WAR MACHINES

Iran Plans to Deploy Missile Defense

Also preps production lines for unmanned aircraft.

Iran announced Monday it has launched two production lines for unmanned aircraft with surveillance and attack capabilities. In addition, the country’s defense minister says it will soon deploy a missile-defense system more powerful than the Russian S-300 system ordered from Russia in 2007 that has yet to arrive. The two types of drones will be called Ra’d (meaning thunder) and Nazir (herald). Two years ago, Tehran announced it had built a drone, but offered few details until last year, when the defense minister said it had a range of 600 miles, meaning it could reach Israel. This announcement comes at a time when Israel says it will not rule out a strike against nuclear sites in Iran. Iran frequently makes announcements trumpeting its military advances, but they are difficult to verify.