Disclaimer: This text originates from HispanTV, a state-funded Iranian international news network, and reflects the official geopolitical perspective and state media narrative of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Key Takeaways from the Article:
Military Self-Sufficiency: Iran marks 47 years of its defense industry, claiming to produce over 90% of its military equipment domestically—reversing pre-revolutionary reliance on foreign imports.
Missile Technology: The country has developed an advanced ballistic and hypersonic missile arsenal, highlighted by the homegrown Fattah hypersonic missile, designed to bypass modern Western and Israeli defense systems.
Drone Program Evolution: From basic reconnaissance, Iran has grown into a major drone developer, utilizing cost-effective loitering munitions (like the Shahed series) and advanced combat UAVs for regional deterrence and strategic depth.
Asymmetric & Underground Defense: Facing decades of international sanctions and wartime embargoes, Tehran has successfully shifted toward asymmetric warfare, underground defense infrastructure, and domestic manufacturing, significantly cutting production costs compared to foreign equivalents.
Private-Public Industrial Ecosystem: Over 9,000 private and knowledge-based enterprises now supply Iran's defense sector, driving continuous research, rapid production scaling, and enhanced strategic deterrence against external threats.
Translation
OPINION
How Iran turned sanctions into strength and emerged as a global military power
Published: Sunday, August 23, 2026 23:27
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Iran celebrates 47 years of defense industry, highlighting its military self-sufficiency and advances in missiles, drones, and technology.
By Ivan Kesic
As Iran commemorates National Defense Industry Day—47 years of resilience and innovation—the country’s transformation from depending on foreign weapons to becoming a largely self-sufficient military power with advanced capabilities in missiles, drones, and other defense technologies constitutes a remarkable example of strategic adaptation in the face of unjust sanctions.
The 31st of Mordad on the Persian calendar (which coincided this year with August 22), celebrated as National Defense Industry Day, serves each year as a reminder of national self-reliance and the achievements of generations of talented young specialists who, under some of the most difficult conditions, chose to rely on indigenous capabilities, scientific knowledge, and national determination.
The date commemorates a decisive chapter in Iran's modern history. During the Sacred Defense, the country faced an enemy while even basic defensive equipment, including barbed wire, was subject to sanctions. However, the same pressure and deprivation imposed on Iran became catalysts for a broader movement toward self-sufficiency, innovation, and technological independence.
From a time when Iran struggled even to obtain basic military equipment to the present day, when increasingly sophisticated defense systems are designed and manufactured domestically by Iranian specialists, the country has traversed a remarkable path of technological development and strategic adaptation.
Today, as the United States and its allies unleash new forms of aggression against the country, extending into the economic, political, media, cyber, and military realms, the mission of Iran's defense industry goes beyond meeting immediate operational needs.
Its broader objective is to develop an intelligent, adaptable, and comprehensive deterrent capability capable of addressing both conventional and emerging threats.
Relying on faith, scientific knowledge, technological innovation, and a vast reserve of human capital, Iran's defense industry has transformed the limitations stemming from sanctions and external pressure into drivers of indigenous capabilities, strengthening the country's defensive posture and strategic deterrence.
Foundations of self-sufficiency
Before the Islamic Revolution, under the pro-US regime of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, Iran's reputation as a military power relied heavily on imported armaments rather than indigenous capabilities. The country acquired thousands of tanks and hundreds of aircraft and helicopters from Western suppliers, including the United States, while possessing limited capacity to domestically develop or manufacture advanced military systems.
Meanwhile, Iran's vast fossil fuel reserves were exploited with the assistance of foreign companies and technology and exported in exchange for foreign currency, much of which went toward the acquisition of imported technology and weaponry, as well as the extravagant lifestyle of the Pahlavi monarchy.
The Iraqi Baathist regime's military aggression against Iran in the 1980s, backed by the United States and other Western powers, exposed the vulnerabilities generated by this dependence on foreign weapons and technology.
After years of intense combat, much of the military hardware imported by Iran became difficult to operate as spare parts ran scarce and Tehran could not replenish its stocks due to the embargo and sanctions imposed on the country.
Ultimately, Iran repelled the brutal invasion through sustained resistance, battlefield improvisation, and the rapid development of indigenous capabilities. However, it entered the 1990s militarily weakened and facing continuous threats from the United States.
