Page 52 - IRANRptOct19

detect targets more than 300 kilometres away and destroy them at 200 kilometres.
Iran shot down a sophisticated US military surveillance drone in the Persian Gulf with a surface-to-air missile in June. It said the drone entered its territory, while the US claimed it was in international airspace.
Tehran insists that it does not seek confrontation with Washington and that US moves against it are a form of bullying.
Iran has unveiled new tactical armoured vehicles, purportedly designed by the Ministry of Defence, IRIB reported on August 13.
The Iranian military complex has a long history of revealing so-called locally designed vehicles; however, subsequently, many have been revealed to be rebadged imports or just mocked up for appearances on Iranian TV.
The Aras-2, named after the river that separates Iran’s northwestern Azerbaijan region with the northern neighbour and republic of the same name, was shown on state television in a demonstration of its capabilities put on for generals of the Iranian Armed Forces.
Despite the claim that it was designed locally, it appears to be based on the Toyota Land Cruiser.
The pickup variant of the Aras-2 runs on a 133-horsepower engine imported from China called the “CYQD32TI”. This is based on a Nissan diesel engine model.
The flatbed transports a maximum of 2.4 tonnes. That means it can take a twin-barrel ZU-23-2 anti-aircraft gun and its spare ammunition.
Online forums suggest the overall design of the pickup would be within the capabilities of the Iranian automotive sector, seeing as it is the biggest in the region.
9.1.14 ​Utilities sector news
Russia, Azerbaijan and Iran have concluded an agreement on the joint development of a project to connect their energy systems, Ria Novosti reported on August 14.
The newly announced deal implies the joint development of a feasibility study for the “North-South Energy Channel” integrating the systems of the three countries.
The Russian companies party to the agreement are SO-UPS and Rosseti. On the part of Azerbaijan and Iran, AzerEnerji ASC and management company Tavanir will take part in the project, respectively.
Exchanges of electricity between Russia, Azerbaijan and Iran are already in operation, but for full integration of the countries’ power grids further work needs to be done.
At the same time, regional connections to the power networks of Georgia and Turkey are developing.
The agreement is seen as in tandem with the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) multi-modal freight transport project.
Azerbaijan has increased its generation of electricity, therefore the energy corridor is seen as an opportunity to increase power resource exports, reducing economic reliance on shipments of gas and oil.
Iran and Russia need additional energy, thus the possible synchronisation of power grids and the transfer of excess energy from Azerbaijan to the neighbouring countries will have a positive effect both commercially and economically.
Iran suffers from spates of summertime power cuts. The corridor might help
52​ IRAN Country Report​ October 2019 www.intellinews.com