MODAFL ceremony for serial production of Ghadir ASCM

Above: lineup of Ghadir ASCMs displayed before open missile box containers

On 14MAR15 Iran's Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics (MODAFL) held a ceremony in Tehran marking serial production of the Ghadir ("Able") anti-ship cruise missile (ASCM) type. Note: alternate spellings in English for this ASCM include "Qader" and "Qadir".

MODAFL claims for the Ghadir ASCM include: "capabilities such as low flying altitude, high navigation precision, high targeting precision, high destruction power, highly advanced anti-electronic warfare and anti-jamming systems, advanced radar systems and the capability of being fired from different types of vessels and helicopters." Also, claimed operational range is for the weapon is 300 km. [source: Fars News Agency]

Banners seen in photos of the ceremony bear the emblem of Iran's Aerospace Industries Organization (AIO).

Detail of serial production Ghadir anti-ship cruise missile

Displayed model type of Ghadir anti-ship cruise missile

On hand at the Ghadir ASCM production ceremony, left to right:
- IRGC-N Commander Rear Admiral Ali Fadavi
- Defense Minister IRGC Brigadier General Hossein Dehghan
- Deputy Defense Minister IRGC Brigadier General 2C Reza Talaei-Nik

VIDEO (IRINN):

Photos: Islamic Republic News Agency

Air Drill Successful - IRIAF

IRIAF F-4E Launches Qadr ASCM 

IRIAF Brig. Gen. Hossein Chitforoush told reporters in Bandar Abbas today that the air force fighters have succeeded in missions during the second day of the Defenders of Velayat Sanctuary 4 exercises.

F-4 Phantoms, Su-24s, F5s, F-1 Mirages, and Saeqeh (thunderbolt) fighters took part in today’s air drills.

Gen. Chitforoush said that after the air tracking and air-to-surface firing against pre-planned targets, Saeqeh and Mirage fighters destroyed ground and sea targets successfully using optimized pinpointing rockets developed and manufactured by Artesh Air Force (IRIAF). [Mehr News Agency, 21 December]

Chitforoush added that F-4 fighters destroyed mobile targets on sea, firing Maverick enhanced pinpointing rockets.

Iranian Defense Ministry had announced last September that it had equipped F-4Es with Nasr and Qader anti-ship cruise missiles (ASCMs), with the range of 35km and 200km respectively. The F-4Es could test fire the ASCMs during the current exercise.

UPDATE: Iran media reports a Qadr air-launched cruise missile as previously seen fitted to F-4E Phantom II was successfully fired during the second day of the exercise.

Photo credit: IRIAF fighters at Bandar Abbas. 21 December 2013. (Ahmad Jafari/Mehr News Agency)