A senior Iranian commander says the country has put its domestically-manufactured Nazir long-range radar system with the capability of detecting radar-evading targets into operation.
“Nazir radar has come into operation and no radar-evading flying object can enter the Islamic Republic’s airspace without permission from now on,” Brigadier General Farzad Esmaili, the commander of the Khatam al-Anbiya Air Defense Base, said on Monday.
He added that the homegrown radar specializes in detecting small flying objects such as the US Lockheed U-2 reconnaissance aircraft, US General Atomics MQ-1 drone and the Northrop Grumman RQ-4 surveillance aircraft.
“The Nazir radar can easily detect and trace ballistic and cruise missiles and most importantly radar-evading aircraft," the commander said.
The radar system was put into operation at the altitude of over 3,000 meters (about 9,800 feet).
In September 1, 2015, Iran unveiled two domestically-built state-of-the-art radar systems, dubbed Nazir and Bina, capable of detecting stealth targets at high altitudes.
Nazir is a long-range radar system that can detect and track hostile aerial targets within a radius of 800 kilometers at an estimated altitude of 100,000 feet, while Bina uses three-dimensional (3-D) technology to detect radar-evading targets. It can also be used to deter electronic warfare.
The two radar systems have been deployed in mountainous and plain areas in the southeastern parts of Iran.
In October 2015, Iran unveiled a new long-range digital radar system, dubbed Fat’h 14 (Conquer 14), which is capable of detecting enemies’ strategic objectives.
The radar system has a range of 600 kilometers and can detect small airborne targets at a high altitude. High agility and swift connection to command and control network are among other features of the semiconductor radar.
Fat’h 14 is the first radar featuring such characteristics in the Middle East.