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Defense industry of Iran

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File:Shafaq.jpg
Shafaq jetfighter

Iran's military industry has taken great strides in the past 25 years, and now manufactures many types of sophisticated arms and equipment. As of 2005, Iran had exported weapons to more than 50 countries, including NATO members. [1] In 2003, the country sold $100 million worth of military equipment, according to Iranian officials. [2]


File:Zulfiqar1.jpg
Zulfiqar 1 MBT
File:Misagh.jpg
Misagh 2 MANPAD

History

Under the last Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, Iran's military industry was born. In the assembly lines that were put up by American firms, such as Bell, Litton and Northrop, Iranian workers put together a variety of helicopters, aircraft, guided missiles, electronic components and tanks. [3]

In 1973 the Iran Electronics Industries (IEI) was established. [4] The company was set up in a first attempt to organize the assembly and repair of foreign delivered weapons. [5] The Iranian Defense Industries Organization took the first step into military industry by reverse engineering Soviet RPG-7, BM21, and SAM-7 missiles in 1979. [6]

Nevertheless, most of Iran's weapons before the Islamic revolution were imported from the United States and Europe. Between 1971 and 1975, the Shah went on a buying spree, ordering $8 billion in weapons from the United States alone. This alarmed the United States Congress, which strengthened a 1968 law on arms exports in 1976 and renamed it the Arms Export Control Act. Still, the United States continued to sell large amounts of weapons to Iran until the 1979 Islamic Revolution. [7]

File:Fajr-3.jpg
Fajr-3 MIRV
File:IranianCobra.jpg
Panha 2091

After the Islamic revolution, Iran found itself severely isolated and lacking technological expertise. Because of economic sanctions and a weapons embargo put on Iran by the United States, Iran was forced to rely on its domestic arms industry for weapons and spare parts since there were very few countries willing to do business with Iran. [8] The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps was put in charge of creating what we today know as the Iranian military industry. Under their command Iran's military industry was enormously expanded, and with the Ministry of Defence pouring in investment into the missile industry, Iran soon had an arsenal of missiles. [9]

Azarakhsh II jetfighter

Defense production

Kowsar missile

Weapons built by Iran's military industry include:[10]

Air Force equipment

Fighters and attack aircraft

  • Azarakhsh strike fighter
  • Owaz interceptor fighter
  • Shafaq one-seat fighter, dual-seat attacker, and dual-seat combat capable trainer
  • Sa'eqeh fighter

Helicopter

Training aircraft

Upgrade and repair

  • Upgrades and reserve components for F-4
  • Upgrades and reserve components for F-5
  • Upgrades and reserve components for F-14

Missiles

Long range

  • IRIS, part of Iran's space program.
  • Shahab-4; program shelved.

Intermediate range

Medium range

Short range

Man-Portable Air-Defence System (MANPAD)

Anti-tank missiles

Anti-ship cruise missile

Anti-aircraft missile

  • Hawk missile, reverse-engineered and converted to be carried by aircraft
  • Ghareh, a reverse-engineered and upgraded S-200

Cruise missile

Other

Army equipment

Tanks

Armoured personnel carrier

Artillery

Unmanned aerial vehicles

Small arms and other

Destroyers

Frigates

Submarines

Patrol craft

Electronics

See also

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