Until the overthrow of the last Iranian shah, Mohammed Reza Pahlavi in 1979, the Iranian air defense and air forces were equipped mainly with American and British-made equipment. In the mid-60s of the last century, a large-scale rearmament program was adopted in Iran, but it was possible to start its implementation only after the Arab OPEC countries reduced oil production, as a result of which Iran's export revenues increased sharply. Prior to this, the basis of Iran's air defense was made up of British anti-aircraft guns during the Second World War. Iran was particularly acutely faced with the problem of protecting the oil fields and refineries, which formed the basis of the country's economy. In turn, the money needed to buy weapons came from the sale of oil on the foreign market.
The first anti-aircraft missile system adopted in service in Iran was the British Tigercat. It was a fairly simple short-range air defense system with a radio command anti-aircraft missile, guided by the operator using a joystick after visual detection. The main advantages of the Taygerkat air defense system were simplicity and relative cheapness. All combat assets of the complex were mounted on two trailers towed by off-road vehicles. One trailer housed a control post with a guidance operator, and the other a launcher with three missiles. In the combat position, the elements of the complex were hung out on jacks and interconnected by cable lines.
Drawing in the British edition describing the principle of operation of the Taygerkat air defense system
In the British army, "Tygerkat" was supposed to replace the 40-mm anti-aircraft guns "Bofors". However, the real combat effectiveness of these complexes turned out to be very low. Thus, during the Fokland armed confrontation, the shipborne version of the Sea Cat with similar missiles and guidance systems demonstrated depressingly low combat effectiveness. Having launched more than 80 missiles, the British managed to hit only one Argentine Skyhawk. This was largely due to the subsonic speed of the missile defense system and the imperfect guidance system. This British short-range complex had more of a deterrent effect than a real lethality. Often, pilots of Argentine combat aircraft, noticing a missile launch, stopped the attack and performed an anti-missile maneuver.
Launch of SAM "Taygerkat"
From the very beginning, the British military perceived the Tigercat rather coolly and, despite the efforts of the manufacturer Shorts Brothers, the anti-aircraft complex in the British army did not become widespread. During the tests, it was possible to shoot down only targets flying in a straight line at a low altitude, at a speed of no more than 700 km / h. Thus, the Taygerkat air defense missile system did not manage to supplant the small-caliber anti-aircraft guns in the air defense units. But, despite its low efficiency, the complex was heavily advertised abroad. And this advertisement yielded results, an export order for a half dozen air defense systems from Iran came in 1966, even before it was officially adopted in service in the UK.
During the Iranian-Iraqi war, "Taygerkat", together with artillery, protected communications centers, headquarters and places of concentration of troops from Iraqi Air Force attacks. But there is no reliable data on the Iraqi combat aircraft shot down by them. From year to year, from one directory to another, false information wanders about that "Taygerkat" is still in service in Iran. But, apparently, the last complexes of this type were decommissioned more than 15 years ago. And it's not just about low combat effectiveness, after all, the main task of the air defense forces is not to defeat enemy aircraft, but to provide cover from the attacks of their troops. And with the role of "scarecrow" British air defense systems coped, in general, not bad. But after 40 years of service, it is completely unrealistic to use complexes with a lamp element base.
A much more effective replacement for the Tigercat short-range air defense systems was the Rapier air defense system, created by the British company Matra BAe Dynamics. In addition to the possibility of firing at targets flying at supersonic speed and the affected area expanded to 6800 meters, the new British complex had a semi-automatic radio command guidance system, which allows it to hit maneuvering targets, including in the dark.
Launch SAM "Rapier"
The main part of the Rapira air defense system is a towed launcher with a surveillance radar and a target designation system mounted on it. After detecting and capturing a target for tracking, the operator only needs to keep it in the field of view of the optical device. After the launch, the automatics itself, tracking the missile tracer, directs the missile defense system to the enemy aircraft. Unlike the Taygerkat, the Rapier air defense system still poses a real threat to modern combat aircraft.
