Iran unveils two new anti-armor missiles

MOSCOW, February 7 (RIA Novosti)

Iran has started production of two domestically-developed missiles
with enhanced armor-penetration capability, the Iranian media has
reported.

The Iranian state TV footage showed on Saturday the Qaem ground-to-air
missile and the Toufan-5 anti-tank missile being test-fired at a
shooting range during the inauguration of two production lines for
these weapons.

"Once these advanced weapons are mass produced and delivered to the
Armed Forces, Iran’s defense power in ground and air combats will be
reinvigorated," the Iranian Fars news agency quoted Iranian Defense
Minister Ahmad Vahidi as saying.

According to Vahidi, who attended the inauguration ceremony, the
Toufan 5 missile has two warheads and is capable of destroying armored
vehicles, tanks and personnel carriers due to its high
armor-penetration power.

The Qaem laser-guided surface-to-air missile is capable of destroying
aerial targets traveling at low speed and low altitude, especially
attack helicopters.

Iranian military officials earlier said Tehran had achieved
self-sufficiency in manufacturing combat missiles of various
modifications and developed an effective weapon to shoot down U.S.
Apache attack helicopters.

Iran launched a domestic arms development program after a U.S. weapons
embargo was imposed during its 1980-88 war with Iraq. Since 1992, the
Islamic Republic has reportedly produced its own Saeqeh and Azarakhsh
jet fighters, stealth-capable Ghadir submarine, missile boats,
torpedoes, tanks and armored carrier vehicles.

Iran frequently holds military drills and shows off modern weaponry in
an effort to demonstrate its readiness to thwart any attack on its
territory.