From Aviation Week's ARES Blog

 

Iran to Procure Chinese Defense System

Posted by David Eshel at 5/15/2009 9:48 AM CDT

 

Iran will turn to China instead of Russia to acquire an advanced air defense system after relations between Iran and Russia hit rock bottom, the official Iranian news agency PressTV reported. For years Iran has been trying to purchase the S-300 anti-aircraft missile, which is considered to be one of the most advanced systems available on the market and would dramatically increase Iran's air defense capabilities against any attacks on its nuclear installations.

 

 

HongQi-9/FD-2000 system credit http://www.forte.jor.br/

 

The S-300 surface-to-air missile system, which can track targets and fire at aircraft 75 miles away, features high jamming immunity making it harder to incapacitate the system electronically, and is able to engage up to 100 targets simultaneously.

 

Teheran will now turn to China for the HongQi-9/FD-2000 system which combines elements "borrowed" from the Russian S-300 and the American MIM-104 Patriot system, according to the Iranian news agency. Although experts estimate that the Chinese system does not perform as well as the Russian S-300, it still presents an effective addition to bolster the Iranian air defense, which is virtually obsolete against any modern air attack on its vital strategic installations. There is no unclassified information regarding the effectiveness of western countermeasures against the HongQi-9/FD-2000 system, nor against the Russian S-300. There was unconfirmed speculation over possible electronic countermeasures used during the 2007 attack on the alleged Syrian reactor.

Shoot the archer, not the arrows!

 

Good idea but what if the archer can see the rocks that you are flinging at him? That's always the problem I've had with HARM. Sure it does a good job, but what about if the site see's the incoming weapons and engages them?

 

Later

D

From Ares Blog

 

Is Russia Backing Off the S-300 Sale to Iran?

Posted by Robert Wall at 8/20/2009 3:55 AM CDT

 

Well, that’s at least what Israeli president Shimon Peres appears to have heard when meeting with his Russian counterpart, Dmitry Medvedev, this week at the latter’s Black Sea summer residence.

 

Israel has long been urging Russia not to sell the advanced air defense system to Iran. The call has been part of a broader appeal to stem the flow of arms to Tehran, but the S-300 has drawn particular attention because of its range and sophistication.

 

The Israeli foreign ministry, in releasing its write up of the presidential talks, says Medvedev committed to take a look at the Israeli request and quotes the Russian leader as saying that “Russia is opposed to the selling of weapons that can violate the delicate balance in the Middle East, and we do not intend to change our position."

 

Whether that is tantamount to Russia backing away from the contract it has signed with Tehran is another matter and, according to press reports, the Kremlin isn’t saying what exactly is in store for the S-300 deal.

 

Peres also told Medvedev that his government has evidence to show Russian weapons to Iran (and Syria) have been diverted to Hamas and Hizbollah.

From RIA Novosti

 

Iran's ability to build own S-300 air-defense systems queried

Dmitry Korobeinikov

14:5925/11/2009

 

A Russian military expert questioned on Wednesday Tehran's claims that it could build its own S-300 surface-to-air missile systems.

 

With the delivery of Russian-made S-300 systems to Iran long overdue, Tehran has said it is capable of producing clones in the near future.

 

Speaking to Mehr News Agency on November 14, Alaeddin Boroujerdi, head of Iran's parliamentary Foreign Policy and National Security Commission said "the Islamic Republic will be able to mass produce the system in the near future."

 

Vladimir Yevseyev, a senior research fellow at the Russian Academy of Sciences World Economics and International Relations Institute, dismissed the claims as "misleading information."

 

"Iran is unable to build these complexes due to its serious technological lag. Nor is it likely to acquire such capability in the next five years," he said.

 

He also said Iran was unable to copy S-300s.

 

"There are suspicions that China made [s-300s], but China has an altogether different resource base, and China has had S-300 systems delivered [from Russia] in the first place."

 

Yevseyev said Iran's air-defense system as a whole was obsolete while the S-300 was key to protecting the country's entire territory.

 

Iran said on Tuesday it still hoped Russia would fulfill its contract for the supply of S-300 systems.

 

Russia signed a contract with Iran on the supply of S-300 air defense systems in December 2005. However, there have been no official reports on the start of the contract's implementation.

 

A senior Iranian military official also said Tuesday Iran could sue Russia in an international court if Moscow refused to fulfill its commitments on the delivery of S-300s to Tehran.

 

Tehran suspects Moscow has refused so far to honor the S-300 contract due to pressure from Washington and Tel Aviv.

 

Both the U.S. and Israel have not ruled out military action if diplomacy fails to resolve the dispute over Iran's nuclear program and have expressed concern over S-300 deliveries, which would significantly strengthen Iran's air defenses.

 

The latest version of the S-300 series is the S-300PMU2 Favorit, which has a range of up to 195 kilometers (about 120 miles) and can intercept aircraft and ballistic missiles at altitudes from 10 meters to 27 kilometers.

 

It is considered one of the world's most effective all-altitude regional air defense systems, comparable in performance to the U.S. MIM-104 Patriot system.

 

**

 

CV32: Yes, of course, they can. Apparently China can also build submarines that sound exactly like the Macy's Parade.

From Defense Aerospace

 

Russia Delays Arms Delivery to Iran

(Source: Voice of America news; issued Feb. 17, 2010)

 

Russia is delaying delivery of its S-300 air-defense system to Iran and is also calling for Tehran to adhere to International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) guidelines for enrichment of nuclear fuel. The moves follow Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's two-day visit to Moscow.

 

The Interfax News Agency quotes the deputy director of Russia's Federal Service for Military and Technical Cooperation, Alexander Fomin, as saying delivery of the S-300 air defense system to Iran has been delayed by technical problems.

