On Tuesday morning, the Iran Army and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navies celebrated the addition of indigenous naval cruise missile, Abu Mahdi, to their fleets. The missile was developed by military experts at the Aerospace Industries Organization (AIO), and is capable of launching from air, land, or sea platforms towards any designated target with its range of over one thousand kilometers.

The missile is named after former deputy head of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units, Abu Mahdi, who was martyred with top Iranian anti-terror commander Lieutenant General Qassem Suleimani during a US drone strike ordered by former President Donald Trump near the Baghdad International Airport in early January 2020.

Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Ashtiani, IRGC Navy Commander Alireza Tangsiri, and Deputy Commander of the Iranian Army Navy Admiral Hamzeh Ali Kaviani attended the ceremony, which emphasized the missile’s rapid response and effective target selection algorithm, making it capable of evading enemy missile defense systems.

Of note, Abu Mahdi cruise missiles are the first long-range sea missiles to incorporate artificial intelligence in their software related to the design of the missile’s flight path in the command and control system. Recent years have seen Iranian military experts and engineers develop a wide range of indigenous equipment, making the armed forces self-sufficient.

Iranian officials have repeatedly underscored 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 be never subject to negotiations.

Source: Iranian media (edited by Al-Manar English Website)