Iran, concerned about the need to strengthen the air defense of its ground forces, in the first half of the 70s purchased 30 Rapier batteries from Great Britain, which it actively and quite effectively used in repelling the raids of Iraqi fighter-bombers. Rapier's competitor in this deal was the mobile American MIM-72 Chaparral air defense system, but the Iranian military preferred a towed British complex with its own detection equipment. It is difficult to say whether the operable "Rapiers" remained in the Iranian military air defense. At least officially, the supply of new anti-aircraft missiles and spare parts after the overthrow of the Shah from Great Britain was not carried out.
Iranian military air defense unit, as part of the Rapier air defense system and the Oerlikon GDF-001 anti-aircraft guns with the SuperFledermaus control system
In addition to Western countries, Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi tried to conduct military-technical cooperation with the Soviet Union, although it was not as close as with the United States and Great Britain. From the USSR, from air defense systems, supplies of not the most modern weapons were mainly carried out: anti-aircraft self-propelled guns ZSU-57-2, towed 23-mm ZU-23 anti-aircraft guns, 37-mm 61-K, 57-mm S-60, 100-mm KS- 19, and MANPADS "Strela-2M". In the early 70s, the Iranian military air defense was reinforced with 24 batteries of paired 35-mm Swiss-made Oerlikon GDF-001 anti-aircraft guns with SuperFledermaus fire control radar. Shortly before the start of the Iranian-Iraqi war, several dozen Soviet ZSU-23-4 "Shilka" arrived, and the "Erlikons" were supplemented with Skyguard radars. According to information received from the Skyguard radar, 35-mm anti-aircraft guns, controlled by the fire control system, can be guided to the target automatically using electric guidance drives or manually.
In the mid-70s, Iran adopted a program of building a centralized air defense system designed to protect important military and industrial facilities from air attacks. The basis of the country's air defense, based on a continuous radar field, was supposed to be the most modern air defense systems and fighter-interceptors with long-range missiles at that time.
The Iranians have long been choosing between long-range air defense systems, the American MIM-14 Nike-Hercules and the British Bloodhound Mk. II. The British complex was cheaper and had better mobility, but was inferior to the American one in terms of range and height of destruction. However, at the first stage, after analyzing all the options, it was decided to acquire complexes capable of hitting low-altitude targets. In 1972, the purchase in the United States from Raytheon of 24 batteries of the MIM-23 Improved HAWK air defense system allowed significant progress in the implementation of plans to modernize the air defense system. Moreover, complexes with modernized hardware and new missiles, which had just begun to enter service in the United States, were sent to Iran.
Radar targeting AN / MPQ-50, which is part of the SAM MIM-23 I-HAWK
The upgraded MIM-23B missiles with a semi-active seeker were capable of hitting air targets at a range of up to 35 km with an altitude reach of 18 km. If necessary, the complex could be quickly relocated to a new position. It had its own AN / MPQ-50 radar station. SAM MIM-23 I-HAWK could successfully fight all types of combat aircraft of the Iraqi Air Force with the exception of high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft MiG-25RB.
Iranian SAM MIM-23 Improved HAWK. The picture was taken at the position during the Iran-Iraq war. In the foreground is the M192 launcher with the MIM-23B missile defense system, in the background the AN / MPQ-46 target illumination radar and the AN / MPQ-50 target designation radar.
It was the "Improved Hawks" that posed the greatest threat to Iraqi bombers in the course of hostilities. In the first year of the war alone, more than 70 launches were carried out. Largely due to the presence in Iran of anti-aircraft systems modern for that time, it was possible to repel the attempts of the Iraqi Air Force to destroy the Iranian aviation at the airfields. Since anti-aircraft missiles were spent very intensively, and the complexes were constantly on, in order to replenish the stocks of missiles and spare parts in the 80s, they had to illegally buy them in a roundabout way from the USA and Israel as part of the Iran-Contra deal. Which later led to serious political complications for the Ronald Reagan administration.
