Iran’s Air Defense Force successfully test-fired the country’s home-made Mersad 16 missile system with the capability to intercept cruise missiles in the Central desert of the country.

“Mersad 16 missile system is fully indigenous and benefits from new technologies to confront electronic warfare and simultaneously intercept several hostile targets,” Deputy Commander of the Army’s Air Defense Force for Operations General Mohammad Khoshqalb said.

He added that Mersad 16 missile system was controlled for the first time by the country’s integrated defense network, adding that the Vali-e Asr Command and Control Center detected, intercepted and destroyed the targets.

General Khoshqalb described high mobility and agility as the main and unique features of the missile system, saying that Mersad 16 is able to intercept high-speed targets at low altitudes, including different types of cruise missiles.

“Mersad 16 missile system is able to detect an enemy target at any altitude and take action at any moment against it, and it transmits information about the targets to the network immediately, and the command and control center can engage directly with the system,” he said.

General Khoshqalb announced that the optimized version of Mersad 16 missile system with the capability to intercept high-speed and high-altitude targets will be unveiled soon.