Simorgh First Launch – an Iranian Success or Failure?

A line up of Iran's ballistic missiles, from the clearly military weapons such as Shihab, to the white colored Safir and Simorgh 'satellite launchers', that could provide Tehran's with strike potential many thousands of miles from its borders.

Iran conducted the first launch of the ‘Simorgh’ last week, Tehran’s largest satellite launch vehicle, and what the Pentagon views as a key element of its effort to build long-range missiles. Although Iran has not confirmed the test flight, both US and Russian sources reported the event, but the sources are not in agreement whether it was a success, part success or failure.

Iran’s Simorgh launcher is designed to lift a 100kg payload into orbit at 500 km. The design can be enhanced to lift up to 350 kg to this ordit. Illustration: Norbert Brügge

The Russian Ministry of Defence confirmed the launch event, as a ‘suborbital launch of unknown ballistic missile has been occurred at 09:33 UTC on April 19th”. The Russian source said that, according to preliminary data, the launch was successful, as the burned out rocket impacted in the southern part of Iran. US sources are more ambiguous; U.S. intelligence agencies described the event to be ‘partly successful’, as the payload did not reach orbit, said defense officials familiar with reports of the test. The missile was launched from the new Imam Khomeini Space Center (map).

“Strategic Command’s Joint Functional Component Command for Space, which tracks thousands of orbiting objects in space, did not monitor any new objects reaching orbit on Tuesday”, the command’s spokesman Lt. Col. Martin O’Donnell said. ‘It was either an unsuccessful launch, or a test of ‘third stage’, not meant to place a satellite in orbit, said a U.S. defense official familiar with reports of the test.’ (The Simorgh launcher has only two stages – T.E.)The large liquid-fueled rocket has been under close surveillance by U.S. satellites and other intelligence assets at a launch pad at Iran’s Semnan satellite launch center, located about 125 miles east of Tehran. The Simorgh launch had been anticipated since March and comes amid growing worries about Iran’s development of long-range missiles. The Simorgh also is assessed as having enough lift to carry a nuclear warhead, a throw-weight greater than the 100 kg payload capacity claimed by Iranian officials.

According to Iran’s Space Agency officials, the first generation of the satellite carrier is capable of carrying communications and sensing satellites as heavy as 100 kg to orbits some 500 km above the earth. Head of Iran’s National Space Center Manouchehr Manteqi described last month the planned Simorgh test program having three phases – two test launches will be carried out in spring and late summer of 2017, and a third launch, planned for early 2017. The objective of the tests is to place Iran’s Toloo satellite in orbit.

Toloo is the first of a new generation, hexagonal shaped satellites designed for remote sensing and Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) reconnaissance, being built by Iran Electronics Industries (IEI). Toloo has a base diameter of 86 cm and height of 100 cm. The EO payload will be able to acquire images of earth at a resolution of 50 meters. Unlike Iran’s first experimental satellites that remained in space for days, Toloo is expected to remain in orbit for 1.5 years. Another mission of Simorgh is to lift the 80kg Autsat scientific satellite to LEO. Autsat is designed for a mission lifespan of 3-5 years.

Simorgh, also known asSafir-2, is designed to be able to lift a payload of 350 kg to low earth orbit (LEO), using a 27 meter long, 2.5 meter wide launcher weighing 87 tons. The first stage has four main engines (likely North Korean Nodong engines, also used with the North Korean Unha satellite launcher), developing a lift off thrust of 130 tons, this thrust is four times more powerful than the Safir, which was used to lift Iran’s experimental satellites to orbit. Simorgh uses an extended upper stage of the Safir as a second stage.

Simorgh is believed to be based on North Korean missile technology, used extensively in Iran’s medium-range Shahab-3 missiles. U.S. intelligence agencies believe North Korea supplied Iran with design data, stage separation technology, and booster equipment for the Simorgh and other rockets.http://defense-update.com/  By Tamir Eshel 

Iranian defense industry presents its new Shahram NRBC 8x8 vehicle based on BTR-60PB APC.

 Iranian defense industry presents its latest technology of NRBC (nuclear, radiological, biological and chemical) vehicle with its new home-made "Shahram" mobile nuclear detection lab Wednesday, April 13, 2016, during a ceremony on the occasion of the Army Day, attended by the Ground Force Commander Brigadier General Ahmad Reza Pourdastan.

The Shahram is based on the Soviet-made BTR-60PB 8x8 armoured vehicle personnel carrier, but with some modifications as the single door on the left side of the hull.There is no turret, and the roof of the hull is fitted with a wide range of detection and optics as a camera mounted on a mast. On each side at the front of the hull, there is a bank of four smoke grenade dischargers.For its self-protection the Shahram is equipped with a remote weapon station located at the front top of the crew compartment armed with a 7.62mm machine gun.The hull of the BTR-60P is of all-welded steel armour with the driver and commander seated at the front of the hull, the open-topped personnel compartment behind them and the engine compartment at the very rear of the hull.

