New Anti-Armor Missile Displayed

The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Ground Force displayed a new domestically-developed anti-armor automatic missile on Wednesday. The new weapon, dubbed Azarakhsh (lightning), was unveiled during a ceremony in Tehran attended by IRGC Commander Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari and IRGC Ground Force Lieutenant General Mohammad Pakpour, Tasnim News Agency reported. The 127-millimeter caliber rocket weighs around 70 kilograms and can be installed on helicopter pylons. The missile has a range of 10 kilometers and can lock on to its target, track it, and automatically detect it. The air-to-surface and surface-to-surface missile is also equipped with thermographic detectors with a maximum speed of 550 meters per second.  A multifunction tester used for measuring electrical parameters of Mi-17 helicopters as well as a night vision system for the Mil Mi-17 were also put on display during the ceremony. Iranian military experts have in recent years made great headways in manufacturing a broad range of indigenous equipment, making the armed forces mostly self-sufficient in the arms sphere.