Iran’s export of military equipment surges five-fold: Minister

Iran’s defense minister says there has been a significant increase in the production and export of defense equipment compared to the previous year, despite harsh economic sanctions on the country.

“Production and export of defense equipment … have seen a three- and five-fold increase [respectively] compared to last year,” Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Gharaei Ashtiani told reporters on the sidelines of a cabinet session in Tehran on Wednesday.

There has been “considerable growth” in all aspects of the defense ministry, he said, adding that the ministry has been putting efforts to meet the growing requirements of the country's armed forces.

“We both help armed forces as well as other fronts, and we also strengthen them so that they can contribute to [promotion of] defense,” he said.

Last week, the minister noted that despite decades of sanctions, Iran has become self-sufficient in producing various types of defense equipment.

“In the defense sector, we have achieved a [high] status in the international arena in a very short period," he told Khamenei.ir, the official website of Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.

Helicopter parts, engineering services' export to ‘friendly countries’

A high-ranking Iranian military official said on Wednesday that the country has managed to produce helicopter parts in line with global standards and begun to export them.

Head of the Iran Aviation Industries Organization (IAIO) Brigadier General Afshin Khajeh Fard lauded the country's self-sufficiency in the production of various types of military equipment amid sanctions, noting that the defense industry is exporting military equipment, including required pieces for manufacturing helicopters, to friendly countries.

Noting that Iran has the “most diverse” helicopter fleet in the world, he stressed that the country is not dependent on foreign countries in this field.

"Fortunately, we have overcome the sanctions and today we also export and provide engineering services to other friendly and allied countries," he stated.

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