Iranian Air Defense Systems

[Hassan Al-Somal]

I doubt Iranian military officials would be parading an old system like S200 unless they upgraded it.

That is S-200 missile container for storage/transport

 

[PeeD]

woooow. the containers of Sayyad _ 4 missiles in the Bavar 373 system are small for them.

Bavar 373 air defense system on the left poster loaded with its Sayyad _ 4 missiles.

Those Sayyad-4 probably just stick out of the container for testing purposes. Early testing usual takes place with a direct radar lock of the seeker on the target, only later on development the lock-on after launch feature becomes available.
So they probably just used a dated photo there.

As for the Ya-Zahra/Crotale on Mercedes trucks: I wonder why they still stick to the Crotale design.

I must say this designs offers some fundamental benefits that might even enable it to compete with the Pantsir or its claimed Iranian variation: Why?

- The truck on which it is based is cheap in overall system price and very reliable/low maintenance.
- It lacks a own search radar, so it remains passive up to attack or can use optical guidance.
- Pantsir can also remain passive if a higher IADS asset or another Pantsir is networked but each system costs more due to the own search radar.
- The advanced PESA radar of the Pantsir can engage 4 targets but is potentially much more expensive.
- If we assume that 4 Crotale are equivalent to a Pantsir in guidance channels and missiles carried, there is space for a realistic question whether 4 Ya-Zahra with its solid state mechanical antenna radar and miniaturized systems is not still cheaper. The PESA radar and the independent search radar for each vehicle are high cost items.
- A inherit feature of the Ya-Zahra would then of course be survivability: 4 fully automatic unmanned launchers which are operating passively, represent a significant increase in the ability of the system to take punishment.
- The Pantsir can only attack 4 targets coming from a 90° sector and has always just one optical channel for passive operation. The Crotale on the other hand offers 4 independent optical channels if we assume the 4 launcher = 1 Pantsir scenario.
- Its true that the Pantsir has also AAA, but AAA is also a must for the Ya-Zahra to take out targets that are not worth a missile such as slow moving drones.
- At least since the presentation of the Seraj AAA search optronic system we can expect that open radar emissions can be effectively avoided for such short range systems. A Seraj search optronic, 4 Ya-Zahra unmanned launchers, 2 Mesbah-2 AAA and a control post connected to upper IADS assets could in total still be cheaper than a single Pantsir, operate completely passively, be mobile and much more difficult to kill.

So at least if the goal is not the protection of moving mechanized formations, a serious cost-effect assessment may prove a 2019 Crotale based sytem to be the better choice.

A good example for the dynamics such complex topics can create.

 

[Draco.IMF]

woooow. the containers of Sayyad _ 4 missiles in the Bavar 373 system are small for them.

Bavar 373 air defense system on the left poster loaded with its Sayyad _ 4 missiles.

looks a bit like a reverse engineered TOR missile?

 

[skyshadow]

looks a bit like a reverse engineered TOR missile?

i do not know if its reverse engineered or not but it's a good candidate for Iranian Pantsir model.

 

[Raghfarm007]

French Crotel missile

 

[skyshadow]

 

[Sineva]

i do not know if its reverse engineered or not but it's a good candidate for Iranian Pantsir model.

There was at one point a serious consideration for an iranian pantsir equivalent,this went as far as an actual wind tunnel model that was developed around the same time as models for other sams.

We can see that just as with the original pantsir it is a 2 stage system comprised of a short ranged sam and a booster.Whats interesting is that the second stage sam component appears to be either based on or certainly inspired by the british rapier short ranged sam,which iran has in service.

Its probably one of the most compact radar guided sams ever built with excellent mobility,but strangely its one that iran doesnt appear to have done any real work on upgrading or improving despite all its possibilities,ie naval use,air mobility/portability,upgrading with e/o capabilities,etc...
Its a shame that iran never took the idea of an iranian pantsir,or better yet an iranian tunguska[8 pantsir type sams+2 30mm cannons] any further.

 

[skyshadow]

There was at one point a serious consideration for an iranian pantsir equivalent,this went as far as an actual wind tunnel model that was developed around the same time as models for other sams.

We can see that just as with the original pantsir it is a 2 stage system comprised of a short ranged sam and a booster.Whats interesting is that the second stage sam component appears to be either based on or certainly inspired by the british rapier short ranged sam,which iran has in service.

Its probably one of the most compact radar guided sams ever built with excellent mobility,but strangely its one that iran doesnt appear to have done any real work on upgrading or improving despite all its possibilities,ie naval use,air mobility/portability,upgrading with e/o capabilities,etc...
Its a shame that iran never took the idea of an iranian pantsir,or better yet an iranian tunguska[8 pantsir type sams+2 30mm cannons] any further.

i think you mean this one

 

[Sineva]

i think you mean this one

Could well be,I wish we had a better pic of it,the proportions look a bit odd when its taken from that angle.
Just out of curiosity,what are those things in the first pic?.

 

[TheImmortal]

Could well be,I wish we had a better pic of it,the proportions look a bit odd when its taken from that angle.
Just out of curiosity,what are those things in the first pic?.

Bird cages

 

[mohsen]

Just out of curiosity,what are those things in the first pic?.

Elements of Shahab radar. everywhere and nowhere!

 

[skyshadow]

Could well be,I wish we had a better pic of it,the proportions look a bit odd when its taken from that angle.
Just out of curiosity,what are those things in the first pic?.

shahab radar.

Bird cages

certainly its looks like it.

Bird cages

but if you are not satisfied, I have a much better radar for you.

Bird cages

 

[PeeD]

That radar was visible on Google earth since more than a year, nice to see it unveiled now, time to talk about it:

First impression? Large 12m array which looks like to be based on the Gamma-DE. If true, it would be the first L-band phased array in Iran. A good to have large aperture EW system for the IRIADF.

 

[skyshadow]

That radar was visible on Google earth since more than a year, nice to see it unveiled now, time to talk about it:

First impression? Large 12m array which looks like to be based on the Gamma-DE. If true, it would be the first L-band phased array in Iran. A good to have large aperture EW system for the IRIADF.

can we use it as a ballistic missile early warning radar?

 

[PeeD]

can we use it as a ballistic missile early warning radar?

Yes. However it is not like the giant Israeli Green pine AESAs. With those low resolution photos for now I would say it is just a upscaled Moragheb radar but if it is really based on Gamma-DE technology and a AESA it would offer a good basis for a tactical BMEW radar.