Bavar-373 (Belief)

History

A ban was imposed on Iran when it planned to import Russia's advanced S-300 (NATO: SA-10 "Grumble") series of anti-aircraft missile launchers and Iranian military personnel were being trained to operate them. Product of the Russian government.

This motivated the Iranian industry to design, develop and manufacture a suitable replacement, culminating in the "Bavar 373" which is under active development as of this writing (2015). The move marks another indigenous aspiration of the oil-rich Gulf state to be self-sufficient in all military matters - the country has deployed a variety of small arms, armoured vehicles and aircraft under its own power, although many All are based on existing imported designs.

The first prototype, the Bavar 373 (Bavar means "faith"), was unveiled in late 2011, with Iranian officials further claiming that it would be a more powerful variant of the S-300 missile family. Like the Russian design, the large missile (known locally as "Sayyad-3") is housed in four launch tubes, which are located on a military truck (wheeled Zoljanah 10x10) with an enclosed cockpit and operating compartment.

The on-board phased-array radar is used for the primary function of the control system, while the matte nature of the truck chassis allows for relatively fast movement in active battlefield environments. The airborne systems will be connected to Iran's current air defense network to more accurately respond to incoming air threats (including cruise missiles), while the communications equipment will completely shield the enemy's "wandering ears".

It was expected that the Iranian military should have restocked with Bavar 373 systems as early as early 2013, but due to development issues, this did not happen. Combat-grade service is now scheduled to begin sometime in 2017 - it remains to be seen how effective it will be on the battlefield compared to the original Russian design.

Update November 2015: The Russian and Iranian governments have again signed a contract to supply S-300s to Iran. The original contract for five S-300s was suspended in 2010 (due to an ongoing UN embargo), and the Iranian government sued in 2011. The ban was lifted in early 2015 as relations between Iran and the West thawed.

The last S-300 will arrive in 2016.

Specification

Basic

Roles

Dimensions

Performance

Performance

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Armor

4 x missiles.

Changes