Nasr cruise missiles delivered to Iranian Air Force

TEHRAN, Feb. 9 (UPI) — Iran’s defense ministry has officially delivered its Nasr air-launched cruise missile to Iran’s Army Air Forces.

The missile delivery was recognized during a ceremony attended by Brig Gen. Hossein Dehghan, who says the defense ministry’s top priorities are designing and upgrading weapon systems for Air Force missions.

“The Ministry has been attending to the Leader’s valuable guidelines through indefatigable and pious forces in supporting the military; no barrier would stymie our efforts in the road to advancement,” Dehghan said during the ceremony.

Nasr, which translates to “victory” in English, was originally designed as a short-range anti-ship missile to be used to strike smaller naval targets such as frigates. However, recent updates allow it to be used across a variety of platforms.

“It is capable of destroying the target and will provide the Air Force with excellent combat capability and tactical flexibility; it is compatible with all sorts of air fighters,” Dehghan added.

The defense minister also said there are plans to arm the missile on unmanned aerial vehicles.

Iran first revealed the Nasr cruise missile in September 2013 alongside the air-launched version of the Qader. The missiles are equipped with a radar tracking system to boost its accuracy.