Otherwise, there was no special strengthening of the ground component of Iran's air defense during the hostilities. In the period from the second half of the 80s to the early 90s, 14 divisions of HQ-2J medium-range air defense systems were purchased in China. This complex is structurally and in terms of combat characteristics in many respects similar to the Soviet air defense system S-75M "Volkhov". According to Iranian data, HQ-2J managed to shoot down several Iraqi MiG-23B and Su-22. A couple of times fire was unsuccessfully opened on the MiG-25RB scouts, who were also involved in the bombing of oil fields.
Satellite image of Google Earth: the position of the HQ-2J air defense system in the vicinity of Tehran
The observers also noted the supply of small consignments of anti-aircraft guns, ammunition and Strela-2M MANPADS from the DPRK, possibly a Chinese copy of the HN-5A. The Iranians actively collected and used captured anti-aircraft weapons. So, a few years after the start of the war, they had at their disposal about five dozen 14.5 mm ZPU-2 and ZPU-4 captured on the battlefield. Most likely, the supply of weapons was also carried out from Syria, which had serious contradictions with Iraq. Otherwise, it is difficult to explain the appearance in Iranian air defense units of mobile Kvadrat air defense systems and Strela-3 MANPADS, moreover, these weapons were not transferred to Iran from the USSR. A number of sources indicate that MANPADS and anti-aircraft batteries could be captured as trophies. But even in this case, the question arose of training calculations, supplying spare parts and consumables, and it was clearly not without Syrian help.
Before the Islamic Revolution of 1979, Iran had a fairly modern air force, equipped mainly with American aircraft. Iran became the only country where the F-14A Tomcat deck interceptors (79 units) were supplied, armed with a long-range missile launcher AIM-54 Phoenix with an active radar missile system, unique for the 70s. With an exorbitant cost of $ 500 thousand in prices of the mid-70s, a rocket with a launch weight of 453 kg could hit targets at a range of up to 135 km.
Launch of UR AIM-54 Phoenix from Iranian F-14A
The development of "Tomkets" in Iran was very difficult, two fighters crashed during the training of Iranian pilots. Nevertheless, the aircraft were commissioned and were actively used in the war. F-14A with variable wing geometry became the only fighters of the Iranian Air Force capable of somehow counteracting the Iraqi high-altitude high-speed reconnaissance bombers MiG-25RB. According to research by Western historians, the Tomkets managed to intercept one MiG-25RB. The Iranians, on the other hand, announced 6 downed MiGs. But, one way or another, the presence in the Iranian air defense of an interceptor capable of fighting at long range with high-altitude and supersonic targets greatly complicated the actions of the Iraqi Air Force. According to Iranian data, from 1980 until the end of hostilities in 1988, the pilots of the F-14A heavy fighters managed to win 111 confirmed victories. However, according to information published by independent researchers, the Tomkets at best shot down 30-40 Iraqi warplanes. According to the same sources, 11 F-14As were lost in action, 7 crashed in flight accidents, 1 was hijacked to Iraq and 8 were seriously damaged. After the conclusion of the armistice, there were more than 50 F-14A in the ranks, but hardly half of them were actually combat-ready.
F-4E Iranian Air Force
In addition to F-14A fighters, before the severance of relations with the United States, the Iranian Air Force received 177 multipurpose F-4Es, 32 F-4Ds, 16 RF-4E reconnaissance aircraft, 140 F-5E light fighters and 28 twin F-5Fs. Shah issued an application for the supply of hundreds of light F-16A / B fighters, but after his overthrow, the contract was canceled. Iranian "Phantoms" with medium-range missiles AIM-7 Sparrow also performed air defense missions, and light "Tiger-2", armed with AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles with TGS, could successfully conduct close air combat. However, the F-4E / D and F-5E were mainly used for striking naval targets and bombing Iraqi positions.
