Iran's Armed Forces say they have unveiled three new "advanced precision-guided smart bombs," usable on drones, while they were already used in its earlier military drills.
The so-called new bombs, named "Yasin" (after one of the surahs in Quran), and Balaban (a bird of prey) were "unveiled" on Tuesday, August 6, along with a new series of the Qaem (also spelled as Ghaem) optic bombs.
Local news outlets report that the new bombs are all domestically manufactured.
Speaking at the event introducing the munitions, Iran’s Defense Minister, Brigadier General Amir Hatami, said "Balaban" has folding wings designed to increase its range. It is guided by GPS and sensors and could be mounted under planes, choppers, and drones.
Hatami described Yasin as a long-range smart, pinpoint and guided bomb that can be fired from a range of 50 kilometers of its target from manned or unmanned aircraft.
Qaem is also a “smart bomb” meant for precision strikes and could hit within 50 centimeters of a target, the minister claimed.
Elaborating on Qaem, Gen. Hatami said it can be installed on various kinds of drones, choppers and fighter jets for destroying fortifications and moving targets.
However, Yasin was already tested and fired from an Iranian F7 fighter jet during a military drill in 2017.
The other bomb, Balaban, was also tested and fired from "Karrar" drone during the same drill.
Gen. Hatami did not miss the chance to praise Iran's "latest defense achievements", and lambast the United States. "The Defense Ministry will never hesitate to defend Iran, and boost security despite the malice and conspiracies hatched by the Great Satan, America."