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Iran to launch long-range missile on Monday: commander

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-09-27 17:26

TEHRAN: Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) air force commander Brigadier General Hossein Salami said Sunday that Iran will test fire its home-made long-range Shahab 3 missile on Monday, local English-language Press TV reported.

Footage of a missile launch is seen at an unknown location in this video grab from Iranian state television Press TV September 27, 2009. Iran tested two short-range missiles as its elite Revolutionary Guards began several days of war games on Sunday, Iran's English-language television channel Press TV reported. It said the tests also included a multiple missile launcher. [Agencies]

"The long-range Shahab missile will be tested tomorrow," Salami was quoted as saying.

According to defense sources, Shahab 3 could travel about 2,000 km and hit Israel.

The IRGC started a war game dubbed The Great Prophet IV on Sunday.

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"The main objective of today's demonstration is to evaluate the technical developments that Iran has achieved just recently in its surface-to-surface missiles," Salami said Sunday.

According to Press TV, Iran has successfully tested a multi-missile launching system in the drill.

"The system which is capable of launching several home-made rockets simultaneously has successfully been tested for the first time," Salami told Press TV.

A number of missiles including home-made Fateh 110, a short- range ground-to-ground missile and Tondar 69, a short-range naval missile, were also launched consecutively at mock targets across the country.

The Great Prophet IV maneuver, which is a sequel to The Great Prophet III carried out last year by the IRGC naval and ground forces in the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz region started on Sunday and is expected to continue for several days, Press TV added.

Salami said Saturday that the war game would be carried out to improve the Islamic Republic armed forces' defense capabilities.