Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Aerospace Force
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Aerospace Force | ||
---|---|---|
نیروی هوافضای سپاه پاسداران انقلاب اسلامی | ||
Founded | 17 September 1985 Fin flash[2] | |
Ceremonial flag | ||
Aircraft flown | ||
Attack | Su-22M4/UM3K,
Falcon 20 |
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Aerospace Force, officially known as the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Air and Space Force[3] (IRGCASF; Persian: نیروی هوافضای سپاه پاسداران انقلاب اسلامی, romanized: niru-ye havâfazây-e sepâh-e pâsdârân-e enghelâb-e eslâmi, acronymed in Persian as NEHSA), is the strategic missile, air, and space force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). It was renamed from the IRGC Air Force to the IRGC Aerospace Force in 2009.[4]
Aviation forces
Most American public sources disagree and argue on which aircraft are operated by the AFAGIR. The
The AFAGIR also operates a sizable rotary-wing force consisting of around twenty
Other later writings make no mention of
Cordesman also noted claims of the AFAGIR building gliders for use in unconventional warfare, saying that they would be unsuitable delivery platforms, but could at least carry a small number of weapons. However the attached reference was a 1996
In October 2009 it was announced that its name has been changed from IRGC Air Force to IRGC Aerospace Force.[11][12][13]
In February 2014
The
Current aircraft inventory
Aircraft | Origin | Type | Variant | In service | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Combat Aircraft
| ||||||
Sukhoi Su-22
|
Soviet Union | attack | Su-22M4/Su22UM-3K | 25[16] | ||
Transport | ||||||
Antonov An-74 | Soviet Union | transport | TK-200/T-200 | 7[16] | ||
Dassault Falcon 20 | France | VIP transport | 2[16] | |||
Ilyushin Il-76 | Russia | heavy transport | 3[16] | |||
Harbin Y-12 | China | transport | 12[16] | |||
Helicopters
| ||||||
Mil Mi-17 | Russia | attack | 18[16] | |||
Trainers
| ||||||
Embraer EMB 312 Tucano | Brazil | trainer | 25[16] | |||
PAC MFI-17 Mushshak | Pakistan | trainer | 25[16] |
Aircraft on loan
The Aerospace Force owns some civilian aircraft. As of 2017, six Russian-made transport planes were reportedly leased to Pouya Air, and two more Embraer ERJ-145ER jets acquired.[17]
Missile forces
The IRGC Aerospace Force is responsible for the operation of Iran's surface-to-surface (SSM) missile systems.[18] In August 2013, Ahmad Vahidi. former defense minister of Iran said that his country is ranked sixth in the world in missile production.[19] It is claimed to operate several thousand short- and medium-range mobile ballistic missiles, including the Shahab-3/3B with a range of up to 2,100 kilometers, which is the mainstay of Iran's strategic deterrent. This puts even NATO members Turkey, Greece, Bulgaria and Romania within striking range, if fired from Western Iran. If Iran ever produces nuclear weapons, they fall under the direct supervision of the Aerospace Force. Iran says that it has no intention of producing nuclear weapons.
Despite earlier roots, the
In May 2013 Iran's Ministry of Defense and Logistics delivered a massive number of missile TELs to IRGC AF,
Any Iranian long-range intermediate-range ballistic missile or intercontinental ballistic missile would require an extraordinarily effective guidance system and level of reliability to have any real lethality with conventional warheads, even if it could be equipped with a functional GPS guidance platform. It would probably require nuclear warheads in order to compensate for critical problems in accuracy, reliability, and warhead lethality.[15]
On 20 June 2020 Iranian admiral Hossein Khanzadi said that the country would start producing indigenous
]Short range missiles
Solid fuel program
The foundations for this were laid with the
Bina
Bina is a
Liquid fuel program
After the war, Iran's experience of liquid fuel missiles had purely focused on the reverse engineering of Scud-B missiles. However, with the post war reorganisation the focus of the effort quickly changed and focused on assembly and maintenance. A domestic version of the Scud-B, known as Shahab-1, was developed and manufactured. This led to its successor the Shahab-2, a variant of the Scud-C with a range of 500 to 700 km,[25] and finally the Shahab-3.
