Joshua Zitser — Business Insider March 10, 2023
–> Russia has been capturing US and NATO-provided Javelins and Stingers on the battlefield in Ukraine.
–> It has been sending the captured weapons to Iran, which could reverse-engineer the weapons, per CNN.
–> Iran has a track record of reverse-engineering Western arms to create its own versions.
FGM-148 Javelin anti-tank missile. Click to enlarge
Russia has been sending Western-supplied weapons captured on the battlefields of Ukraine to its ally Iran, which may be able to reverse-engineer the technology, according to CNN.
US, NATO, and other Western officials have observed several instances of Russian forces capturing US-made Javelin anti-tank missiles and Stinger anti-aircraft systems that the Ukrainian army has left behind, CNN reported, citing four sources familiar with the matter.
According to the sources, Russia has flown some of these weapons to Iran, likely so that it can take them apart and analyze the technology in order to create its own versions of the weapons.
Ukraine has received billions of dollars worth of weapons from the West, with the US supplying FGM-148 Javelins and FIM-92 Stingers from its own military stockpile.
Russia also believes that providing the captured weapons to Iran encourages the maintenance of an alliance between the two countries, the sources said.
Earlier reports have suggested that Iran is sending ammunition and military drones to Russia, with US and NATO officials telling Foreign Policy this month that Russia and Iran are increasing defense ties.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin noted the closer ties between the two countries during a speech in Israel on Thursday.
According to CNN, US officials don’t think the issue of weapons being sent to Iran is widespread, but noted that it is difficult to track.
The media outlet reported that it’s unclear if Iran has successfully reverse-engineered any US weapons seized in Ukraine, but it added that the country has a track record of doing so.
“Iran has demonstrated the capability to reverse-engineer US weapons in the past,” Jonathan Lord, a senior fellow and director of the Middle East security program at the Center for a New American Security, told CNN.
In the 1970s, Iran successfully reverse-engineered the American BGM-71 TOW missile, creating a replica anti-tank-guided missile called the Toophan.
Iran’s Sayyad-2 naval SAM is also a reverse-engineered version of a US-made weapon, the SM-1 (RIM-66).
War, a barbaric act.
and we know who love
WAR.
Mystic and Yogi
The cost to build these copies may also indicate just what high mark-ups their western manufacturers put on each unit. I could easily see a weapon or shell that costs $10K to buy from the manufacturers only costs Iran $1K to make. That wouldn’t go down too well with western taxpayers, knowing those massive profits go into the lobbyist’s slush funds that kick back to the politicians. The whole thing stinks and we’re asking to lose a big war, because weapons procurement became no longer about defence a long time ago.
One thing’s certain:
You WON’T find Iran reverse-engineering any of those Brit Stormers… the Mullahs would be more likely to stick them in a museum!
😅
Iranians,Afgans,Vietnamese.Chinese, Nicaraguans,
Germans (once upon a time) have/had united spirit .
yankees have only papermoney from air.
thats their spirit .
The latest one is actually Iran’s reverse-engineer of Switchblade which is now Meraj-521 with minor differences, a man-portable short-range kamikaze drone that can be carried in a tube in backpack. There are also vehicle mounted launchers and Tanks can launch multiple Meraj-521/Switchblades.
But those are not even important. What is important is IRGCs new fleet of Speedboat designs operational in 2023. Many are quick to dismiss speedboats as a bad joke against larger US ships, but IRGC has only kept improving them and they are an integral part of its unique naval doctrine. In fact there are large oceangoing ships that carry their own Speedboats inside and can deploy them and act as mother-ships. This year the new Drone-Carrier with a diagonal airstrip will be operational, larger drones can takeoff and land on it; it also carries 30 speedboats inside!
The latest speedboats, some of which are based on the improved platform of British made Bladerunner can be classified as follows:
1- Speedboats that are 6 meter long and either carry two smaller torpedoes or carry 2-4 guided anti-ship missiles of up to 20 KM range, having ~90-110 knot speeds!
2- Speedboats that are 12 meter long and either carry two large torpedoes or two 180-300 KM cruise missiles. They have speeds of 60-80 knots!
3- Speedboats that for the first time have Vertical Launch System with multiple tubes of short and medium range air-defense missiles, these will be supporting other speedboats from primarily Helicopters and possibly some drones. These types will likely be up to 60 knots fast.
All speedboats are equipped with a machine-gun in the front and probably also have MANPADS.
Makran ship that recently docked in Brazil and with Dena they are said to be going through Panama canal carries 7 speedboats. The awesome looking Suleimani catamaran (twin hull) ship carries 3 speedboats inside and can drop them from the rear crane.
So speedboats are a major focus of Iran’s naval doctrine and US is apparently developing see-drones to protect their obsolete larger ships such as aircraft-carriers.