Iran’s Newest Air Defense Radar Enters Service

In a ceremony to bring the new radar into service, Brigadier General Farzad Esmaili elaborated on the features of Arash long-range radar, which has been totally designed and manufactured by local experts, and described it as “a complement to the phased array radar systems.”

The commander said Arash would undergo preventive maintenance very simply, but at the same time noted that thanks to its very long range, the new radar would boost the capabilities of the country’s integrated air defense system.

“The Arash radar is a complement to the country’s radar capabilities in UHF, VHF and HF bands, and with the use of this advanced radar, the country’s integrated air defense network will be strengthened to counter electronic warfare,” he added.

On Sunday, December 15, Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan unveiled the first “national plan to produce a ground-based positioning system” that could be used for both military and civilian purposes.

He noted that the plan would involve stationing powerful transmitters all over the country, making it possible for both military and civilian users to take advantage of the system’s nationwide coverage.

And in late November, the Iranian navy unveiled an advanced phased array radar system which had been designed and manufactured by the Iranian Navy experts.

The new phased array radar system, dubbed the Asr (Era), was unveiled by high-ranking Iranian military officials in a special ceremony on November 27.

Among Iran’s other achievements is a modern radar system dubbed the Rejal (men), which is said to be capable of detecting, tracking and processing nearly 100 targets simultaneously.

Some other domestically-developed systems are the Rafee (lofty) – a modern digital altimeter - and ‘Passive’ radar system, as well as locally-developed phased array radar systems.

New passive phased array radars are capable of detecting stealth targets and cruise missiles.