Iran’s IRGC Navy tests Sayyad-3G air defense missile in Strait of Hormuz drill

ISTANBUL

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy has tested the Sayyad-3G air defense missile for the first time during the “Smart Control” drills in the Strait of Hormuz.

According to an Anadolu correspondent, the IRGC Navy on Saturday released footage showing the launch of the naval version of the land-based Sayyad-3 air defense system, known as the Sayyad-3G, from the vessel Shahid Sayyad Shirazi.

The Sayyad-3G missile features vertical launch capability and has a reported range of 150 kilometers (93 miles). Iranian authorities said the system enables the establishment of a regional air defense umbrella for military vessels of the Shahid Soleimani class.

Iran first tested the long-range, land-based Sayyad-3 air defense missile on Dec. 28, 2016.

The land-based version has a range of 120 kilometers, a length of six meters, and a weight of 900 kilograms.

The “Smart Control” drills in the Strait of Hormuz began on Feb.16 and lasted three days.

* Writing by Rania Abushamala in Istanbul.