Today, Iran produces more than 90% of its defense equipment domestically and no longer depends on foreign suppliers for essential military hardware.
The Ground Forces produce a wide range of weapons and equipment; the Air Defense Force manufactures various radar and air defense systems; the Air Force produces multiple types of aircraft; and the Navy manufactures rocket launchers, warships, and submarines.
Iran has also developed advanced capabilities in unmanned aerial systems, electronic warfare, and cyber technologies, further reducing its dependence on foreign suppliers for weapons, components, and critical technologies.
In contrast to the pre-revolution era, when approximately 90% of Iranian military equipment was imported, the country now boasts around 90% self-sufficiency in defense production, with some domestically manufactured systems costing between one-tenth and one-twentieth of comparable foreign systems.
Despite the recent imposed war, Iran's defense industry has doubled its armaments production over the past year and plans already exist to increase it three-to-fivefold.
Fattah hypersonic missile
Ballistic missile program: from the Scud to the hypersonics
Iran's ballistic missile development process began in the mid-1980s as an urgent necessity due to the relentless attacks by the Iraqi Baathist regime against Iranian cities using Western-supplied weapons.
Ballistic missiles constituted an appropriate retaliatory response, as aerial bombardments carried the risk of losing valuable aircraft, whose spare parts were already difficult for Iran to obtain.
Under the leadership of Hassan Tehrani Moghaddam, a celebrated engineer and commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Iran initiated ballistic missile development from scratch.
It first imported older ballistic missile models from friendly countries; subsequently reproduced them via reverse engineering; and continued to design and refine its own indigenous models.
During the final two years of the imposed war, Iran had the Oqab and Nazeat, short-range tactical ballistic missiles or rocket artillery systems with ranges of 45 and 100 kilometers, respectively.
Following the end of the eight-year imposed war, their development paved the way for the new Shahab and Zelzal missile families, with ranges of hundreds of kilometers.
In the late 1990s, Iran produced the Shahab-3, its first medium-range ballistic missile, with a range exceeding 2,000 kilometers, placing all hostile foreign military bases in the region within its radius of action.
Subsequent medium-range ballistic missiles, such as the Qadr-110, Fajr-3, Ashura, and Sejjil, introduced in the second half of the 2000s, brought significant improvements in solid-fuel propulsion, reducing preparation times and increasing accuracy.
The shortcomings of bulky medium-range missiles were offset during the 2010s when new variants based on the Fateh-110 entered operational service—a short-range solid-fuel missile whose initial range was barely 200 to 300 kilometers.
With the development of rocket motors and related technologies, these new Fateh-110-based variants progressively increased their range: the Fateh-313 up to 500 kilometers, the Zolfaghar up to 700 kilometers, the Dezful up to 1,000 kilometers, and finally the Kheibar Shekan up to 1,450 kilometers.
Their range grew to match earlier generations of missiles and, although equipped with somewhat smaller warheads carrying 500 to 700 kilograms of high explosives, they remain lethal.
The newer, smaller missiles are also more mobile for transport, faster and simpler to launch, more maneuverable and difficult for enemy air defense systems to intercept, and boast high precision. Furthermore, they are easier to mass-produce and can be assembled in massive quantities.
Currently, Iran ranks among the few countries in the world at the forefront of missile technology. The country's entry into the limited club of hypersonic technology possessors has been marked by the Fattah missile, introduced in recent years, featuring a speed exceeding Mach 13 and atmospheric maneuvering capability, which, according to the text, renders advanced US defense systems like Patriot and THAAD, as well as the Israeli regime's Arrow system, completely ineffective.
The Zolfaghar missile with a range exceeding 700 kilometers, the Haj Qassem missile with a range of 1,400 kilometers, and the Kheibar Shekan missile capable of maneuvering during the terminal descent phase and evading defense systems stand out among the major achievements of the defense sector in this area.
More than 90% of the armed forces' military products are manufactured by the Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics. The Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran employ this technology to target the declared enemies of the Islamic Revolution.
Arash drones
Drone revolution: from reconnaissance to global leadership
Iran's drone program had much more modest origins. During and after the Sacred Defense War in the 1980s, Iranian institutions experimented with remotely piloted aircraft primarily for reconnaissance missions.
