A senior Iranian officer has said the military is set to revolutionize its missile production division in an effort to boost the Islamic Republic's defensive capabilities, local satellite channel Press TV reported on Monday.
Brigadier General Mehdi Farahi, head of the Aerospace Organization in the Defense Ministry, was quoted as saying that "the reforms are intended to promote efficiency and help fulfill the requirements of the country's armed forces."
The entire structure of the organization along with its policies will be renewed, he said.
The Aerospace Organization has been actively manufacturing rocket artillery systems to help Iran's military self-sufficiency campaign aimed at enhancing the country's defense capabilities in the face of war threats from the U.S. and Israel.
The newly-developed surface-to-surface Sejjil missile, the longer-range Shahab-3 ballistic missile which has a range of up to2000 kilometers, along with Zelzal and Fateh missiles are among the productions of the unit.
Earlier this month, London-based Jane's Information Group reported on its website that Iran tripled its arsenal of Shahab-3 intermediate-range ballistic missiles (IRBMs) in 2008.
An intelligence source was quoted by Jane's as revealing that at the beginning of 2008, Iran had about 30 operational missiles, but the figure rose to more than 100 now.
The United States and its allies have accused Iran of trying to develop nuclear weapons under the cover of a civilian nuclear program.
Iran has repeatedly denied the U.S. allegations and insisted that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only.
Source:Xinhua
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