Iran Turning to China for Air Defense System
Media Line via Iraqwar.ru, May 10 2009
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 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. 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. Tehran will now turn to China for the HongQi-9/FD-2000 system which reportedly combines elements “borrowed” from the Russian S-300 and the US MIM-104 Patriot system, according to the Iranian news agency. The negotiations between Tehran and Moscow began in 2007, but neither side has ever issued an official confirmation of the deal. The Russian sale of arms to Iran is a thorn in Moscow’s relationship with Washington, which opposes Iran’s quest for nuclear weapons and labels it “a sponsor of state terrorism,” according the US State Department. In addition to US pressure on Russia not to sell weapons to Iran, Israel is also trying to persuade Russia not to export the system.
Russia ‘losing to China on Iran S-300 quest’
PressTV, May 9 2009
Iran is reportedly seeking to buy a Chinese-made air defense system which is a variant of the Russian S-300. In its quest for an advanced air defense system, Iran has reportedly shifted its hopes from Russia to China which owns a replica of the controversial Russian S-300. As Iran’s quest for the advanced Russian-made S-300 air defense system is believed to have hit rock bottom, a report by RIA Novosti said Tehran is eying a Chinese-made HQ-9 surface-to-air missile under the name FD-2000 — recently put on the export market (I can’t find this — possibly Russian only – RB). The HongQi-9/FD-2000 reportedly combines elements “borrowed” from Russia’s S-300 and the US’s MIM-104 Patriot. It uses elements of the Russian system’s “solid rocket, aerodynamic layout, gas-dynamic spoilers, and launcher technologies, as well as some search and guidance systems.”
The missile has a range of 7-125km for airborne targets — a range much lower than the 150km range of the Russian S-300 PMU1. The Chinese system’s range for missile targets, or air-to-ground missiles, is 7-50km, with a firing altitude of 1-18km. Its range for cruise missiles is 7-15km, at a firing altitude of 0.025km. The range for ballistic missiles is 7-25km at a firing altitude of 2-15km. The S-300 surface-to-air missile system, which can track targets and fire at aircraft 120km away, features high jamming immunity and is able to simultaneously engage up to 100 targets.
Iran has been negotiating a deal with Russia to obtain the sophisticated defense system since 2007. However, neither side has so far issued an official confirmation on the delivery of the S-300 to Iran. Later media reports claimed that Russia’s plan to turn a “new page” in its ties with the US is likely to prompt Moscow to shelve the delivery of the S-300 system to Iran. Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Mahdi Safari, however, said in April that the contract to buy Russia’s S-300 advance missile system is still effective. RIA Novosti quoted Safari as saying at the end of his visit to Moscow:
There are no problems with this contract. After all, these are purely defensive weapons, and any country has the right to buy them. I believe this could only worry those states that have plans to attack others.
Iran says S-300 missile deal with Russia on track
RIA Novosti, Apr 15 2009
There are no obstacles to the delivery of Russian S-300 surface-to-air missile systems to Tehran, Iran’s deputy foreign minister said on Wednesday. Mehdi Safari offered no specifics about the contract’s implementation, but dismissed concerns voiced by a number of countries over possible S-300 deliveries to Iran. He said at the end of his visit to Moscow:
There are no problems with this contract. After all, these are purely defensive weapons, and any country has the right to buy them. I believe this could only worry those states that have plans to attack others.
A Russian arms export official said last month Iran had not yet received any S-300 air defense systems. Iranian media, citing senior security officials, have repeatedly reported that Russia has started delivering elements of the advanced version of the S-300 missile to Tehran under a 2007 contract. The latest version of the S-300 family is the S-300PMU2 Favorit, which has a range of up to 195km and can intercept aircraft and ballistic missiles at altitudes from 10m to 27km. It is considered one of the world’s most effective all-altitude regional air defense systems, comparable in performance to the US MIM-104 Patriot system. Iran recently took delivery of 29 Russian-made Tor-M1 air defense missile systems under a $700m contract signed in late 2005. Russia has also trained Iranian Tor-M1 specialists, including radar operators and crew commanders. The S-300 system is significantly superior to the Tor-M1.
look at this
One imagines this story is an attempt to deliver a wake-up call to the Bomb Iran demographic in America. China isn’t terribly interested in appeasing America’s rednecks and the (unwise) destruction of one of their own satellites a couple of years ago demonstrated that they can build and aim a guided ballistic missile as accurately as anyone. There’s no doubt that Russia and China share advanced defense technology – China has Sunburn and Yakhont ‘anti-ship’ missiles. An AA deal between Iran and pragmatic China raises the possibility that it would sell ‘deterrent’ nukes to Iran if it helped to pour cold water on the fantasies of America’s Bomb Iran loonies.