Iran’s Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan said the country will take delivery of the first batch of Russian-made S-300 surface-to-air missile defense system in the first quarter of 2016

Iran’s Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan said the country will take delivery of the first batch of Russian-made S-300 surface-to-air missile defense system in the first quarter of 2016.

Dehqan, who was speaking in a televised interview on Tuesday night, said that under a contract signed between Iran and Russia, the S-300 missile system will be delivered to Iran in two parts, adding that the first batch of the military hardware is ready for shipment.

The Iranian defense chief said that the Islamic Republic will receive the second batch by the first half of 2016.

He noted that Iran will receive the upgraded S-300 defense system.  

Elsewhere in his remarks, the Iranian defense minister also said Tehran is in talks with Moscow for the purchase of Russian-made Sukhoi 30 fighter jets.

Dehqan also said that Iran plans to upgrade Emad, the country’s first long-range missile which was successfully test-fired in October last year.

He said that the new version of the ballistic missile with “improved precision” will be unveiled in the next Iranian calendar year, which starts on March 20.

Featuring guidance and control systems, Emad can hit targets and completely destroy them with high precision.

Dehqan further said that the country has produced a state-of-the-art tank dubbed Karrar, which will be unveiled in the future.