IRGC Unveils Ground Force’s New Homegrown Military Gear

By Staff, Agencies

The Islamic Revolution Guard Corps [IRGC] unveiled four new homegrown military products, including a reconnaissance drone with a service ceiling of 12,000 feet.

In a ceremony held on Saturday, IRGC Chief Commander Major General Hossein Salami unveiled the new homegrown products manufactured by the Research and Self-Sufficiency Jihad Organization of the IRGC Ground Force.

One of the items was BTR-50 personnel carrier, a modified version of Makran personnel carrier, which enjoys an improved body and a new turret.

The vehicles’ turret is equipped with a fire-control system, thermal night-vision cameras, and a laser distant measurement system that can hit surface and aerial targets.

The personnel carrier’s turret also has a 30 mm caliber automatic cannon and a 7.62 mm caliber machine gun, controlled by a gunner inside the vehicle.

Another product unveiled by the IRGC was Me’raj-1 drone.

The reconnaissance UAV has a service ceiling of 12,000 feet and a maximum speed of 140 km/h.  Weighing 35 kilograms, the aircraft has a flight endurance of 10.5 hours and can carry a payload of 5 kg. With a wingspan of 3.6 meters, Me’raj-1 has a range of 1,000 kilometers and a data link system with a range of up to 150 km.

The IRGC chief also unveiled So’ban-1 machine gun, a modified version of Russian-made RPD machine gun.

Another major achievement of the IRGC unveiled this morning was a ground-penetrating radar system used for detection of landmines and roadside bombs.

Mounted on a vehicle travelling at a speed of 10 km/h, the radar system can detect explosives hidden in the ground at a depth of up to 30 cm at a distance of 30 meters.

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 February 2018, Leader of the Islamic Revolution His Eminence Imam Sayyed Ali Khamenei called for efforts to maintain and boost Iran’s defense capabilities, hitting back at the enemies for disputing the country’s missile program.