Jan 22, 2024. Posted by Balkan Periscope - Hellas
Most people
have no idea about what Iran is becoming.
It can’t be compared to the golden times of Saddam or any other emerging power in the region.
Iran didn’t
just buy its technology from other countries. Their development involves some
reverse engineering, but especially heavy investment in research over the past
20 years.
Iran has the keys to build a military project based on domestic resources:
Local
research centers
Engineering
and reverse engineering skills
Vast
natural resources
Military
ambition
Financial
capacity
Iran has a
strong domestic industry and the technology to manufacture cheap and modern
drones, as well as long-range ballistic missiles with high precision, modern
radar systems, and a new concept of navy based on fast boats using missile
systems.
Is Iran a limited regional power?
Maybe a decade ago. Now, their missiles can hit 3 continents, and they are strongly influencing a European conflict with weaponry. It’s beyond being a regional power.
The Iranian
arm industry is actually among the top 7, being one of the few countries able
to develop long-range air defense systems. Yes, these air defense systems
haven’t been tested in any situation yet, but given the accuracy of the last
missile attacks, they can be surprisingly efficient.
Iran is
emerging not only as a global military power but also as one of the biggest
challenges for the Western world, precisely because most of its modern arm
industry was developed under sanctions imposed by Western countries and the
country keep seeking nuclear capabilities.
Iran Emerges as a Global Military Power
Few
countries can launch missile attacks ranging more than 1,000km from their
territory, and Iran is one of them. Some time ago, I wrote about the Iranian
development of anti-air systems and mentioned that Iran alone has more anti-air
systems than the entire Europe.
The recent
Iranian attacks have demonstrated a frightening precision of a few meters, as
evidenced by pictures of the damaged targets. However, these recent Iranian
attacks have affected another major player in the region: Pakistan. Firing
missiles into Pakistan, without prior authorization could lead to serious
problems for Iran, if the Pakistani government decides to escalate the
situation.
Iran’s
military development also includes modern and long-range radars, as well as
possibly an unknown electronic warfare (EW) technology, suspected of being
capable of hacking foreign drones. While I believe in many aspects of Iranian
armament development, I would like to see more details specifically about this
EW technology.
Another
country that has accelerated the development of its domestic missile systems is
Saudi Arabia. Some time ago, I wrote about this recent development involving
Saudi, Chinese, and Brazilian companies.
The region
could potentially become a missile park in terms of capabilities, with Iran
leading the way and raising the region security concerns.
Patricia
Marins
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