The combat capability of the Iranian Air Force was greatly reduced by the lack of spare parts. The repressions against the officers who served under the Shah, deployed in the first years after the Islamic Revolution, caused great damage to the flight and technical personnel. Many high-ranking military personnel in the Air Defense and Air Force were replaced by promoted priests or infantry commanders. Naturally, the professional training and technical literacy of such personnel left much to be desired, and this directly affected the combat readiness and performance of the units entrusted to them.
Several years after the start of the war, the share of combat-ready aircraft in the Iranian Air Force did not exceed 50%. Due to the western embargo on the supply of weapons and spare parts, it was very difficult for Iran to maintain existing combat aircraft in good condition. This had an extremely negative effect on the course of hostilities, since the possibilities for air support and protection of their troops from air strikes were modest. Almost throughout the war, the Iraqi Air Force, which received without restrictions both Soviet and Western aircraft, spare parts and aircraft weapons, had air superiority. By the time of the ceasefire, less than 100 fighters could have taken off due to the deplorable technical condition in the Iranian Air Force. To compensate for losses in the second half of the 80s, two dozen light single-engine F-7M fighters (Chinese version of the MiG-21-F13) were purchased in the PRC. Despite the fact that the Chinese version of the MiG was inexpensive and easy to operate, there was no significant strengthening of the Iranian Air Force. The F-7M lacked a radar, weapons and avionics were primitive, and the flight range was short. In the role of an air defense interceptor, this fighter was ineffective.
Iranian radio engineering units, responsible for lighting the air situation and issuing target designation to fighter-interceptors and air defense ground units, during the Shah's reign were equipped mainly with American and British-made radars. In the early to mid-70s, all over Iran, in order to create a continuous radar field, the construction of stationary posts with American AN / FPS-88 and AN / FPS-100 radars and AN / FPS-89 radio altimeters was carried out. Iran also acquired stationary British Type 88 radars and Type 89 radio altimeters. Most of these radars were installed permanently, under radio-transparent plastic domes. Powerful stationary radars could see high-altitude air targets at a range of 300-450 km. They were usually located close to the coast or at dominant heights. It is possible that some of the old radars that survived the war are still operational.
Recently, stationary radars of American and British production that have exhausted their resource are being replaced by stations of their own design. In October 2015, Iran presented a new long-range digital VHF Fath-14 meter range with a high-altitude target detection range of up to 500 km. Such impressive data were achieved thanks to the high energy characteristics and the large antenna system.
Radar Fath-14
The antenna part of the stationary radar is installed on a solid foundation. The station maintenance personnel with information display and communication facilities are hidden in an underground fortified bunker, where all the necessary life support facilities are available. It is reported that the radar complex includes digital data processing computer systems. The number of simultaneously observed targets can exceed 100 units. The first station of the Fath-14 type is located in the north-west of Iran.
In April 2012, the media published information about the start of construction of the Ghadir ZGRLS in the IRI. This fairly large stationary station with a fixed antenna array about 40 meters long, oriented in a given direction, is capable of detecting targets at a distance of up to 1100 km and an altitude of 300 km. These three-coordinate ZGRLS with a phased antenna array are designed to detect not only aerodynamic targets at medium and high altitudes, but also ballistic missiles and satellites in low orbits.
ZGRLS Ghadir
According to satellite images, the construction of the first experimental ZGRLS, which is part of the Iranian missile attack warning system, began in 2010, 70 km north-west of Tehran.
Satellite image of Google Earth: a prototype of the Ghadir ZGRS in the vicinity of Tehran
The first experimental station had one antenna system to the south. The next two ZGRLS, built in the provinces of Khuzestan and Semnan, have four antenna systems, which provide all-round visibility. Currently, another station is under construction in the Kurdistan province, 27 km north of the city of Bijar. Presumably, it will enter service in 2017. It is reported that the construction of the antenna systems of the Iranian ZGRLS in the past took 8-10 months. After the launch of all three Sepehr ZGRLS, the Iranian military will be able to control the airspace and near space over Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Israel, Turkey and Pakistan. It also provides partial radar coverage of Eastern Europe, southwest Russia (including Moscow), Western India and most of the Arabian Sea.
