Iranian Fighters Armed with 700km Cruise Missiles
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The longest-range Iranian cruise missile, dubbed ‘Ya Ali’, has been provided with the capability to be mounted on the country’s entire fighter aircraft, a senior military official announced.
Speaking to the Tasnim News Agency, Iran’s Deputy Defense Minister Mohammad Eslami said the country’s whole warplanes can be armed with the air-to-ground missile.
With a range of 700 kilometers, Ya Ali outstrips all other Iranian cruise missiles.
The Iranian military experts and technicians have in recent years made great headways in manufacturing a broad range of indigenous equipment, making the armed forces self-sufficient in the arms sphere.
In December 2014, military technicians at the Iranian defense ministry equipped the Mirage fighter jets with home-made cruise missiles despite sanctions imposed on the country's Armed Forces.
Previously, Iran’s Mirage fighters were almost out of service and could not be used in military missions since the jets were compatible with Exocet missiles as well as some other types of Russian-made missiles and Iran was unable to import them because of sanctions.
Mirage fighter jets produced by the French aircraft manufacturer Dassault Aviation, have great capabilities in aerial combat and are in service in only six countries around the world, including Iran.