Introduction — Sept 22, 2015
Ghadir phased array radar capable of monitoring Iran’s skies up to 1,000 kilometers. Click to enlarge
In 2007 a U.S. led strike on Iran seemed almost inevitable. As the U.S. was engaged in a steady build up of its forces around the Persian Gulf it only seemed a matter of time before they struck.
Fortunately they never did because as the U.S. kept repeating the veiled threat that “all options“ were open, Iran steadily developed its air defence technology. Having watched how decisive U.S. air power had been against Iraq and Afghanistan Tehran had no intention of falling victim to the same fate.
So Iran has built up its air defences, its military communications networks and its radar systems to the point where any air campaign, even the most sophisticated, would meet formidable opposition.
The U.S. and its allies could not commence any ground operations without absolute air supremacy. So any military campaign would have to be won in the skies first and if that couldn’t be achieved then Iran, with some justification, could declare victory.
Let’s not forget that the U.S. hasn’t won any clear cut victory so far this century. Even with absolute air supremacy. Neither Iraq nor Afghanistan resulted in decisive victories, only face saving withdrawals. That is why in recent years the U.S. has resorted to using proxies, as most recently in Syria.
Moreover, a failure to win air supremacy in Iran’s skies would be more than just a loss of face. It would expose the U.S. military as a paper tiger. That’s the last thing the New World Order’s architects want because although they might despise America itself, they need the threat of its military might to fulfill their objectives. If that threat loses its potency their schemes will flounder. Ed.
Press TV — Sept 22, 2015
Military parade commemorating Iran’s 8-year war with Iraq following Saddam’s invasion
A senior Iranian Army general says the Islamic Republic plans to unveil a variety of over-the-horizon radar systems covering a distance of 3,000 kilometers in six months.
Brigadier General Farzad Esmaili, the commander of Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Air Defense Base, said on Tuesday that the systems would be unveiled by the end of the current Iranian calendar year in March 2016.
He added that the radars can help the Khatam al-Anbiya Air Defense Base “detect and monitor aircraft flying beyond [Iran’s] borders.”
The Iranian general made the remarks on the Iranian calendar date of Shahrivar 31, the day when the regime of slain Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein invaded Iran back in 1980 and which marks the beginning of the Sacred Defense Week in Iran.
On September 14, the Khatam al-Anbiya Air Defense Base announced that it is installing and putting into operation a domestically-developed long-range radar system, dubbed Qaem, with a range of 1,000 kilometers in a bid to boost Iran’s air defense capability.
Iran put into service its second Qadir long-range radar system in the southwestern city of Ahvaz on July 4.
The first Qadir system was unveiled in the city of Garmsar in the central province of Semnan in June 2014. The third system is also scheduled to be unveiled in the near future.
The domestically-manufactured three-dimensional Qadir radar system, with a direct range of 1,100 kilometers, is capable of detecting targets with a very small cross section from a long distance.
Iran controlling military moves in Persian Gulf
Meanwhile, a senior military adviser to Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said on Tuesday that the Islamic Republic is fully controlling military moves by extra-regional powers in the Persian Gulf.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran seeks sustainable peace and security in the region and across the world and…does not seek to initiate a war against any country,” Major General Yahya Rahim Safavi said.
He added that Iran intends to cooperate with regional countries and “has no enmity with any country except a fake regime,” an allusion to Israel which the Islamic Republic does not recognize.
Rahim Safavi also said that the Israeli regime and the US’s wrong policies supported by some Arab countries since 2001 are the main factors of insecurity in the Middle East region.
The US and some of its allies invaded Afghanistan in 2001 as part of Washington’s so-called war on terror. Although the attack overthrew the Taliban, Afghanistan still reels from violence and insecurity.
Iran watching terrorists in Afghanistan, Iraq
Also speaking on Tuesday was Commander of the Iranian Army’s Ground Forces Brigadier General Ahmad Reza Pourdastan, who said the Islamic Republic is closely watching terrorist groups currently operating in Afghanistan and Iraq.
He warned of “firm response” to anyone overstepping Iran’s 40-kilometer border limits.
Speaking to reporters, Iran’s Navy chief Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari said the country’s naval forces will hold a joint naval drills with Russia.
He said Iran plans to send a flotilla to Russia within the next months to stage war games with Russian naval forces.
In recent years, Iran’s Navy has increased its presence in international waters to protect naval routes and provide security for merchant vessels and tankers.
Iran’s Navy has managed to foil several attacks on both Iranian and foreign tankers during its missions in international waters.