Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on August 22 inaugurated the country’s first domestically built unmanned bomber aircraft, calling it an “ambassador of death” to Iran’s enemies. The 4-metre-long drone aircraft can carry up to four cruise missiles and will have a range of 1,000 km. “The jet, as well as being an ambassador of death for the enemies of humanity, has a main message of peace and friendship,” said Ahmadinejad at the inauguration ceremony, which fell on the country’s national day for its defence industries. The goal of the aircraft, named Karrar or striker, is to “keep the enemy paralysed in its bases,” he said, adding that the aircraft is for deterrence and defensive purposes. The president championed the country’s military self-sufficiency programme, and said it will continue “until the enemies of humanity lose hope of ever attacking the Iranian nation.” The ceremony came a day after Iran began to fuel its first nuclear power reactor with the help of Russia amid international concerns over the possibility of a military dimension to its nuclear programme. State TV later showed video footage of the plane taking off from a launching pad and reported that the craft travelled at speeds of 900 km per hour and could alternatively be armed with two 250-pound bombs or a 450-pound guided bomb. Iran has been producing its own light, unmanned surveillance aircraft since the late 1980s.
IRAN LAUNCHES DRONE BOMBER
IRAN LAUNCHES DRONE BOMBER
