Iran will soon begin the manufacture of a new class of supersonic cruise missiles known as the Talaeey-e to complement the subsonic weapons currently in service, Navy Commander Rear Adm. Hossein Khanzadi has announced.
“In the near future, we have on the agenda the production of supersonic missiles, which use Turbofan engines to fly several times the speed of sound,” the commander said, his comments cited by Iranian media.
According to Khanzadi, the missiles’ engines will receive upgrades to withstand higher temperatures over a longer period of time, with refueling and navigation systems also subject to improvements. “Today we have reached the range of 300 km, and we will achieve more exciting ranges in the near future,” the commander said.
Furthermore, the commander noted, in addition to the new missiles, Iran’s Navy will seek to develop vertical launch capability to allow more missiles to be fitted onto the decks of its surface warships. At the moment, cell-based VLSs are employed by the US and allied navies, with Russia, China, India, Japan and South Korea also using the technology in ships ranging from corvettes and frigates to destroyers, cruisers and aircraft carriers.
On Saturday, Iranian Defence Minister Brig. Gen. Amir Hatami indicated that Iran’s military industry has reached an extremely high level of self-sufficiency, enabling it to produce everything from equipment for the army, navy and air force to electronic systems and radar technology.
“The enemy is too afraid of this defence power and Iran’s military authority, especially in the area of missile capability,” Hatami said, speaking at a ceremony dedicated to the death of Mostafa Chamran, an Iranian commander killed in 1981 during the Iran-Iraq War. According to Hatami, Iran’s adversaries have recognized Iran’s progress, and have sought to limit the country’s development using “cruel sanctions.”
In recent years, Iran has resisted US and European pressure to reduce its missile power, citing the need to defend itself against foreign aggression. The country is known to possess over 1,000 short and medium-range missiles, and is reported to have ramped up development and production following the US withdrawal from the nuclear deal in 2018, and multiple incidents in the Gulf ranging from tanker sabotage to ship seizures, drone shootdowns, and the US assassination of a senior Iranian general in Baghdad in January. Tehran responded to the latter by firing multiple missiles at US bases in Iraq, which left over 100 US troops with traumatic brain injuries.