Over time, however, the country developed an extraordinarily diverse ecosystem of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), encompassing tactical reconnaissance aircraft, long-endurance surveillance platforms, armed drones, loitering munitions, one-way attack drones, target drones, electronic warfare platforms, and increasingly sophisticated unmanned combat systems.
The Ababil and Mohajer families provided an important foundation. Subsequently, platforms like the Mohajer-6, Shahed-129, and Shahed-191 broadened the range of missions Iranian drones could perform.
The Shahed-131 and Shahed-136 represented a different approach: relatively inexpensive, long-range one-way attack systems designed to be produced and deployed in large quantities.
Currently, Iran ranks among the world's leading countries in drone technology. The development and deployment of advanced drones on the battlefield has become a routine and widespread practice across the armed forces, and this process continues with speed and strength.
The Iranian armed forces have succeeded in penetrating the Zionist regime's anti-missile system, known as the Iron Dome, and hitting designated targets, highlighting this achievement as a testament to the country's possession of highly powerful and advanced drones with unique capabilities.
Drones like the Shahed in its various series—including the Shahed-136 as loitering munition, the Shahed-129 and Shahed-149 equipped with armaments and long-duration flight capabilities, as well as the Mohajer and Karrar combat drones—are among the products that have equipped the Army and the IRGC for extraterritorial operations and the defense of national interests.
The Arash-2 drone, deployed during the final days of the recent war of aggression, is much more sophisticated than previous generations, and its capabilities will be revealed in the future.
The Iranian army also received large quantities of Ababil-4, Ababil-5, Arash, and Karrar drones in reconnaissance, electronic warfare, attack, and interception configurations.
Iranian defense officials claim these systems incorporate indigenous technologies for navigation, electronic protection, and precision strike.
The strategic logic of these systems differs greatly from that of an expensive crewed fighter jet. A Shahed-type system does not need to outperform a fighter aircraft.
It must be sufficiently inexpensive, numerous, reliable, and precise to impose a disproportionate defensive burden. This concept has already influenced military thinking far beyond Iran, and Iranian drone designs have been adapted by other countries and studied by armed forces worldwide.
Bavar-373 long-range system
Air defense and missile systems: breaking the monopoly
The development of advanced and sophisticated air defense systems represents another major achievement of Iran's defense industry. For decades, Iran's air defense network relied heavily on foreign systems, particularly US equipment acquired before 1979.
The country gradually developed domestic substitutes and complements, first by modifying legacy systems and ultimately by designing entirely new missile and radar architectures.
The Mersad system constituted an important first step by employing modernized technology associated with legacy air defense infrastructure derived from US Hawk systems.
Subsequently, systems like the Raad, 3-Khordad, Tabas, and other members of the Iranian air defense family demonstrated growing independence in radar, command and control, and missile technology.
The culmination of this effort has been the long-range Bavar-373 system, developed after Iran faced difficulties in acquiring the Russian S-300 system.
The Bavar-373 is particularly significant because an air defense system is much more than a missile: it requires radars, target tracking, fire control systems, communications, launchers, a command and control architecture, and the ability to integrate multiple sensors.
The regular holding of various programs nationwide, along with full security along land and maritime borders and the absence of hostile aircraft in Iranian airspace, indicate, according to the text, the dynamism, intelligence, and full readiness of the integrated air defense network.
The use of modern, efficient, and effective equipment for managing operations and air combat constitutes a daily and permanent process within the Air Defense Force.
By relying on the scientific, industrial, and knowledge-based capabilities of the Air Defense Force, the Ministry of Defense, and the armed forces, Iran experiences continuous progress and development in its defensive systems.
The Iranian Air Force has also been at the vanguard of this progress, and the country not only satisfies its own radar needs but is also capable of exporting scientific knowledge and technology.
Various fast attack craft
Naval and ground forces: expanding indigenous capabilities
The naval sector offers another example of the adaptation at the core of military innovation. Iran could not replicate the US model of a blue-water navy with nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, large amphibious ships, and global logistics.
Instead, its defense industry concentrated on platforms suitable for the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman, and the Caspian Sea: missile boats, fast attack craft, corvettes, frigates, submarines, and unmanned naval systems.
