Iran conducts successful test-fire of new Mersad 16 air defense missile system

Defense News September 2021 Global Security army industry
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According to information published by the Iranian press agency FARS on August 31, 2021, Iran has successfully conducted a test-fire of a new generation of Mersad air defense missile system, called Mersad 16.
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Firing test of Mersad 16 air defense missile system. (Picture source Wikimedia)

The Mersad 16 is a new generation of air defense missile systems fully developed and designed by the Iranian defense industry able to counter electronic warfare threats and intercept simultaneously several aerial targets. Mersad 16 missile system was controlled for the first time by the country’s integrated defense network, adding that the Vali-e Asr Command and Control Center detected, intercepted, and destroyed the targets.

According to Iranian military sources, the main features of the missile are high mobility and agility. The Mersad 16 is able to intercept high-speed targets at low altitudes, including different types of cruise missiles. The air defense missile system is able to detect an enemy target at any altitude and take action at any moment against it, and it transmits information about the targets to the network immediately, and the command and control center can engage directly with the system. 

Deputy Commander of the Army’s Air Defense Force for Operations General Mohammad Khoshqalb said, that the optimized version of the Mersad 16 missile system with the capability to intercept high-speed and high-altitude targets will be unveiled soon.

The difference between the Mersad 16 system and its previous generations, all the components of the launcher unit are mounted on a truck. It uses the new Iranian radars, Hafez 3D radar, and phased array acquisition radar Najm-804. The missiles are stored in container launcher units using the new Shalamcheh missile called 'Shalamcheh 2'. Shalamcheh is an Iranian-made surface-to-air missile claimed to be capable of destroying several types of modern aerial targets including fighter jets and drones. The missile will have a range of 250 km.