Iran air defense head boasts about the country's achievements in defense - analysis

Iran’s commander of the country’s Army Air Defense Force boasted late last week about the power the country possesses in terms of air defense.

This matters because air defense is key to defending Iran from threats, especially from modern planes, missiles and drones. Back in 2020, Iran shot down a civilian airliner because its air defense personnel made a severe mistake. The country wants to indicate it has progressed since then. 

Brigadier-General Alireza Sabahi-Fard noted that Iran’s powerful Air Defense Force is undisputed in the region, according to the Tehran Times report from last week. He spoke about the country’s “absolute power” and how the equipment his forces use is “100 percent indigenous, the most equipped, and on the cutting edge of global technology.” Considering recent reports that show Iran acquires engines and other technology for its drones, before reverse engineering the technology, this claim of “indigenous” may be partially true.

The commander also made reference to Israel. The report said that he referred to the “fabricated Israeli threats, Sabahi-Fard warned that Iranian missiles are prepared to strike any country trying to meddle with the security of Iran’s airspace.”  

“Air defense technology used to be quite primitive and wholly reliant on strangers,” the commander said, according to the pro-regime reports. “Now that we have advanced technologically and gained experience in the field of manufacturing air defense equipment, we are able to export it.”

Extending Iran's defense

Iran now wants to extend the areas that its air defenses cover. It already claims to cover the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman, and other areas.

Iran shot down a US Global Hawk surveillance drone in 2020 and has also sought to send its 3rd Khordad air defense system to Syria. The report of Iran’s air defense abilities was re-reported by Russia’s Sputnik in Arabic showing Moscow’s potential interest in this interest.

Iran has modeled its defenses on Russian-style air defense, such as the S-300. Recent reports additionally indicate that Russia has used air defenses in Syria to try to harass US planes. This may be part of a larger message from Moscow about Iran’s air defenses and Syria.