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Islamic Republic of Iran’s RMA Analysed
When it comes to defending the sovereignty of its national airspace and the related air-defence identification zone (ADIZ), the Islamic Republic of Iran has, since mid-2004, been undertaking a mammoth upgradation of its hierarchical air-defence system with the help of Russia, China and North Korea. Command, control and communications of Iran’s air-defence networks s is split into three institutions.
The Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF) controls manned airborne platforms and air-traffic management, while the Air-Defence Force (IRIADF) or Khatam al-Anbiya Air-Defence HQ, which split off from the IRIAF in 2008, commands and controls all ground-based air-defence systems. The Revolutionary Guard Corps (PASDARAN) is responsible for strategic air-defence and ADIZ monitoring, plus the operations of ballistic missile early warning systems.
Between 2009 and 2016, the PASDARAN and IRIADF have worked together to commission four different VHF-band long-range over-the-horizon radars (OTHR) throughout Iran.
The first 1,500km-range Ghadir OTHR was commissioned at Garmsar in Semnan province on June 2, 2014, while the second OTHR was commissioned in Ahvaz in Khuzestan province on July 4, 2015).
The third followed last year, this being located between the towns of Andisheh and Qods just west of Teheran. It faces southeast at approximately 151 degrees and is thus able to cover most of central Iran and the Persian Gulf. The Garmsar-based OTHR features four horizontal phased-arrays placed along a square and a central vertical array. The four primary arrays are approximately 39 metres in width and together form a square with sides measuring approximately 55 metres. This configuration provides 360-degree coverage of nearly all Iran and Iraq, the far southeast of Turkey and parts of northeast Saudi Arabia. All three Ghadir OTHRs are in fact Russia-supplied Rezonans-NE OTHRs.
Iran’s latest OTHR is the 3,000km-range Sepehr OTHR that is located in a mountainous part of the Kordestan province in western Iran. The site is 27km north of the city of Bijar.
Construction work began in mid-2012 and was complete by October 2013. This OTHR provides 360-degree coverage of all Iran as well as Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Israel, Turkey and Pakistan. It also provides partial coverage of Eastern Europe, southwest Russia (including Moscow), western India and most of the Arabian Sea.
The Sepehr is in fact Russia’sVoronezh-M VHF-band OTHR, whose first field-trials were conducted in March 2007, and the first such OTHR in Russia was commissioned on February 11, 2012. The Sepehr and Voronezh-M both use planar phased-aeeay antennae that cover in the azimuth from 245 to 355 degrees, and in the elevation from 2 to 70 degrees. The radars’ blind range is 100km, and the maximum target altitude is about 4,000km.
In addition to these OTHRs, the IRIADF has commissioned into service a number of Russia-supplied tactical air-defence radars like the 1L119 Nebo SVU VHF-band system, Fath-14 VHF-band system, Kasta-2KE2E VHF-band radar, Matla-ol-Fajr VHF-band system, and the Kayhan UHF-band radar.
When it comes to defending the sovereignty of its national airspace and the related air-defence identification zone (ADIZ), the Islamic Republic of Iran has, since mid-2004, been undertaking a mammoth upgradation of its hierarchical air-defence system with the help of Russia, China and North Korea. Command, control and communications of Iran’s air-defence networks s is split into three institutions.
The Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF) controls manned airborne platforms and air-traffic management, while the Air-Defence Force (IRIADF) or Khatam al-Anbiya Air-Defence HQ, which split off from the IRIAF in 2008, commands and controls all ground-based air-defence systems. The Revolutionary Guard Corps (PASDARAN) is responsible for strategic air-defence and ADIZ monitoring, plus the operations of ballistic missile early warning systems.
Between 2009 and 2016, the PASDARAN and IRIADF have worked together to commission four different VHF-band long-range over-the-horizon radars (OTHR) throughout Iran.
The first 1,500km-range Ghadir OTHR was commissioned at Garmsar in Semnan province on June 2, 2014, while the second OTHR was commissioned in Ahvaz in Khuzestan province on July 4, 2015).
The third followed last year, this being located between the towns of Andisheh and Qods just west of Teheran. It faces southeast at approximately 151 degrees and is thus able to cover most of central Iran and the Persian Gulf. The Garmsar-based OTHR features four horizontal phased-arrays placed along a square and a central vertical array. The four primary arrays are approximately 39 metres in width and together form a square with sides measuring approximately 55 metres. This configuration provides 360-degree coverage of nearly all Iran and Iraq, the far southeast of Turkey and parts of northeast Saudi Arabia. All three Ghadir OTHRs are in fact Russia-supplied Rezonans-NE OTHRs.
Iran’s latest OTHR is the 3,000km-range Sepehr OTHR that is located in a mountainous part of the Kordestan province in western Iran. The site is 27km north of the city of Bijar.
Construction work began in mid-2012 and was complete by October 2013. This OTHR provides 360-degree coverage of all Iran as well as Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Israel, Turkey and Pakistan. It also provides partial coverage of Eastern Europe, southwest Russia (including Moscow), western India and most of the Arabian Sea.
The Sepehr is in fact Russia’sVoronezh-M VHF-band OTHR, whose first field-trials were conducted in March 2007, and the first such OTHR in Russia was commissioned on February 11, 2012. The Sepehr and Voronezh-M both use planar phased-aeeay antennae that cover in the azimuth from 245 to 355 degrees, and in the elevation from 2 to 70 degrees. The radars’ blind range is 100km, and the maximum target altitude is about 4,000km.
In addition to these OTHRs, the IRIADF has commissioned into service a number of Russia-supplied tactical air-defence radars like the 1L119 Nebo SVU VHF-band system, Fath-14 VHF-band system, Kasta-2KE2E VHF-band radar, Matla-ol-Fajr VHF-band system, and the Kayhan UHF-band radar.