 

Fomin, whose service controls Russian arms exports, made the comment during a defense exposition in New Delhi. He did not indicate the nature of the technical problems or how long repairs would take.

 

As recently as Sunday, the deputy secretary of the Russian Security Council, Vladimir Nazarov, said the S-300 contract must be implemented. It was signed in 2005.

 

Israel and the United States have opposed the sale of the system, which Iran could use to defend a possible attack against its nuclear facilities.

 

Announcement of the delay was made a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Moscow. The Israeli leader told Russia's Kommersant business daily he would not confirm whether he discussed delivery of any specific weapons systems in his talks with President Dmitri Medvedev.

 

The S-300 is a Soviet-era surface-to-air system designed to shoot down aircraft and cruise missiles. Independent Russian military analyst Pavel Felgenhauer told VOA the missile would complement the longer-range S-200 and the TOR M1 system that operates at medium to very low altitudes.

 

Felgenhauer says the fact that Iran does not have the S-300 means it has a big hole in its air-defense system, which makes it impossible to defend against an attack, even by Israel.

 

Tel Aviv is concerned that an Iranian nuclear weapon could pose a direct threat to Israel.

 

Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov reminded Iran it should stop its nuclear enrichment activity in accordance with a U.N. Security Council resolution. Lavrov, currently on a tour of Latin America, also urged Tehran to accept an international offer to provide fuel for its nuclear-research reactors.

 

Lavrov says the International Atomic Energy Agency proposed a plan in October of last year with France, the United States and Russia that would provide fuel for Iran's research reactor, because its current supply is being used up.

 

In Moscow, Prime Minister Netanyahu called for crippling sanctions against Iranian imports and exports, including such refined oil products as gasoline.

 

On Tuesday, Kremlin spokeswoman Natalya Timakova said the international community must be certain Iran's nuclear program is peaceful. She added that if such obligations are not fulfilled, no one can rule out the use of sanctions against Iran.

Alleged S-300 SAM system paraded at Iran's Army Day parade on April 19, 2010. Apparently faked by oil drums welded together atop a Babr series tank carrier.

 

 

 

Stealth aircraft concept:

 

 

And, not to be outdone by SAMs and stealth fighters, here are some high mobility anti-armor assault teams :

 

From Defense Aerospace

 

Moscow Still Hasn't Delivered Air Defense Missiles to Iran

(Source: Voice of America news; issued June 23, 2010)

 

Iran has a deal to buy S-300 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. But Moscow has not delivered them yet. The S-300 missile is a defensive weapon with a maximum range of about 200 kilometers.

 

"It's sort of similar to the American Patriot missile and it's bigger," explains Ivan Oerlich, with the Federation of American Scientists. "But it's specifically designed to be a broad-range, long-range defense system. It's not for close-in defense, but it's designed for aircraft, whether traveling at very high altitude or very low altitude, and to shoot down airplanes and cruise missiles. It's mobile. They can launch them off the back of a large truck and they carry several missiles. It means that it doesn't have a fixed location, and that makes it harder to destroy on the ground before it can be used."

 

System details

 

Matthew Clements with Jane's Defense Group - a British research firm - says it is not the most up-to-date Russian system, but it is quite sophisticated.

 

"Although there's been a lot of talk about the degradation of the Russian military capabilities since the end of the Soviet Union, in terms of air defense, this is one of the areas where they have held up in terms of the quality and expertise available," Clements says. "So it's a fairly advanced system."

 

Clements says in 2007, Russia signed a deal with Iran to provide Tehran with the S-300 missile.

 

"The actual, exact details of the deal itself have never really been released," he notes. "So it's not very clear exactly how many would be sold to Iran, although what we'd be looking at would be Iran trying to purchase enough to be able to defend its main strategic sites, such as its nuclear power station and other primary military sites."

 

Russian pull-back

 

But as of now, as John Parker with the National Defense University says [expressing his personal views], none have been sold to Iran.

 

"The Russians seemed to start to pull back on prospects for transferring really early last year - 2009 - just about the time that the Obama administration was talking about a 'reset' in relations with Russia," Parker said. "And since then the Russians have not gone forward with the transfers. In the latest United Nations Security Council resolution of June 9, it appears that technically the Russians would not be prevented from transferring the S-300s to Iran."

 

That resolution, with Russia's consent, imposed new sanctions on Iran over its attempts to build nuclear weapons. Parker says those sanctions include prohibiting the sale to Tehran of offensive weapons such as combat aircraft, battle tanks, attack helicopters and large caliber artillery systems.

 

"In terms of missiles, it says as defined for the purpose by the United Nation's Register for Conventional Arms," Parker said. "And there, ground-to-air defense missiles, air defensive missiles are not covered."

 

Delivery frozen

 

After some conflicting statements, senior Russian officials - including Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, during a meeting with French President Nicolas Sarkozy - said Moscow has decided to freeze delivery of the S-300 missiles to Tehran.

 

David Kramer, former senior State Department official in the George W. Bush administration, says Moscow is indicating its displeasure with Tehran's nuclear weapons program.

 

"I also hope it reflects a recognition in Moscow that should they transfer these missiles, it could lead to war," Kramer said. "Because I don't think Israel is going to stand by and let these missiles become operational in Iran without taking any military action. So I hope Russia understands that and realizes the implications of such a transfer."

 

Analysts say Iran must feel betrayed by Russia's decision -- first to vote in favor of stronger sanctions and second not to go through with the sale of S-300 missiles. But experts also say Tehran should not seem surprised by Russia's actions because over the past several years, relations between the two countries have considerably soured.