To defend against aerial attacks from Israel and the stealth fighter aircraft F-35, Iran has stationed its most recent generation of air defence missile system in Syria, known as Bavar-373.
According to intelligence from the Iranian defence sector, the Bavar-373 will have the ability to locate and shoot down stealth fighters like the American F-35. The Bavar-373’s radar has a 360-degree azimuth, a maximum tracking range of 200 km, and a detection range of 400 to 500 km.
The Israeli air force has attacked Syrian territory from the air on numerous occasions over the past two years, including strikes in Palmyra and Tartus in October 2021, Latakia in December 2021, Damascus in March 2022, another strike in Tartus in July 2022, and two strikes in Homs in November and December 2022.
Iran has recently modernised its conventional forces and is looking to develop new ones. The most recent 5-year development plan for Iran keeps missiles, naval forces, and air defences as top priorities, but it also places a new focus on combat air power and EW (Electronic Warfare) capabilities.
Iran will update its air surveillance radars, SAMs, and C4ISR (command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance) equipment to modernise its air defence forces.
The SA-20C, an export variant of the S-300PMU2, which Russia supplied to Iran in 2016, is the most effective air defence missile system in Iran. This system, which can protect against aeroplanes, ballistic missiles, and cruise missiles, is very mobile. The SA-20C is most likely to be used by Iran to safeguard its most vital facilities, including Tehran and its nuclear facilities. Iran also employs a variety of additional SAMs, such as the long-range SA-5, medium-range I-HAWK and CSA-1 SA-2 Guideline, short-range SA-15 and Rapier, as well as legacy systems from the United States, Russia, and China.
The Iranian Bavar-373 SAM system, which it claims is more advanced than the Russian S-300, has also been locally produced. The first Bavar-373 prototype was created on November 22, 2011, and it was formally launched on August 22, 2019, at a ceremony that Iranian President Hassan Rouhani attended.
The Bavar-373 is an air defence missile system intended to defend Iranian territory and strategic assets from air and missile attacks. It can detect and intercept incoming missiles, drones, and aircraft at long ranges and high altitudes. According to reports, the system detects, tracks, and intercepts targets using a combination of radar, optical sensors, and command and control systems.
The system is stated to consist of a variety of resources and parts, including command post, Meraj-4 road-mobile S-band early warning 3D AESA (Active Electronically Scanned Array) radar, acquisition radar, and TEL (Transporter Erector Launcher) vehicles. The system might also have additional components that help with target recognition and tracking, including as optical sensors, cameras, and data transfer systems.
The Sayyad-4B, an enhanced variant of the Sayyad-4 missile, a two-stage, solid-fueled interceptor missile, is made in Iran and may be launched by the Bavar-373. At ranges up to 300 km and altitudes up to 120 km, the missile is intended to attack and intercept approaching airborne targets.
According to reports, the Sayyad-4B missile has an advanced warhead, a new guidance and control system, and an enhanced seeker. The aim of these upgrades is to boost the missile’s reach, precision, and potency against a variety of targets, such as cruise missiles, drones, and aeroplanes.
