Defense Minister Hossein Dehqan says Iran is capable of producing various types of unmanned aerial vehicles, which indicates advances made by the Defense Ministry in designing and manufacturing military hardware.
Speaking at a meeting of managers of the Aviation Industries Organization in Tehran on Monday, Dehqan said experienced human resources and advanced scientific capabilities have allowed Iran's aerospace industries to achieve a good progress, IRNA reported.
He said the Defense Ministry has developed vast internal capacities in addition to its broad cooperation with external companies through outsourcing.
Some years ago, the ministry was only able to repair foreign equipment and was not able to design and produce any equipment, Dehqan said.
However, after facing severe sanctions which led to foreign firms' refusal to provide after-sale services for the equipment they had sold, Iran decided to "stand on its own feet" and manufacture the needed spare parts itself, the defense chief explained.
Dehqan said in a few years, through efforts by the perseverant youth, Iran managed to design and manufacture defense products which foreigners would never sell to Iran.
"Under sanctions, we tried to turn threats into opportunities," he said, adding that after the July 14 nuclear deal with major powers "things are different."
In the new era, following the lifting of sanctions resulting in a better atmosphere for cooperation with foreigners, the government should not forget domestic capabilities as it tries to fill the gaps, Dehqan stressed.
"Through a strong, clear and purposeful five-year strategy, we should have our own internationally recognized aircraft," the senior military official said.
Dehqan added that his ministry is now capable of carrying out maintenance of attack helicopters, which is another sign of the great gains achieved by young defense experts in recent years.