Layout of stationary radar posts on the territory of Iran as of 2012
In addition to stationary radars, under the Shah, Iran purchased AN / TPS-43 mobile radars with a detection range of up to 400 km. To transport all elements of the radar, two trucks with a carrying capacity of 3.5 tons were required.
Radar AN / TPS-43
These American-made stations worked well during the war. In the 80s, a refurbishment of the AN / TPS-43 radar was established at Iranian enterprises. With the end of hostilities, after gaining access to the Western and Chinese radioelement base, serial production of a version created by local specialists began. But unlike the prototype, the radars built in Iran are mounted on car trailers. According to some reports, this modification was designated Kashef-1.
Antenna of the Iranian radar Kashef-1
As part of the HQ-2J air defense system, mobile two-coordinate YLC-8 standby radars were supplied to Iran from the PRC. This station is a Chineseized version of the Soviet P-12 VHF radar.
Radar YLC-8
In turn, in the 90s in Iran, on the basis of the Chinese station YLC-8 at the Isfahan Technological University, the Matla ul-Fajr radar was created with a detection zone of up to 250 km. All hardware and antenna complex are located on a container-type vehicle semitrailer.
Radar Matla ul-Fajr-2
Later, a radically improved version of it appeared, known as Matla ul-Fajr-2. It is reported that this radar, built on a modern solid-state element base, uses digital technology and advanced systems for displaying and transmitting radar information. According to Iranian data, nationally developed radars operating in the meter range are capable of effectively fixing aircraft made with elements of low radar signature. The detection range of high-altitude targets of the modernized radar Matla ul-Fajr-2 is 300 km. Currently, the Matla ul-Fajr-2 radar is replacing old American and British-made radars. In 2011, Iranian officials said the new radars were monitoring the entire Persian Gulf.
Radar Matla ul-Fajr-3
In 2015, Iranian television showed the Matla ul-Fajr-3 radar station. Compared to earlier versions, the radar antenna system has been significantly increased. The television report said that the new modification is capable of seeing targets at a distance of more than 400 km.
Another radar station created in Iran based on the Chinese YLC-6 radar is Kashef-2. Like many other Iranian-made stations, this two-dimensional radar, operating in the 10 cm frequency range, is mounted on a truck chassis. Another two self-propelled container-type hardware rooms accommodate control and information display facilities, as well as communication equipment.
Radar Kashef-2
The main purpose of this mobile radar is to detect low-altitude air targets. The detection range, depending on the nature of the target and the flight altitude, is 150-200 km. Radars of this type, as a rule, are attached to mobile units of military air defense.
In recent years, promising radar stations with AFAR have been repeatedly demonstrated at the exhibitions of the achievements of the Iranian military-industrial complex, which reflects the scale of research carried out in Iran. Perhaps the most notable model brought to the stage of military trials is the Najm 802 radar.
Radar Najm 802, mounted on a truck chassis (foreground) next to the radar Matla ul-Fajr-3
Outwardly, this station bears a certain resemblance to the Russian mobile three-coordinate radar station of the decimeter range "Gamma-DE" or to the Chinese JYL-1. According to Iranian data, the Najm 802 radar is capable of operating against targets at a range of up to 320 km and, apparently, is intended for use as part of new anti-aircraft missile systems, which are now being actively developed in Iran. So far, Najm 802 radars exist in single copies.
Simultaneously with the creation of our own and the compilation of foreign samples in the Islamic Republic of Iran, significant funds were allocated for the purchase of modern radars abroad. Russia and China have become suppliers of radar air monitoring equipment.
Among the Chinese radar, the three-coordinate station JY-14 stands out, which can operate in the centimeter and decimeter ranges, depending on the tactical situation and the nature of the targets. The JY-14 radar, developed in the second half of the 90s, is capable of monitoring the airspace at a distance of up to 320 km and simultaneously tracking up to 72 targets.
