ABSTRACT
This chapter presents a short history of arms production in Iran and describes the in-country repair, maintenance, and production projects that were initiated during the 1970s. The continuing technological revolution in weaponry has increased the costs of arms production. Every regime to hold power since then has concurred with the idea that arms production is vital to Iran's military security. The history of arms production in Iran is a long one, with marked bursts of activity in the 1930s and again in the late 1960s. Much of the aircraft and missile production that takes place outside the major arms-producing countries is carried out under licensing agreements or as coproduction. Within the countries trying to enter the industry, it has been hoped that arms production would contribute to the domestic industrialization process. The government of Iran began to produce armaments and military supplies in the 1850s: cannons, light arms, uniforms, and other items.
