Iran Develops Smart Bomb

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TEHRAN - Iran has developed a 2,000-pound (900 kg) “smart bomb”, official media quoted a Defense Ministry statement as saying on Wednesday, in the latest announcement from Tehran about progress regarding military hardware.

The guided bomb, named Qased (Messenger), was developed by specialists within the ministry and is now operational, IRNA news agency said, adding it could be dropped from F-4 and F-5 jets, if they can get any of them operational.

An unidentified source within Jane's Defense Weekly says the new weapon is actually a standard 900 kg bomb fitted with a little seat and joystick: "It's like a semi-controllable suicide bomb. The first models didn't have a seat belt, and the "smart" just fell off. Now with a seat belt the bomb stays smart all the way down, although still not very accurate."