TEHRAN, Aug 22: Iran has reduced public displays and unveilings of military equipment to keep its latest capabilities secret and maintain an element of surprise against adversaries, Defence Ministry spokesperson Reza Talaei-Nik said.
Talaei-Nik said Tehran had skipped military exhibitions on Defence Industry Day for the past two years and significantly curtailed the public release of information about new weapons.
He said commanders continued to receive briefings on developments in ballistic and cruise missiles, drones, air-defence systems and other military technologies, while sensitive details were being kept confidential.
According to Talaei-Nik, Iran's overall production of weapons and military equipment doubled over the past year, while output of some strategic systems increased more than threefold.
He said Iran planned to further expand production, with overall output targeted to triple and production of certain categories expected to increase four- or fivefold.
Talaei-Nik added that Iran was seeking to replenish weapons and ammunition at roughly the same pace as battlefield consumption, combining continuous production with existing stockpiles.
He described Iran's defence industry as a broad network involving the armed forces, universities, research institutions and thousands of private and technology-based companies.
He claimed the number of private firms working with the defence sector had risen from around 8,000 to more than 9,300 over the past year, while the volume of cooperation increased by about 70 per cent.
He also claimed that some Iranian-made weapons cost between one-tenth and one-twentieth of comparable foreign systems, without identifying the specific weapons or systems.
