A launch of Iran\u2019s Qassem-Basir ballistic missile.<\/p>\n
A high-ranking Iranian military official has hailed a\u00a0newly-unveiled\u00a0GPS-independent ballistic missile as a key piece of defensive hardware that is in the service of the \u201cnew models\u201d of confrontation with the country\u2019s adversaries.<\/strong><\/p>\n Deputy Head of Science, Research, and Technology at the General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, Brigadier General Mohammad Mehdinejad Nouri made the remarks on Thursday.<\/p>\n He was addressing the capabilities of the country\u2019s Qassem-Basir missile, which was unveiled by Defense Minister Brigadier General Aziz Nasirzadeh on May 4.<\/p>\n The official identified the projectile as an instance of \u201csignificant achievement\u201d in the field of cyber technology as well as the areas of designing and manufacturing military equipment.<\/p>\n “Whether on the ground, at sea, or in space, these achievements contribute to the Islamic Republic\u2019s defensive deterrent power, and enhance the capabilities of its [military] equipment against any potential threat from the enemy,” he noted.<\/p>\n He commended the missile\u2019s non-reliance on the Global Positioning System (GPS), pointing to its rather using its own Inertial Navigation System (INS).<\/p>\n Mehdinejad Nouri noted that such technology used to be available only to the United States and a few other countries, praising Iran\u2019s \u201ccapable experts\u201d for harnessing the knowhow.<\/p>\n He also reminded that the world\u2019s GPS services\u2019 global navigation and control systems were also being controlled by the US and some other countries, suggesting that Qassem-Basir\u2019s independence from GPS complicated the work of those seeking to track and destroy the projectile.<\/p>\n Therefore, he remarked, the Islamic Republic could now \u201cstrike designated hostile positions, even without the need for GPS, whether in times of war or disruption of [navigation] systems.”<\/p>\n Mehdinejad Nouri additionally lauded the Iranian Armed Forces for entirely indigenize such missiles\u2019 new generation from the designing stage to ultimate manufacturing.<\/p>\n “Currently, inside the Islamic Republic, the designing and production of all pieces of equipment that are required for military engagement, especially drones, missiles, vessels, tanks, and other equipment, are made by domestic experts,” he said in the same context.<\/p>\n “This successful and promising path continues.”<\/p>\n The official also underlined the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC)\u2019s development last year of the Shahid (Martyr) Bagheri homegrown drone carrier vessel as a case in point when it came to advancement of the country\u2019s naval firepower.<\/p>\n