Radar JY-14
According to Western experts, the station has good noise immunity and can operate in a frequency hopping mode, which makes jamming difficult. The JY-14 radar is capable of fixing the coordinates of targets with an accuracy of 200-400 meters. It is equipped with a protected radio relay data transmission line and is mainly used to issue target designation to interceptors and air defense systems. For the first time, American means of electronic intelligence recorded the work of the JY-14 radar in Iran at the end of 2001.
In 1992, simultaneously with deliveries of long-range S-200VE air defense systems to Iran, 5N84AE "Oborona-14" radar were sent to Iran. At the time of delivery, these stations, developed in the mid-70s, were no longer the last word in radar technology, but they were a standard means of searching for air targets for the S-200 air defense system.
Iranian radar 5N84AE "Defense-14"
The 5N84AE radar is capable of monitoring airspace within a radius of 400 km at a flight altitude of air targets of up to 30,000 meters and detecting air attack weapons made using the Stealth technology. But the serious disadvantages of this station are its large dimensions and weight. The placement of its hardware and power generators is carried out in five vans, and it takes about a day to "roll-up-deploy". All this makes the Oborona-14 radar station very visible on the ground and, in fact, stationary. This is permissible when on duty in peacetime at a permanent position, but in the event of the outbreak of hostilities, bulky radars are doomed to rapid destruction.
PRV-17
Together with the 5N84AE radar, Iran operates PRV-17 radio altimeters, which are used to accurately determine coordinates in terms of range, azimuth and altitude. PRV-17 in a simple jamming environment is capable of detecting a fighter-type target flying at an altitude of 10,000 meters at a distance of 300 km.
Radar 1L119 "Sky-SVU"
A more modern VHF station is 1L119 "Sky-SVU". A mobile three-coordinate radar with an active phased array antenna, which has high noise immunity, in terms of detection range is comparable to the 5N84AE radar, but its deployment / folding time is no more than 30 minutes. Deliveries of the Sky-SVU radar to the Iranian armed forces began earlier than to the Russian army. The first time these radars were publicly demonstrated in Iran in 2010.
Almost simultaneously with the "Sky-SVU" radar in Iran, supplies of three-coordinate radar stations of the standby mode "Casta-2E2" were carried out from Russia. According to the information posted on the website of the Almaz-Antey company, the radar, operating in the decimeter range, is designed to monitor airspace, determine the range, azimuth, flight altitude and route characteristics of air objects - aircraft, helicopters, cruise missiles and drones, in including those flying at low and extremely low altitudes.
Radar "Casta-2E2"
Radar "Casta-2E2" can be used in air defense systems, coastal defense and border control for air traffic control and airspace control in airfield zones. The strong point of this station is the ability to steadily detect and track low-altitude air targets against the background of terrain folds and hydrometeorological formations. The main elements of the radar are located on the chassis of two high-traffic KamAZ vehicles. In autonomous operations, the radar is equipped with a mobile diesel generator. The time of "folding-unfolding" when using a standard antenna does not exceed 20 minutes. The detection range of a fighter-type target at an altitude of 1000 meters is about 100 km. To improve the conditions for detecting low-altitude targets with a small RCS in an area with difficult terrain, it is possible to use an antenna-mast set with a lifting height of 50 meters. But at the same time, the time for installing and dismantling the antenna increases many times.
Iran also pays great attention to passive detection means that do not reveal themselves with radar radiation. In 2012, the Iranian TV channel IRIB reported that during the major air defense exercises, the 1L122 Avtobaza radio intelligence stations were used. RTR equipment, mounted on a cross-country vehicle chassis, records the operation of aviation radio systems and determines the coordinates of aircraft. The collected information, in turn, is automatically transmitted via wire or radio relay lines to headquarters, ground command posts of fighter aircraft and control posts of air defense missile systems.
Antenna part of the Iranian passive direction finding station Alim
In addition to Russian-made radio intelligence stations, Iranian air defense units use their own "passive radar" known as Alim. All elements of the Iranian RTR equipment are housed in a container-type trailer. This station was first shown 5 years ago at a military parade in Tehran.
