Rouhani agrees to prioritize five security, defense projects

May 14, 2019 - 20:0

TEHRAN – President Hassan Rouhani has approved five draft laws proposed by the Supreme Council for Science, Research and Technology to prioritize a number of mega national projects in security and defense fields.

The projects are in the areas of subsurface technology, cyber defense, radar systems and passenger planes, Fars reported.

All executive bodies and training and research institutes are required to help with the implementation of the projects and the country’s Planning and Budget Organization has been tasked with budgeting the projects.

Iran announced in 2013 that it aimed to fly its first Antonov-158 jointly built with a Ukrainian company.

The new air vehicle with a seating capacity of 100 passengers is the next generation of IRAN-140 airplane.

After purchasing the production license for the Antonov-140 from Ukraine in 2000, Iran built its first IRAN-140 passenger plane in 2003.

The first IRAN-140 aircraft was introduced in 2003. Five domestically-manufactured IRAN-140 planes were completed in October 2008 to increase the country's transportation capacity and upgrade the Iranian passenger fleet.

The IRAN-140 is a double-engine turboprop aircraft which can fly almost 1,865 miles before re-fuelling and its passenger model seats 52 people.

MH/PA