Since the end of the war, Iran has consistently attempted to recruit foreign help, as well as its large and highly qualified expatriate population, into its missile program. Iranian expatriates who left with the revolution have been slow to return, but many are now doing so and thus heralding a new age for Iran's missile development programme with their tremendous wealth of technical experience.[citation needed]
Other missile systems
Iran has an arsenal of short-range, liquid-fueled missiles including the Scud-B and Scud-C, and is now able to produce SCUD type missiles on its own, such as the R-17E, a variant of the Russian R-17 Elbrus (Scud-B). The Aerospace Industries Organization, a subsidiary of Iran's Ministry of Defense, supports the manufacturing process by engaging in SCUD missile restoration. Its short-range missile inventory also includes solid-fueled missiles, such as the Tondar-69 and the Fateh-110.
Also, Iranian artillery rockets include the Samid, the Shahin-2, the Naze'at, and the Zelzal family (Zelzal-1, Zelzal-2, and Zelzal-3).
Longer range ballistic missiles (>1,000 km)
As of 2009[update], Iran has an active interest in developing, acquiring, and deploying a broad range of ballistic missiles, as well as developing a space launch capability. In mid-July 2008, Iran launched a number of ballistic missiles during military exercises, reportedly including the medium-range Shahab-3. Iran announced other missile and space launch tests in August and November 2008. In February 2009, Iran announced it launched a satellite into orbit and "officially achieved a presence in space."[26]
Fajr-3 MIRV
The
Shahab-3
Ghadr-110
The Ghadr-110 is a medium-range ballistic missile designed and developed by Iran. The missile has a range of 1,800[28] to 2,000 kilometres (1,200 mi)[29] and as such is the Iranian missile with the longest range.
It is believed to be an improved version of the Shahab-3, also known as the Ghadr-101. It has a liquid-fuel first stage and a solid-fuel second stage, which allows it to have a range of 2,000 km.[29] It has a higher maneuverability than the Shahab-3 and a setup time of 30 minutes which is shorter than that of the Shahab-3.
Ashoura
In November 2007, Iranian Defence Minister Mostafa Mohammad-Najjar announced that Iran had built a new missile with a range of 2,000 km (1,200 mi), the Ashoura missile. He did not say how the missile differed from the Shahab-3, which has a range of 2,100 km (1,300 mi).
He told the gathering Basij militia during the manoeuvers they were holding that same week that the "construction of the Ashoura missile, with the range of 2,000 km (1,200 mi), is among the accomplishments of the Defence Ministry".[30]
According to
Sejjil
The new two-stage solid-fuel missile has a range of nearly 2,500 km (1,600 mi), it was tested on 12 November 2008. An improved version, the Sejjil-2, was tested on 20 May 2009. Improvements include better navigation system, better targeting system, more payload, longer range, faster lift-off, longer storage time, quicker launch, and lower detection possibilities.
