We have a story over at Military.com this morning about the much-touted (by its own government, though) Iranian smart bomb the mullahs vow to use against our enemies when the time comes...
Iran vowed Sunday to use a new 2,000-pound "smart" bomb against its enemies and unveiled mass production of the new weapon, state television reported.
The government first announced development of the long-range guided bomb Thursday, saying it could be deployed by the country's aging U.S.-made F-4 and F-5 fighter jets.
"We will use these (bombs) against our enemies when the time comes," Defense Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar said on state television Sunday.
Iran often announces new weapons for its arsenal, but the United States maintains that while the Islamic Republic has made some strides, many of these statements are exaggerations.
See a video news report of the Iranian smart bomb...
The broadcast included a brief clip of a fighter jet apparently dropping one of the bombs, which destroyed a target on the ground.
The defense minister continued his threats as state television showed him unveiling a mass production line for the weapon in Tehran.
"We will use this weapon where we want to ... hit enemy's strategic and defense targets," Najjar said. "This will be used against our enemies, against those who violate our land and air space..."
Ooooo...scare me. For some reason I dont think the Pentagon is losing a lot of sleep over the specter of Iranian F-5 Tiger and F-4 Phantom fighters lumbering their way across the mountainous border into Iraq with these smart bombs.
My question is: why make this ridiculous claim? Probably for the consumption of the Gulf states which recently received tens of billions in Defense equipment from the U.S. But in the end, the PR blitz could backfire on Tehran, reminding critics why U.S. support is so important in the Gulf region.
-- Christian
