Two years ago Russia agreed to replace an initial order of the S-300PMU-2 Favorit air defence systems to Iran with the S-300VM (Antey-2500, NATO name: SA-23 Gladiator/Giant) anti-ballistic missile/air defence system.
Russia yesterday announced that the deal with Iran will be signed at the beginning of 2016. The first of the new missile systems will be delivered within 18 months of the day the deal will be signed.
The initial Iranian order for five missile defense systems was placed in 2007.
The system that Tehran selected was the S-300PMU-2 Favorit. In 2010 however, the deal was scraped by the then-Russian President, Dmitry Medvedev, who unilaterally increased the sanctions against Iran that were imposed by the UN Security Council because of Tehran’s nuclear programme.
Three years later, in 2013, Russia proposed to replace the S-300PMU-2 Favorit air defence system with the S-300VM anti-ballistic missile/air defence system. This was agreed in order to avoid a 4 billion dollars lawsuit from Tehran over their failure to supply the S-300PMU-2.
The new missile deal comes a few months after the agreement between Iran and the P5+1 (China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States; plus Germany) regarding Tehran’s nuclear programme.
According to Russian sources, the Gulf countries had no reason to feel threatened by the deal. As the CEO of the Russian company, Rostec, Sergey Chemezov said, “This is defence equipment. And we are ready to offer this defence equipment to any country. So if the Gulf countries are not going to attack Iran, why should they be threatened? As this is defence equipment.”
The S-300VM (Antey-2500, NATO name: SA-23 Gladiator/Giant) system comprises:
- Command post
- Circular and sector scan radars
- Multichannel missile guidance station (MMGS) (typical amount 4 (enough to hit 24 targets) – technically no more than 6 (The command post of the S-300V can not simultaneously engage more than 24 goals))
- 9A82M launcher (typical amount 8) includes radar of illumination and targeting
- 9A83M launcher (typical amount 12) includes radar of illumination and targeting
- 9A84M loader-launcher (technically no more than 24)
- 9M82M and 9M83M air defense missiles
- Maintenance, repair, and transport vehicles
- Group SPTA set
- Electronic trainer for MMGS operators
- Set of missile handling equipment
The operational range of the 9M82M missile is 200km and the flight altitute that can intercept the targets is 98.000 ft.