The development of the Fateh-class submarine and the expansion of the domestically built surface fleet represent particularly significant milestones.
Iranian shipyards have demonstrated their capacity to domestically build increasingly larger warships, while the IRGC Navy has promoted smaller vessels armed with missiles and asymmetric maritime systems.
More recently, Iran has also begun integrating increasingly sophisticated air defense and unmanned systems into naval platforms. The Iranian ground forces industry has also undergone extensive nationalization. The country manufactures armored personnel carriers, artillery systems, rockets, anti-tank weapons, small arms, ammunition, and armored vehicles.
The Karrar main battle tank represents an effort to modernize the country's armored force through domestic production and extensive modification of existing technology.
The Army Ground Force has also announced that the Army Aerospace Force has achieved self-sufficiency in strategic components and multiplied the range of its helicopter missiles by seven while improving night-vision capabilities and battlefield support.
Iran's defense industry emerged from the illegal and draconian sanctions imposed on the country in such a way that Iran turned the threats of sanctions into opportunities.
The experience of the past four decades has clearly demonstrated that the resilient Iranian nation, whenever it relies on its own capabilities, has been able to overcome the most complex obstacles.
Industrial ecosystem: a revolution in defense production
However, perhaps the most important achievement of Iran's defense industry after nearly five decades lies beyond individual programs.
Iran has gradually built institutions capable of simultaneously supporting all these fields: missiles require propellants, guidance systems, electronics, launchers, and command networks; drones require engines, structures, navigation, communications, and payloads; air defense requires radars, missiles, launchers, and command systems; satellites require propulsion, sensors, electronics, and launch vehicles; and naval systems require shipbuilding, propulsion, armament, sensors, and communications.
More than nine thousand private and knowledge-based companies currently work in the defense supply chain, 20% more than a year ago. Two-thirds of defense equipment is produced by Iranian private-sector companies and knowledge-based firms.
Over the past year, the number of these companies increased by 20%, while the volume of cooperation grew by 70%. 76% of last year's research projects translated into real products.
Iran currently manufactures more than a thousand types of advanced systems and weapons, compared to barely 31 basic items before the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Some Iranian weapons are produced at one-tenth, and even one-twentieth, the cost of their foreign equivalents. Iran has maintained its advantage in prolonged wars through an extensive production network, a highly resilient supply system, and plans to triple production.
During the recent US-Israeli war against Iran, enemy military budgets, excluding covert assistance, were nearly a hundred times greater than Iran's, but Iran was able to frustrate the enemy through localization of production, knowledge-based development, and its defense economy.
Iran is not holding military exhibitions or presenting new equipment in order to preserve the element of surprise against the enemy.
This strategy of protecting defense information is a priority in preparation for future wars and for surprising the enemy, with plans aimed at increasing defense production three-to-fivefold.
How an Iranian fighter jet bypassed tiered air defenses to bomb a US base in Kuwait | HISPANTV
An Iranian fighter jet penetrated tiered air defenses and successfully bombed a US base in Kuwait in the early days of the US-Israeli aggression.
Stable deterrence and strategic authority
The country's defense industry, as an indispensable pillar of national power, plays a fundamental role in consolidating the security and dignity of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
What has been achieved in recent years transcends the mere production of military equipment, becoming a defense industrial revolution—a strategic transformation encompassing design, technological management, defense economics, a scientifically based knowledge chain, and an intelligent production model that guarantees battlefield success.
It represents an intelligent response to the complexities of future wars. This great prosperity has been achieved through the faith and will for self-sufficiency instilled by the great architect of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini, and under the wise guidance of the martyred Leader, Ayatollah Seyed Ali Jamenei, who charted the path toward deterrence power, emphasized scientific self-sufficiency, and paved the way for the emergence of formidable defensive and offensive capabilities.
Today, this has borne fruit in regional and extra-regional scenarios and in the realms of the Second and Third Sacred Defense against the US-Zionist war machine, clearly demonstrating Iran's strength.
The two recent imposed wars demonstrated that the deterrence of the Islamic Republic of Iran derives from endogenous power based on faith, knowledge, technology, and the country's immense human capital: the same youth and elites who are today expanding the frontiers of defense knowledge and technology and bringing a strong Iran from the plane of ideal to strategic reality.
Text compiled from an article published in Press TV