket launcher which has been designed in order to target fortifications. Qare'a rocket launcher, made by IRGC was unveil on June, 28, 2020 beside 2 other domestically-manufactured military equipment.
The Makran IFV, an Iranian armoured personnel carrier (APC), is the highly modernized and upsized copy of the BTR-50 APC. The vehicle is produced and designed by the Research and Self-Sufficiency Jihad Organization. It was unveiled in June 2020 by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The vehicle is named after the Makran coastal region, a region that stretches between Iran and Pakistan. While the Makran is technically an infantry fighting vehicle, it has a large troop compartment as it is based on the BTR-50, allowing it to dual function as an armoured personnel carrier.
The Shahed 149 Gaza or, is an Iranian unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) operated by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. It was unveiled on 21 May 2021 and named after the Gaza Strip in honor of the Palestinians' struggle against Israel amid the 2021 Israel–Palestine crisis. It was delivered to the IRGC Aerospace Force in 2022.
The Qods Mohajer 10 is an Iranian UCAV unveiled in 2023. It has an operational range of 2000 km, its airframe has a visual resemblance to the MQ-9 Reaper. It has a 24 hour flight endurance ability and can carry up to 300 kg of cargo, including munitions and electronic equipments. It was officially unveiled in August 2023, in the presence of the Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and the Minister of Defense Brigadier-General Mohammad-Reza Gharaei Ashtiani.
The Abu Mahdi al Muhandis class is an class of Iranian missile corvette. It is a missile corvette which is third in the series of indigenous high-aspect-ratio twin-hull (HARTH) class of vessel, alongside Shahid Nazeri class commissioned in 2016 and the Shahid Soleimani class commissioned in 2022 respectively. The lead ship of the class is named after Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis and was unveiled on 6 January 2024 in Bandar Abbas by Iran. Abu Mahdi al Muhandis was the former deputy head of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Units, who was assassinated alongside Qasem Soleimani in a drone strike on 3 January 2020 by the United States. Like the other two classes of ships, this class is also in service with IRGC as principal combatant ships. As of now three more ships are planned.
Video footage was also released showing a Mohajer 6 using a Qaem 1 to accurately hit a target that was floating in the sea, apparently in the Indian Ocean off Konarak.
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