Demand for Iranian drones much greater than production: Top general
The chief of staff of the Iranian Armed Forces said that demand for the purchase of Iran’s homegrown sophisticated drones is much greater than the country’s production.
Speaking at a Monday conference in Tehran on the role of the Sacred Defense against the former Iraqi regime’s eight-year war on Iran in national security, the high-ranking general highlighted Iran’s dramatic progress in the defense industry, Press TV reported.
“Today, the number of customers of our drones are several times more than our production capacity,” Major General Baqeri said, adding that “major world powers” are vying to purchase Iranian weapons.
He also pointed out that once the Islamic Republic was banned from purchasing foreign-made weapons, but now it is faced with bans on the export of its domestically-developed military products.
Iran has turned into a “big drone power” that is outperforming major world powers, the commander added.
Last month, Defense Ministry spokesman also highlighted the increasing demand for Iran-made advanced unmanned aerial vehicles, revealing a strong interest from numerous countries in procuring these drones. “We have received numerous requests from various countries, notably from Western and European countries,” Reza Talaei-Nik said in August.
Iranian military experts and engineers have in recent years made remarkable breakthroughs in manufacturing a broad range of indigenous equipment, making the Armed Forces self-sufficient.
Iranian officials have declared that the country will not hesitate to strengthen its military capabilities, including its missile power, which are entirely meant for defense, and that Iran’s defense capabilities will never be subject to negotiations.