Iran Receives Russian S-400 Air Defences For Testing - Reports
Middle East , Aircraft and Anti-Aircraft
Iranian media outlets have reported that a Russian S-400 long range air defence system was deployed to the country for testing under operational conditions, which took place near the city of Isfahan. The test reportedly included a 91N6E acquisition radar, 92N6E engagement radar, a command and control unit, and multiple mobile surface-to-air missile launchers. Should these reports be confirmed, it remains uncertain whether this would signal that Iran has ordered the system, or whether the Russian Aerospace Forces have made a deployment to the country to advertise the system’s capabilities. Iranian officials previously indicated a lack of interest in the S-400, asserting that the indigenous Bavar 373 system could provide a comparable capability. Iran’s much more limited experience developing long range air defence systems and its much smaller technological base have nevertheless brought such claims into question.
Although Iranian government sources have claimed the Bavar 373 was responsible for three of the four reported shootdowns of F-35I fifth generation fighters during clashes with Israel in June, possible shortcomings with the system, a perceived need to diversify the air defence arsenal, or an inability to produce indigenous systems quickly enough, may have increased interest in the S-400. Should the decision to procure the S-400 system have been taken as a result of hostilities in June, it is likely that the system being tested in Iran is manned by Russian personnel, since there has not been sufficient time to re-train Iranian crews. The fact that the Iranian Air Defence Forces have operated the S-300PMU-2 system since 2016, however, which is a direct predecessor to the S-400, could allow the newer system to be brought into service much more quickly by re-training these personnel.
Much remains uncertain regarding the future of the Iranian air defence network, which has been widely criticised for its inability to seriously challenge Israeli and American air attacks from June 13-24. Reports emerged in early July that China has supplied air defence systems to the Iranian Armed Forces, which were speculated to be HQ-9B long range systems broadly equivalent to the S-400. Procuring both systems would be far from unprecedented, with Algeria perceiving a similar threat of NATO attacks having for years fielded both in complementary roles. While China has continued to widely market the HQ-9B for export, however, Russia is itself facing shortages of S-400s despite significant increases to its production capacities, raising questions regarding the veracity of claims of recent deliveries to Iran. Russia has recently delivered S-400s to Belarus and India, but has been forced to delay further deliveries to the latter, largely due to the significant pressure being placed on its defences by the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian War and rising tensions with NATO.
With no details on any deliveries of foreign systems to Iran having been confirmed, a significant possibility remains that there is little substance to reports of either Chinese systems or S-400s being delivered to the country. Even if deliveries of both were confirmed, Iran would remain somewhat vulnerable due to its lack of complementary aircraft such as modern fighters and airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) systems. This limits its ability to tackle more advanced threats, particularly as Israel moves to further expand its F-35I fleet and plans to begin receiving advanced F-15EX fighters. Although Iranian sources having reported since 2022 that Su-35 fighters have been ordered, deliveries have not materialised, while orders for advanced Chinese fighters such as the J-10C and J-16 would require years of training to prepare for operations. The ability to train personnel much more rapidly to operate long range ground based systems allows them to offer much more immediate solution to Iran’s vulnerability, with modern fighter and AEW&C fleets expected to take several years to operationalise even if sufficient investments are made.
Ukraine already has tons of knowledge and experience on S-400 countermeasures.
ReplyDeleteS-400 is NOT.the Wunderwaffe that Russki propagandists have boosted It to be.