Simorgh
US Director of National Intelligence James Clapper told the Senate Armed Services Committee on 11 February 2014 that Iran was expected to test "a missile system that could potentially have ICBM-class range", a possible reference to the Simorgh satellite launch vehicle (SLV) on which Iran is working.[14]
Emad
On October 10, 2015, Iran launched a new missile, the Emad. The Emad is capable of delivering a nuclear weapon and has a range of 1,700 km (c. 1,000 miles), enough to reach all of Israel and Saudi Arabia. It is considered to represent a great advance in accuracy, with a guidance and control system in its nose cone that functions during reentry into the atmosphere.[32]
As a consequence of Iran's nuclear deal (
Khorramshahr
Hoveyzeh
The Hoveyzeh Cruise Missile is an all-weather, surface-to-surface cruise missile.[39][40] The Hoveyzeh is from the Soumar family of cruise missiles.[41] The missile was unveiled and put on display on February 2, 2019, at an exhibition of defense achievements in Tehran during commemorations of the 40th anniversary of the 1979 Iranian Revolution.[citation needed] The surface-to-surface cruise missile is capable of low altitude flight and has a range of 1,350 km (840 mi),[41] a maximum range has not yet been given.[citation needed]
It has the ability to strike ground targets with high precision and accuracy. Its motor utilizes a turbojet, it releases low heat signatures and the missile is equipped to deal with the most sophisticated types of electronic warfare.[41][42]
Discussing the capabilities of the missile, the Israeli military intelligence website DEBKAfile states that there is "no military force in the world has so far found an effective means of intercepting cruise missiles before they strike, unless they are short range." The missile is essentially immune to any sort of radar and missile defense systems.[42]
Dezful
Raad-500
Haj Qasem
Missile Magazine System
Fattah
On 10 November 2022, during the 11th anniversary of the death of
The missile was unveiled on 6 June 2023 with the name "
Anti-aircraft forces
Surface-to-air missiles
IRGC Aerospace Force is known to operate the following air defense equipment:
- Medium-range
- Point-defence
Space Command
The IRGC Aerospace Force has been running its own space program, and on 22 April 2020, it made existence of its own 'Space Command' public.[51][52] On that date it successfully launched its first military satellite, the Noor, into orbit.[53] This was acknowledged by Western experts, and marked joining the club of about a dozen countries to have carried out such a project.[51] The United States Space Force's chief of space operations, General John W. Raymond, said it was unlikely that Iran's Noor satellite provided any information of value, describing it as "a tumbling webcam in space."[54] However, an Israeli security source told Haaretz that the satellite is "indeed an important accomplishment for the Iranian space program in general and its military in particular".[51] Uzi Rubin commented that he "wouldn't be surprised" if an Iranian system of operational military space assets was soon operational.[51]
On 29 July 2020, the Aerospace Force said that it had received detailed images of Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, where United States Central Command's forward headquarters is hosted, captured by the satellite.[55]
On 8 March 2022, a second launch of the
Commander of the Space Command, Brigadier General Ali Jafarabadi, has stated that the reconnaissance satellite is part of a larger project that will include satellites with communication and navigation capabilities, in addition to reconnaissance.[57]
On 5 November 2022, the IRGC conducted a successful suborbital test launch of the newly unveiled
On 27 September 2023, Noor-3, also called Najm, was launched on a Qassed launcher to a 450 kilometer orbit. It has a weight of 24 kg with a resolution of 6 to 4.8 meters.[59]
On 20 January 2024, the Qaem 100 launch vehicle successfully performed its first orbital launch, placing the Soraya satellite into a 750 km orbit, setting a new altitude record for Iran.[60][61]
Personnel
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps |
---|
Command |
Supreme Leader Commanders Joint Staff |
Military branches |
Ground Forces Aerospace Force Navy Quds Force Basij |
Intelligence agencies |
Intelligence Organization Intelligence Protection Organization |
Personnel |
Ranks insignia |
Facilities |
Imam Hossein University Baqiyatallah University University of Command and Staff Amir Al-Momenin University |
Its personnel size is unknown according to the
Commanders
No. | Portrait | Commander | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Mousa Refan (born 1958) | 1985 | 1990 | 4–5 years | – | |
2 | Hossein Dehghan (born 1957) | Brigadier general1990 | 1991 | 0–1 years | – | |
3 | Mohammad Hossein Jalali | Brigadier general1991 | 1997 | 5–6 years | – | |
4 | Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf (born 1961) | Brigadier general1997 | 2000 | 2–3 years | – | |
5 | Ahmad Kazemi (1958–2006) | Brigadier general2000 | 2005 | 4–5 years | – | |
6 | Mohammad Reza Zahedi (1960–2024) | Brigadier general2005 | 2006 | 0–1 years | – | |
7 | Hossein Salami (born 1960) | Brigadier general2006 | 2009 | 2–3 years | – | |
Commander of the Aerospace Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps | ||||||
8 | 2009 | Incumbent | 14–15 years | – |
See also
- List of air forces
- List of space forces
References
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{{cite web}}
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- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2021-06-24. Retrieved 2021-04-03.
{{cite web}}
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