Iran has showcased a new generation of "Mersad-16" missile system during a military exercise in Semnan Province, southeast of Tehran, IRGC-linked Tasnim news agency reported on Saturday November 23.
According to Tasnim, the system was successfully used against drones and other forms of unmanned flying objects.
The report says the new generation of Mersad-16 missile systems are mobile, use new radars and launcher boxes, and can work also with the newly showcased missile Shalamcheh-2.
Mersad is Iran's "first one hundred percent locally manufactured missile system," Tasnim noted, adding that it is an improved version of the U.S. MIM-23 system.
It detects targets within a range of 150 Km, locks on them when they fly to the 80 Km range and targets them when they are within 40 to 45 Km from the launcher, the report explained.
The three radars used alongside Mersad missiles, namely Kavosh, Juya and Hadi, have also been manufactured based on U.S. models, some of which can detect targets within 220 Km of the launcher, Tasnim added.
According to IRGC, the new generation of Mersad-2 missile can tackle two targets simultaneously.
Also on display during the exercise in Semnan were the smaller Shahin and Shalamcheh missiles. The latter is said to be capable of targeting objects flying in altitudes of 60 to 18000 meters within a range of 40 kilometers.
Mersad missiles were first introduced in late 2000s and became operational in early 2010s.
