Iran Unveils S-300 Clone, Claims ‘Substantial Upgrades’ over Russian System

Iran today unveiled an air defence system (ADS) which its state TV said is a ‘substantial upgrade’ over the Russian-made S-300 ADS.

The surface-to-air missile system, dubbed Bavar-373, was unveiled during a ceremony on Thursday morning in the presence of President Hassan Rouhani, Defense Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami and other senior military officials.

Bavar-373 is a mobile missile defense system designed to intercept and destroy incoming hostile targets flying at altitudes of up to 65 kilometers. The system employs missiles that have a maximum range of 300 kilometers.

The long-range defense system is capable of detecting up to 100 targets simultaneously and engages six targets at a time.

The system is a competitor to Russia’s S-300 missile system and brings quite a few substantial upgrades over its Russian equivalent.

Russia had earlier backdown down from selling the S-300 ADS to Tehran amidst fears that Moscow might attract additional sanctions. Some reports claim differences over price and payment terms may have led the potential Moscow-Tehran deal to be aborted.