Iranian defence minister Hossein Dehghan has inaugurated a missile production plant aimed at improving the country's air defence capabilities.

Semi-official Fars news agency quotes Dehghan as saying today that the Sayyad-2 missile production facility allows the Islamic Republic to hit helicopters, drones and other aerial targets at medium range. The solid fuel gives the missiles improved accuracy compared with liquid fuelled missiles, which make up the bulk of Iran's air defence arsenal.

Dehghan says scientists have also completed research on another missile system named Talash, or effort.

Tehran has been trying to set up a self-sufficient military program since 1992, putting an emphasis on air defence and naval power.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.