The driver sits on the left with the vehicle commander to his right. Both have a windscreen in front of them which, when in action, is covered by a flap hinged at the top.The BTR-60PB is motorized with two GAZ-49B 6-cylinder in-line water-cooled petrol engine developing 90 hp. at 3,400 rpm coupled to a manual transmission with 4 forward and 1 reverse gears. The BTR-60PB can run at a maximum road speed of 80 km/h with a maximum road range of 500 km.

Iran Unveils 2 New Defensive Achievements

 Iranian defense minister on Monday unveiled the latest achievements of the country’s local experts, including a high-tech composite armor for the military equipment, and a smart seeker nose cone for the high-precision ballistic missiles.

The home-made products were unveiled by Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan in a scientific festival here in Tehran on Monday, held to introduce the latest achievements brought by the Iranian Armed Forces' industrial researchers.

The first prize in the festival went to the military experts who manufactured an advanced technological product, namely a smart seeker nose cone that is mounted on the ballistic missiles with pinpoint accuracy.

The new product, already in possession of few developed countries, is exclusively mounted on the strategic weapons, and plays a significant role in the sphere of missile capabilities.

Brigadier General Dehqan also unveiled another indigenous military product, a composite armor.

The high-tech armor enjoys a unique type of yarns in its structure and has been manufactured on the basis of shear-thickening fluid (STF) technology, enabling the product to behave like a solid when it encounters mechanical stress.

The home-made armor is even resistant to armor-piercing projectiles with steel core, and also meets the global standards of the military equipment.

Getting advantage of the new armor in Iran’s military equipment will decrease by 76% the weight of the armors that are installed on the tanks, armored personnel carriers and other vehicles.

In a similar development in December, 2013, Dehqan unveiled a dozen home-made technological products that are aimed to be used in the country’s cyber sectors.

An “Indigenous and Safe Operating System” was among the 12 products unveiled at the time.http://www.tasnimnews.com/

Iran designs and manufactures armed drones able to fight enemy UAVs Unmanned Aerial Vehicles.

Iran's Air Defense Unit has designed and built drones to fight and hunt enemies' Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) with reconnaissance or bombing missions, a top military official announced on Sunday, February 16, 2014. “Different drones are being designed and built in Khatam ol-Anbia Air Defense Base, including Sarir (long-range, long-endurance radar-evading air defense) drone, whose production has gifted us very good progress,” said Commander of Iran's Air Defense Unit Brigadier General Farzad Esmayeeli.

Elaborating on the mission of these drones, the General said these pilotless aircraft are used in the base for training forces in detecting, targeting and fighting enemy drones.

Iran has recently made giant advancements in aerospace industries, specially in designing and manufacturing pilotless drones.

In relevant remarks in December, Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari said the IRGC is capable of mounting guided missiles and bombs on its drones.

“We have recently acquired the capability to mount guided and precision-targeting missiles with pinpointing capability and bombs on drones, which is actually among branches of advanced hi-tech in this field,” Jafari told reporters in Tehran.

He referred to Iran’s latest achievements in building drones, and said, “Our latest achievement in this regard is a drone which can fly for 30 hours and high-speed engines can increase its range.”

Also in November, Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan announced that Iran's new drone enjoys unique strategic capabilities, including 30-hour-long flight durability, and has been developed for combat and surveillance missions.

Dehqan said the new drone, ‘Fotros’, has been designed and built by the Iranian Airplane Manufacturing Industries Company affiliated to the Defense Ministry’s Aviation Industries in cooperation with knowledge-based companies and academic centers and on the basis of the needs of the country’s Armed Forces.

“This strategic drone has an operational range of 2,000 kilometers, and can fly to a ceiling of 25,000 feet in altitude for 16 to 30 hours, and these specifications enable it to conduct combat missions in addition to surveillance and reconnaissance missions," Dehqan said addressing a ceremony held in Tehran to unveil the new drone.

The minister said Fotros can be armed with various types of "air-to-surface missiles and rockets".

He underlined that the reliability test of the drone has been successfully conducted in the country’s laboratories and test centers, including standard international land tests at low, medium and high speed, adding that test results have been even better than what was expected.

The minister further pointed to the missions which could be done by Fotros in detail, and said the drone can be used for “protecting land and sea borders, monitoring oil pipelines, telecommunication lines and road traffic control, monitoring affected areas during earthquakes, blaze and floods, and environment protection", adding that it can send "real-time photos and images while it is on a missions".http://www.armyrecognition.com/

Iran: Homemade air defense system ready in 2 yrs, ‘better than S-300’

Iran’s top air defense commander has announced that the country will launch its Bavar-373 (‘Belief-373’) missile defense system, Iran’s version of Russia’s S-300 long-range system, in the next two years.

Technical problems hampering construction of Bavar-373 have been resolved, and development and construction of the sophisticated anti-missile defense system would be completed by the end of Iran's Fifth Five-Year Development Plan (2010-2015), Brigadier General Farzad Esmaili told the Fars news agency Saturday.

