Iranian military to test new air defense system modeled after US Hawk during drill, TV says

Iran's military is to test a new air defense system modeled after the U.S. Hawk system as tensions with the West escalate over the country's suspect nuclear program, the Iranian state TV reported Monday.

The report quoted Gen. Farzad Esmaili, chief of Iran's air defense headquarters, as saying the surface-to-air system has been named "Mersad," or Ambush.

The system is capable of locking a flying object at a distance of 80 kilometers (50 miles) and can hit from 45 kilometers (30 miles) away, using an Iranian-made missile dubbed Shahin, or Hawk, according to the report.


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