Iran's Bavar-373 air defense deters US U2 fights: Dy Min

 Bavar-373 missile defence system

Tehran, Oct 6, IRNA – Iranian Deputy Defense Minister Brigade General Ghasem Taghizadeh said on Sunday that Iranian made Bavar-373 air defense system has deterred US U2 aircraft flights over the region putting an end to its twice a day flight in the region.

The US forces movements are being monitored round the clock. The US U2 planes used to take off from Cyprus and flew over the region twice a day, but since Bavar-373 can intercept and target them, the flights stopped, said Brigade General Ghasem Taghizadeh in the second national conference for immunization of infrastructures and safeguarding the people.

He added that the Bavar-373 can intercept and target flying objects up to 27 km high and 200 km away.

Iranian air defense is very advanced system and the Americans are well-aware of that. The US stealth spy drone was shot down with the very same system, he said.

Brigadier-General Tagjizadeh said that deterrent defense power and diplomacy can be very effective. If the US knows a country cannot defend itself and attacking it will have benefits for it, it will definitely attack – like what happened to Iraq and Afghanistan.

Taghizadeh said that the Ministry of Defense is planning to make a weapon stringer and cheaper than the US made ones, adding that the average age of the experts at the ministry is 33 and that they are ready to do big jobs.

He also said that Iran has a very big plan for the coming 15 years in the field of defense.

"The interests of the US are only 220 km away from us. If they hit us, we will hit them. 60,000 Americans are around Iran. They are rational enough not to make a move against us. They know we are making and using equipment that can land or hit their drones," he said.

He added Iran enjoys very advanced microelectronic radars, has made Kowsar jetfighter, and has made big achievements to manufacture speed boats, destroyers and helicopters.

When Iran shot down US RQ-4 stealth drone, there was a P8 plane flying behind that but couldn’t neutralize Iranian systems, which shows Iran does its job using with asymmetrical and very cheap technologies.   

On the technology to locate and defuse landmines, he said that in the past, on average, three Iranians used to die a month in the operations to clear up the landmine-infested areas, but now the robots developed by the Ministry of Defense do the job. They can even spot and defuse the landmines buried six meters deep.

This way Iran has been able to stand against the threats of the Zionist regime and US, he said.

Taghizadeh said that the former Soviet Union entered a arms race with the US, which led to its collapse. Iran would have had problems as well if it had done so. But Iran took up a asymmetrical path of defense and that’s why Iranian technology and equipment are special and unique for Iran.