The Iranian commander revealed Iran’s high expectations for the system.

“We hope to witness a very good system with higher capabilities than the (Russian) S-300 in our air defense structure by the end of the [Development] Plan,” he said.

“The indigenized system will be more powerful than S-300 missile system.” 
In May, another high-ranking military commander Farhad Amiri said Iran would soon unveil its domestically produced long-range air-defense missile system.

Earlier Tehran hoped to complete the system by March 2014.

The Russian S-300 version of the missile shield can track about 100 in-air objects simultaneously, destroying some of them.

According to Tehran, the Iranian model has a higher targeting capability “among its other optimized features.”

Iran has been forced to domestically design and build its own defense system after a contract to purchase five Russian S-300 missile defense systems fell through in 2010 due to UN-imposed sanctions over the country’s nuclear program.

Although Iran says its nuclear research is for peaceful civilian purposes, some countries fear the country is attempting to build a nuclear weapon.

After a number of international deliberations on the issue, negotiators appear to be making some progress on reaching nuclear deal with Tehran.

In November, Iran agreed to halt its most sensitive nuclear work for six months in return for sanctions relief worth as much as $7 billion.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif will meet EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton on Monday in Vienna. The following day, diplomats from China, France, Germany, Russia, the UK and US, members of the so-called P5+1, convene meetings with their counterparts from Iran.

Dozens of corporations have paid visits to the country since President Hassan Rouhani was elected to office in August, bringing an end to the rule by hardliner ex-president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Access to the Iranian market, however, may still be a long way off.http://rt.com/

Iran Modernizes U.S. Surface-To-Air Missile System

Iran has modernized the U.S.-made surface-to-air missile system MIM-23 Hawk, Commander of Khatam al-Anbia Air Defense Base, Farzad Esmaili said, Iranian ISNA news agency reported on Feb. 3.

MIM-23 Hawk is a U.S. medium range surface-to-air missile. The Hawk was initially designed to destroy aircraft and was later adapted to destroy other missiles in flight. The missile was also produced outside the US in Western Europe, Japan and Iran.

Farzad Esmaili said that experts of the Khatam al-Anbia have modernized and optimized the system.

"The medium range of the system has been improved," Esmaili said. "The system's medium and high radar range has also been increased, while the low radar range has doubled."

Esmaili noted that the system's radar efficiency has increased by 40 percent, after optimization.

Esmaili also noted that the system has improved fire control system, as well as updated monitors and cooling mechanisms. He said the system was tested by local experts.

It should be noted that Khatam al-Anbiya Air Defense Base has started using home-made simulators for Hawk and Skyguard air defense missile systems, Iran's IRNA news agency reported on Jan. 28.

Esmaili attended the inauguration ceremony held on Jan. 28 at the base's university.

In recent years, Iran has claimed it made great achievements in its defense sector and has attained self-sufficiency in producing essential military equipment and systems.

Tehran established an arms development program during the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s to counter the weapons embargo imposed on it by the U.S. and its Western allies.

Since 1992, Iran has manufactured its own tanks, armored personnel carriers, missiles, radars, boats, submarines and fighter planes. Iran also unveiled its first domestically-manufactured long-range Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) in 2010.

Tehran has repeatedly assured other nations that its military might poses no threat to other countries since the Islamic Republic's defense doctrine is based entirely on deterrence.http://en.haberler.com/

Iran Mulls Replacement for Russian S-300 Missile System

TEHRAN — Tehran is considering a replacement for the Russian S-300 missile defense system, a senior Iranian lawmaker told Fars news agency Monday.Russia signed a contract with Iran in 2007 to deliver five S-300 advanced ground-to-air missiles — which can target aircraft or guided missiles — at a cost of $800 million (590 million euros).

In 2010, Russia's then-president Dmitry Medvedev cancelled the contract because of UN sanctions and strong US and Israeli pressure over concerns about Tehran's disputed nuclear program."We had a meeting with the Iranian ambassador to Russia and held talks over the (delivery) of a substitute system for S-300," Fars quoted Esmaeel Kosari, the head of parliament's Defence Committee, as saying."A team from defense ministry has already gone (to Russia) and another team is due to go there again to discuss the issue," Kosari said.



But his comments are at odds with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif's stance on the delivery of a substitute system for S-300."We still insist on the implementation of the previous agreements... considering the very good ties between Iran and Russia we hope to resolve the problem in an acceptable way," Zarif said in December.Iran lodged a $4 billion lawsuit against Russia at an international court in Geneva.

Western powers had slapped Iran with sanctions over suspicions it was using its nuclear activities to produce an atomic bomb, despite repeated denials from Tehran, which insists its program is peaceful.Iran and major world powers clinched a historic nuclear deal in November.Tehran agreed to curb parts of its nuclear drive for six months in exchange for modest sanction relief and a promise by Western powers not to impose new measures on its economy.On Sunday, Both sides agreed to implement the deal. By AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE