Tasnim � Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami hailed domestic experts� efforts to boost the country�s self-sufficiency in the military sector and said this year, the Defense Ministry plans to manufacture more homegrown �Kowsar� fighter jets.

In a speech during a visit to the Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industrial Company in the central province of Isfahan on Tuesday, Brigadier General Hatami said over the past 40 years, the �hardworking� experts of the Iran Aviation Industries Organization (AIO) have made every effort to enhance the country�s air combat power.

He referred to the start of mass production of the homegrown fighter jet last year as an outcome of their efforts.

The operational flight of Kowsar during a ceremony to mark the Army Day earlier this year brought honor and dignity to the country, the defense minister stated.

He went on to say that the AIO experts are determined to manufacture more Kowsar fighter jets this Iranian year, which started on May 21.

In November 2018, Iran inaugurated the mass production line of Kowsar at the Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industrial Company, a firm affiliated to the Defense Ministry�s Aviation Industries Organization.

The homegrown fighter jet had been unveiled in August. Capable of carrying various weapons, the aircraft is used for short aerial support missions.

Iranian officials have repeatedly underscored that the country will not hesitate to strengthen its military capabilities which are entirely meant for defense and that Iran�s defense capabilities will be never subject to negotiations.

In February 2018, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei called for efforts to maintain and boost Iran�s defense capabilities, hitting back at the enemies for disputing the country�s missile program.

�Without a moment of hesitation, the country must move to acquire whatever is necessary for defense, even if the whole world is opposed to it,� Ayatollah Khamenei said at the time.