Post date: Feb 02, 2013 1:12:40 PM
Iran demonstrates its growing self-reliance in the field of military technology with the unveiling of what it says is a new, domestically-built fighter jet.
TEHRAN, IRAN (FEBRUARY 2, 2013) (PRESS TV) - Iran unveiled what it said was a new, domestically built-fighter jet on Saturday (February 2), local media reported.
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said at a ceremony in Tehran that the Qaher 313 demonstrated Iran's growing self-reliance in the field of military technology.Iran's functional air force has been limited to perhaps as few as a few dozen strike aircraft, either Russian or ageing U.S. models acquired before the 1979 revolution.
The Islamic Republic, under an international arms embargo, has long struggled to find spare parts and some military experts say the fleet is outdated.
Tensions in the region have simmered over Tehran's nuclear programme. Israel has threatened to bomb Iranian nuclear sites if diplomacy and sanctions fail to stop nuclear activity the West suspects is aimed at developing a weapons capability.
Iran denies the weapons charge, saying it has no intention to interfere in other country's affairs.
"It carries the message of peace, friendship and brotherhood. Our military achievements do not pose a threat to anyone," Ahmadinejad said in remarks carried on state television on Saturday (February 2, 2013).
"They're not aimed at abusing the rights of others but are rather meant to defend our independence and our existence. In fact they're a deterrent," he said.
Iran often holds military drills and announces weapons advances that it says are for purely deterrent purposes, though some analysts are sceptical of such reported advances because they cannot be independently verified.