Despite reports in August of this year regarding Iran’s receipt of russian S-400 air defense missile systems, no official confirmation has been provided. Tehran has denied any interest in acquiring these russian systems.
Specifically, Davood Sheikhian, Deputy for Operations of the Aerospace Forces of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, stated that Iran had not approached russia for such systems because it already possesses its own air defense system, which he claims is much more capable than the S-400. This was reported by Iran International, citing Iranian state media.
Read more: russia Sends S-400 SAM Systems and Specialists to Iran to Protect Nuclear Facilities
From Defense Express, it is noted that this statement may be influenced by Israel’s two successful strikes on Iran in October and April using air-launched ballistic missiles, such as Rocks and Air Lora. Unofficial reports suggest that these strikes resulted in the destruction of all S-300 systems Iran had received from russia in the 2010s.
It should be noted that Iran is armed with the S-300PMU2 Favorit, developed in the mid-1990s. Its features include updated electronics, new radars like the 96L6 and 64N6E2, as well as the 48N6E2 missiles. These elements are similar to those found in the S-400, which is not a completely new air defense system but rather an advanced modernization of the S-300. The new index designation is more of an effort to present this as a domestic development rather than a Soviet legacy upgrade.
At the same time, russia claimed that the S-300PMU2 could effectively intercept ballistic targets, including medium-range missiles. However, this proved to be inaccurate based on Iran’s experience.
It is also possible that Tehran did receive the S-400, but this did not alter the outcome of repelling Israeli attacks. As a result, Iran has begun stating that it is no longer interested in the russian air defense system.
Meanwhile, the statement about Iran's own systems being superior to the S-400 needs clarification. The only long-range air defense system in Iran is the Bavar-373, which Tehran has frequently compared to both the S-300 and S-400.
The development of the Bavar-373 took place during the 2000s and 2010s, with its first public demonstration in 2019. In 2022, Tehran announced its modernization. Among its declared capabilities are the destruction of fifth-generation fighters and the interception of ballistic missiles. The maximum range is stated to be 200 km for the older version and over 300 km for the newer version.
The system uses the Sayyad-4 surface-to-air missile, which is believed to be derived from the American RIM-66 Standard Missile (SM-1) through several modifications. Iran had these missiles in its naval arsenal until 1979. The air defense system includes the Meraj-4 surveillance radar (AESA, S-band), capable of detecting targets up to 450 km away.
It is possible that the Bavar-373 performed better than russian air defense systems during the repelling of Israeli attacks, which may explain Iran’s increasingly negative rhetoric toward russian systems.
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