The Iranian Defence Ministry has handed over two domestically developed Toufan II attack helicopters to the Iranian Army and the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) during a formal unveiling ceremony in Tehran.
Iranian defence minister brigadier general Ahmad Vahidi was reported by Mehr News Agency as saying that the combat helicopters have been designed and manufactured by the Iran Aviation Industries Organization (IAIO) according to the advanced universal quality standards.
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The helicopter possesses an enhanced offensive power due to its high-precision targeting capability, and also features 11 advanced domestically developed technologies, Vahidi added.
Equipped with a new laser system, rocket-launching digital control system, multi-display monitor, and central smart arms management system, the helicopters will expand Iran’s defence capabilities once they enter mass production, according to the defence minister.
IAIO delivered ten Toufan I twin-engine attack helicopters, widely considered to be a production copy of the Bell Helicopter-built AH-1 Super Cobra helicopter, to the Islamic Republic of Iran Army Aviation (IRIAA) in May 2010.
The helicopter is designed to destroy a wide range of tanks, ground vehicles, moving objects in the battlefield, in addition to performing light and semi-heavy missions due to its precision targeting capability.
It features a new bullet-proof canopy design, avionics suite and a nose-mounted forward looking infrared (FLIR) system, while retaining the AH-1 helicopter’s M197 three-barrelled 20mm Gatling-type cannon and wingstub stations featuring a pair of 19-Tube 70mm rocket launchers.
