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Iran may have lined up S-300


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From Jane's

 

Iran may have lined up S-300 SAM systems

By Doug Richardson

09 January 2008

 

Iran is set to receive Russian S-300 (SA-10 'Grumble') surface-to-air missile (SAM) systems, Iranian Defence Minister Mostafa Mohammad-Najjar stated on 26 December 2007.

 

Mohammad-Najjar gave no details of the order or the timescale for deliveries, but according to Iranian state radio he said: "The S-300 system will be delivered to Iran within the framework of a contract agreed in the past. The timing of the delivery will be announced at a later date."

 

The report was confirmed by Iran's Fars News Agency, which gave no further information. Russia's Interfax news agency identified the systems to be provided as S-300PMU-1, stating that deliveries would begin in 2008 under a contract signed several years ago.

 

The announcement followed a meeting in Tehran in mid-December of a Russian-Iranian commission on military-technical co-operation, which reviewed existing agreements and discussed the possibility of further collaboration.

 

Early in 2007, Sergei Ivanov, then Russian defence minister, denied reports that Moscow and Tehran were negotiating the sale of long-range SAM systems. Responding to a report in Russian newspaper Kommersant, Ivanov stated that the publication's sources of information were "completely untenable" and insisted that no S-300 sale had been discussed with Iran.

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From Jane's

 

Iran set to acquire S-300PTs from Belarus

By Mark Harrington

17 January 2008

 

Amid conflicting reports that Moscow has agreed to sell Iran a number of S-300 low-to-high altitude air-defence systems emerging at the end of 2007, Jane's has learned that Tehran is actually in the final stage of negotiations with Belarus for the acquisition of two surplus trailer-mounted towed S-300PT (SA-10A 'Grumble') systems.

 

These systems were, until recently, deployed near Minsk as part of Belarus's operational air-defence configuration, and include command-guided Fakel 5V55K missiles (with a range of 47 km) and the baseline 5V55R semi-active radar and Track Via Missile (TVM) guided missile (range 75 km).

 

Defence industrial sources in Belarus told Jane's that although the value of the contract has yet to be finalised, Belarusian negotiators are asking for USD140 million for the two systems (including parts, maintenance and training). The sources noted that while that figure is considered high for older S-300PT systems (the S-300PT entered Soviet service as far back as 1978), the inflated price reflects an awareness of Iran's urgent requirement for such systems and its consequent willingness to pay well, enhanced by the intense international scrutiny placed on Tehran's efforts to acquire missile technologies and the country's difficulty to fast-track acquisition of such systems from other sources.

 

Further, the price also reflects the risk involved for Minsk in releasing such systems to Tehran - particularly in its political relations with Moscow.

 

The sources confirmed that after the contract is finalised, the S-300PT systems would be transferred from Belarus to Iran in semi-knocked down (SKD) condition aboard a number of cargo aircraft. These flights will fall within the framework of the many regular flights (including military aircraft) between Iran and Belarus, and will include the transfer of spare system parts as required by Iran.

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  • 7 months later...

From Aviation Week's ARES Blog

 

Yes, We Have No Grumbles

Posted by Douglas Barrie at 9/2/2008 8:01 AM CDT

 

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Iran’s Grumble saga rumbles on, with hopefully those at least in the intelligence community, as well as the buyer and seller actually knowing exactly what is going on.

 

Further widespread reports in the press that Iran is in the process of acquiring a variant of the Russian Almaz Antey S-300 (SA-10 Grumbe/SA-20 Gargoyle) family of surface-to-air missile systems met with a prompt rebuke from the Iranian Foreign Ministry.

 

Tehran has been associated with variously the acquisition of the S-300PT, S-300PMU1, and S-300PMU2 since the beginning of the year. The US Defense Intelligence Agency suggested early this year that Iran was close to acquiring the SA-20.

 

Certainly from Tehran’s viewpoint the acquisition of such a capability would be a welcome addition to its air defense inventory. It would – for example - complicate planning for any possible strike against Iranian nuclear facilities. With the exception of the Tor-M1 (SA-15 Gauntlet), Iran’s air defenses rely on obsolescent systems such as the S-200VE (SA-5 Gammon) and HQ-2 variant of the Russian SA-2 Guideline.

 

Were Moscow previously disinclined to irritate Washington by selling a capable long-range SAM system to Iran, the present state of relationships - after the Georgian incursion - has likely removed this check.

 

Asked about an S-300 purchase, an Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman said: “No such thing is correct."

 

He went on to add : "Our missile and technical capability completely depends on Iranian scientific capability, as has been demonstrated so far."

 

Which as it turns out might also be described as: “No such thing is correct.” While Iran is developing its own guided-weapons know-how, it has relied recently on China for support and development.

 

Picture Credit Rosobornexport

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