Iran has begun deploying domestically developed air defense systems across the country, with the country’s air defense chief saying locally produced weapons demonstrated their effectiveness during the recent conflict.
Brigadier General Alireza Elhami said Iran is also rapidly increasing production while strengthening its ability to independently adapt its defense capabilities to emerging threats.
Elhami, commander of Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Joint Air Defense Headquarters and the Iranian Army’s Air Defense Force, said locally produced defense equipment is now being deployed across the entire territory of the Islamic Republic.
He said the systems produced during what Iran describes as a 40-day US-Israeli war of aggression had successfully passed a battlefield test and were now being rapidly replicated and mass-produced.
“The equipment produced inside Iran passed a successful test during that conflict,” Elhami said, according to remarks published by Iranian media.
He said large-scale production of domestically developed weapons is continuing, with Iran increasingly relying on its own defense technology.
Local systems proved effective during war
Elhami highlighted the performance of Iran’s indigenous air defense capabilities during the recent conflict, saying locally developed missiles, drones and defense systems demonstrated strong defensive capabilities.
He said the successful performance of the equipment had encouraged Iran to increase both the quantity of weapons being manufactured and the variety of ways in which they can be used.
The commander also praised the capabilities of the Army’s Air Defense Force and its efforts to refurbish and improve existing air defense systems.
Iran can update systems independently
According to Elhami, one of the biggest advantages of indigenous defense equipment is Iran’s ability to upgrade and update it without depending on foreign suppliers. He said threats are constantly changing in their form, nature and tactics, making continuous improvements to military systems necessary.
With domestically developed equipment, Iran can make those changes “much faster and more easily” because both the software and hardware remain under the country’s control.
By contrast, Elhami said foreign-made equipment can require assistance from other countries for upgrades, potentially slowing the process of adapting to new threats.
Weapons tailored to Iran’s geography and climate
Elhami also pointed to the design of Iran’s domestically produced weapons, saying they are developed specifically according to the country’s geography, weather conditions and operational requirements.
He said these characteristics have demonstrated the effectiveness of Iranian equipment compared with foreign counterparts on the battlefield.
The commander argued that locally developed systems offer Iran greater flexibility because they are designed around the country’s specific geographic and climatic conditions rather than being imported for a different operating environment.
Iran expands domestic defense production
Elhami said Iran is further increasing its reliance on local defense technology while working to improve both the quality and quantity of its indigenous weapons.
The country is also expanding the range of applications for its locally produced equipment and refining the tactics used to deploy those systems.
He said the process of developing and upgrading domestic capabilities is continuing, with mass production underway for weapons that Iran says proved critical during the recent conflict.
The comments reflect Iran’s continued push toward self-reliance in military technology after years of relying on domestic development to overcome restrictions on access to foreign defense equipment.
Elhami said the experience of the recent war reinforced the value of indigenous capabilities, allowing Iran to rapidly reproduce equipment that successfully performed during the conflict and deploy it across the country.
