Does Iranian ‘Iron Dome’ speak Zulu ? Military expert Alexander Portnoy reveals

• Roshan Amiri
• . August 4, 2020
• . Update: November 3, 2021 6:52 pm
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The AD-08 “Majid” utilized a new design of Azarakhsh air-to-air missile believed to be reverse-engineered from the American AIM-9 Sidewinder rocket. For detecting and targeting the enemies, it got the privilege of combining an electro-optical module (probably Seraj) and radar Kashef-99 with a range of 30 km. Thus, it could beat targets in a range of 8 km. Another unnamed VSHORAD unmentioned among the known Iranian A.D. systems have shown above was involved too. This VSHORAD, likely named Khatam, aroused great interest in foreign media, hastening to equate it with Israeli “Iron Dome.”

But these two different VSHORAD’s – Portnoy adds – have nothing in common except the slightly similar form of the implemented modular multi-missile launch canisters. In addition, Iranian VSHORAD utilizes the formation of Transporter Erector Launcher and Radar (TELAR), which follows the deployment of radar on the launcher vehicle. According to the Iranian Tasmin News report, this guarantees the maximum concentration of system elements. But this technical approach makes it a challenge for the adversaries to disrupt the radar with Electronic Warfare (E.W.) measures combined with Anti-Radiation (A.R.) missiles.

Someone can assume the shown VSHORAD has more in common with Umkhonto (Spear in Zulu) ground-based launcher (GBL) produced by Denel Dynamics primarily for the South African Army’s ground-based air defense system (GBADS) terms. For the first time, GBL Umkhonto, whose construction initially began for naval needs in 1993, was exhibited at the Africa Aerospace & Defense 2010 show in Cape Town, finally tested in 2016. In a bizarre deal decade ago, the South African telecommunications company MTN Group secured a lucrative multi-billion telecommunications deal in Iran in trade for various technologies that Tehran ordered. Among these requests, helicopter and drones’ technology and aid for Iran’s nuclear program.

Alexander Portnoy affirms that perhaps the latest iteration of Iran’s Ababil looks much different from its predecessor generations on its blog. Though it still uses a pusher configuration, the “Ababil 3” is strikingly similar to South African Denel Seeker — which may be either a reverse-engineered copy or simply straight-up rebadged. In March 2017, South Africa hoped to sell some R1.5 billion worth of weapons to Iran, including Umkhonto surface-to-air missiles (SAM). The Denel Dynamics Umkhonto-IR Block2 surface-to-air missile initially contracted with a 12 km reach, but this was extended to 15 km.

Denel has proved it can reach out to 20 km, with a cover of 8 000 meters. Moreover, it touches speeds of around Mach 2.5. In 2013, Denel Dynamics fired the defense from the land for the first time – the system was initially destined for naval applications. The Umkhonto missile is paired with a radar used to detect and track specific targets for the rocket to engage.

According to Alexander Portnoy, Iran likely replaced Swedish surveillance and fire-control radars with homemade Iranian clones made with foreign aid. According to Portnoy, it seems Denel’s employees initiated a partnership with IRGC without permission from the United Nations Security Council to sell their SAMs and the related Know-How to Iran.