Defence News - Iran

Senior military officials announced on Tuesday, January 1, 2013, that Iran is now testing the subsystems of Bavar (Belief) 373 missile defense system - the Iranian version of the sophisticated S-300 long-range air-defense missile system.

Launcher unit of Russian-made S-300PMU2 ground-to-air defence missile system at military parade in Moscow.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a ceremony here in Tehran on Tuesday, Commander of Khatam ol-Anbia Air Defense Base Brigadier General Farzad Esmayeeli said "laboratory tests" are underway on subsystems of the long-range Bavar 373 air-defense system.

"We are in good status in this regards and the Defense Ministry and Khatam ol-Anbia base are pursuing the project," Esmayeeli continued.

Late in September 2012, Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi announced that his ministry would soon release sensitive information about the production of the indigenous version of the sophisticated S-300 air defense system which is currently underway in Iran.

"The works pertaining to the designing and building of the (S-300) system are underway and the relevant information will be released soon, God-willing," Vahidi told reporters on the sidelines of a cabinet meeting here in Tehran at the time.

Also in September, Esmayeeli had said that Iran has already completed one-third of the project.

Speaking to reporters on the occasion of the National Day of Air Defense here in Tehran at the time, Esmayeeli said that Iran has already completed 30% of the missile system's production project, and expressed the hope that Iran would complete the system by the end of this Iranian year (March 2013) or the next year.