Posted on 07/15/2011 6:15:17 AM PDT by sukhoi-30mki
Commander: Russians Stunned by Iranian Version of S-200 Air Defense System
TEHRAN (FNA)- A senior Iranian military commander said that the country's experts have been able to optimize the Russian-made S-200 anti-aircraft missile system so well that the Iranian version of the system has stunned Russian experts.
Speaking to FNA on Tuesday, Commander of Khatam ol-Anbia Air Defense Base Brigadier General Farzad Esmayeeli said that Iran's air defense specialists have been able to optimize the S-200 surface-to-air missile system to a remarkable extent and Iran plans to change the system's name due to the profound changes it has made in the system.
"These changes have been acknowledged and praised by those who have developed the system (Russians),"the commander stated, adding that the features of the Iranian version of the system are basically different from those of the Russian type.
Meantime, Esmayeeli pointed to the country's radar power, and stated that the Iranian air-defense unit owns systems that can easily monitor and trace all radar-evading and stealth aircrafts.
He noted that Iran's radar capability was proved during the military drills conducted in the last Iranian year (ended on March 20, 2011) when Iran warned two US spy planes which wanted to near the Iranian borders.
In November 2010, Iran successfully test-fired its sophisticated S-200 anti-aircraft missile systems.
Iran's S-200 system is a very long range, medium-to-high altitude surface-to-air missile (SAM) system designed to defend large areas from bomber attack or other strategic aircrafts. Each battalion has 6 single-rail missile launchers and fire control radar. It can be linked to other, longer-range radar systems.
Each missile is launched by 4 solid-fueled strap-on rocket boosters. Maximum range is between 200 and 350 km depending on the model. The missile uses radio illumination mid-course correction to fly towards the target with a terminal semi active radar homing phase.
US will make big holes in the ground where those used to be in any conflict. :)
I’m looking for the posters who say Russia is the defender of Christianity in the world.
Not with this administration.
Sure will take a lot of million dollar plus missiles.
This time last year they had a flying boat that did a transformer trick or some such thing.
Sounds like a lot of BS to me..The Iranians can barely keep their military aircraft flying..
Translation: the Russians were amazed that any of the S-200s (better known as the SA-5 GAMMON) still worked. This system is a threat to stand-off/support platforms like tankers and AWACS. Definitely not a threat to fighter aircraft, or any type of LO platform. And you’re right: any SA-5 site that shows signs of life will be quickly eliminated in any air campaign against Iran.
BTW, the Iranians do have a certain ability to keep old stuff working. They still have a handful of flyable F-14s and the F-4 Phantom still figures prominently in their air defense network. Among ground-based air defenses, the U.S.-made I-HAWK is still be backbone of their SAM network; keeping those 40-year-old SAMs operational brings a new meaning to the term “cannibalization.”
My guess is they painted them a new color,that would be the extent of their sophistication.
Oh, the Russians were probably stunned, but I doubt it’s for the reason FARS says it is.
Peek-a-Boo RADAR........................
It’s from FARS. They might as well have said Iran has invisible rockets that can destroy targets throughout the world in under 10 seconds.
Yeah, I know, but since I work in a related field, the idea of Peek-a-Boo RADAR is intriguing....................
It also says, “gotcha nose” in 5 different languages.
DO NOT underestimate the Iranians.
Remember Iraq's "Mother of all Battles"?
This is the "Cousin of all Conflicts".
The "Red-headed stepchild of all Rumbles"?
First, Iranians (aka Persians) are in comparison to their neighbors (Arab and Turkic peoples, for the most part) a very intelligent and well educated group. They may (to the untrained eye) look a great deal like Arabs but they are a different order of potential foe.
And second, that mistake of underestimation has been made by America before with unhappy results. Folks in the Northern States thought the Confederacy would fold in a matter of weeks, the Japanese were near sighted midgets who did not have the capacity to fly airplanes much less manufacture good ones, the North Koreans would be insane to take on US might, and Vietnam will be a done deal if we just send in another couple divisions and bomb Hanoi a bit longer.
We should and almost certainly would win a war with Iran but it is best to be cautious and not assume you'll be dealing with a bunch of apes.
The enemy more mighty than he seems."
Shakespeare, Henry V, Act 2, Scene 3
U fergot the sarc caption.
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