Global General

Iran tests new radar as war games continue

(Agencies)
Updated: 2011-06-29 16:40

* Day 3 of Iran's 10-day military manoeuvres

* New radar tested for first time, commander says

* Iran aims to warn Israel, US against attack

TEHRAN - Iran has tested a new radar system, a military commander said on Wednesday, as part of a show of strength it hopes will warn Israel and the United States against any attack.

On day three of a 10-day military exercise, Amir Ali Hajizadeh, head of the Revolutionary Guards' aerospace division, said the new radar system, called Ghadir, was used for the first time.

"The Ghadir radar has been designed and built to detect airborne targets, radar-evading planes, cruise and ballistic missiles and low-orbit satellites," he was quoted as saying by the student news agency ISNA.

The radar has a range of 1,100 km (680 miles) and a height of 300 km (190 miles), he said.

As part of the "Great Prophet 6" exercise, Iran test-fired surface-to-surface missiles on Tuesday, with a maximum range of 2,000 km (1,250 miles), emphasising it could hit Israel or US targets in the region in the event of attack.

The United States and Israel have said they do not rule out military strikes on Iran if diplomatic means fail to stop it developing nuclear weapons. Tehran says its uranium enrichment programme is geared to producing electricity, not atom bombs.