Iran: New warplanes can reach Israel without refueling

Last update - 22:36 17/08/2008    

 

 Iran: Our new warplanes can reach Israel without refueling  By News Agencies 

 

The head of the Iranian air force said Sunday that Iran has increased the range of its warplanes, allowing them to fly as far as Israel and back without refueling.

 

Iranian state TV quoted air force chief General Ahmad Mighani as saying Iranian warplanes can now fly 3,000 kilometers without refueling.

 

Mighani did not specify the type of the aircraft type or explain how the range had been extended.
Israel is approximately 1,000 kilometers from Iran.

 

Such a range could be achieved by using external fuel tanks attached to the wings or fuselage that can be released when empty.

 

Sunday's report did not refer to Israel by name, but Mighani's remarks come at a time of back-and-forth speculation regarding a possible military confrontation between Iran and Israel, with U.S. involvement.

 

The Israel Air Force carried out a drill in June which U.S. officials described as a possible rehearsal for a strike on Iran's nuclear facilities.

 

Iran last month tested nine medium and long-range missiles it claimed were updated versions of its Shihab-3, capable of striking Israel. Last week, Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they had tested a naval weapon that could destroy any vessel in a range of 300 km

 

Also last week, Haaretz reported that the American administration had rejected an Israeli request for military equipment and support that would improve Israel's ability to attack Iran's nuclear facilities.

 

The report was denied by an Israeli official, who said that U.S.-Israeli arms deals were conducted without consideration of the Iranian threat.

 

Meanwhile Sunday, Iranian state television reported that Iran on Saturday had test launched a rocket it plans to use to carry a research satellite into orbit.

 

Saturday's test of the two-stage rocket, called the Safir-e Omid, or Ambassador of Peace, was successful, state TV said, broadcasting images of the nighttime launch.

 

The rocket released equipment that beamed flight data back to ground control, said Reza Taghipoor, the head of Iran's Space Agency, in a live television interview.

 

Iran has long held the goal of developing a space program.

 

In 2005, it launched its first commercial satellite on a Russian rocket in a joint project with Moscow, which appears to be the main partner in transferring space technology to Iran.

 

Iran first tested a rocket it said was capable of delivering a satellite in February, saying that trial was also successful. It said then that it planned two more test launches before attempting to put its first domestically built satellite into orbit.

 

The country's fledgling space program, like its nuclear program, has provoked unease abroad. The same technology used to put satellites into space can also be used to deliver warheads.

 

The United States called the February 4 launch just another troubling development, saying it was a cause for concern about Iran's continuing development of medium- and long-range missiles.

 

Despite the anxiety over Iran's space program, it is not exactly clear how developed it is.

 

Iran has said it wants to put its own satellites into orbit to monitor natural disasters in the earthquake-prone nation and improve its telecommunications. Iranian officials also point to America's use of satellites to monitor Afghanistan and Iraq and say they need similar abilities for their security.

 

Iran hopes to launch four more satellites by 2010, the government has said.

 

Iran, which refuses to recognize Israel, has missiles that can reach 2,500 kilometer meaning it could hit Israel and U.S. military bases in the Gulf.