Military Knowledge: Arman Missile System (Tactical Sayyad)
Arman is a medium-range high-altitude air defense system designed to protect sensitive areas against aerial threats such as short-range ballistic missiles, anti-radiation missiles, cruise missiles, guided aerial bombs, helicopters, and drones. Some of the key features of the Arman air defense system include a response time of less than 20 seconds, 360-degree operational area coverage, the ability to engage up to 6 targets simultaneously, and deployment readiness within 3 minutes.
The Arman air defense system is a fully mobile air defense system, previously known as the Tactical Sayyad air defense system, observed during a military parade in April 2022. It’s worth noting that the export version of this system was showcased at the Russia’s ARMY-2023 Expo in capital Moscow under the name Tactical Sayyad air defense system.
This air defense system was renamed from Tactical Sayyad to Arman missile system to honor and preserve the memory of the martyr Arman Aliverdi.
A key innovation in the design of the Arman air defense system is the integration of radar and missile launchers in a single vehicle. This design, known as Transporter Erector Launcher and Radar (TELAR), along with the 360-degree coverage angle, increases the overall system’s agility and enables a quicker response to emerging threats. As a result, one unit of the Arman air defense system consists of a radar-carrying vehicle and three vertical missile launchers.
This air defense system is available in two variants, equipped with an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Force and a passive electronically scanned array (PESA) radar for the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Defense Force. The active phased array radar of this system belongs to the Najm-804 radar family, and the passive phased array radar seems to be of the Joshan radar system.
The Arman air defense system, with the mentioned radars, is capable of detecting 24 targets within a range of 180 to 200 kilometers. It intercepts targets at a range of 160 kilometers and engages with targets at a range of 120 kilometers. The maximum engagement altitude of this radar is 27 kilometers, and it has the capability to engage up to 6 targets simultaneously.
As evident from the images, the Arman air defense system uses a triple missile launcher. According to available information, the Arman air defense system utilizes Sayyad-3F missiles, which are the vertically launched variant of the Sayyad-3 missile. The length of the Sayyad-3F missile is 6.1 meters, its diameter is 40 centimeters, and it weighs approximately 1000 kilograms. This missile has a range of 120 kilometers and a maximum engagement altitude of 27 kilometers.
The vertical launch capability in this system allows it to fire missiles without the need to change the angle and rotate the launcher towards the target, significantly increasing the air defense system’s responsiveness to threats.
Additionally, the air defense system has the capability to increase the number of missiles. By default, one unit (TELAR) of the Arman air defense system is equipped with three vertical-launch missiles. However, the air defense system can be connected to one or two missile carrier vehicles without radar (TEL), equipped with 6 vertical-launch missiles.
One notable feature of this air defense system is its “self-protection mechanism” against threats, which represents a significant advancement compared to previous air defense systems such as the Khordad-3 and Khordad-15 air defense systems. According to available information, the integrated protection in this air defense system allocates one of the canisters specifically for this purpose. In fact, the Arman air defense system is equipped with another short-range air defense system in one of its canisters, providing protection against low-altitude threats such as cruise missiles and air-launched bombs.
According to an estimation by the Tansim News Agency defense desk, the small and unidentified missile, which was observed alongside the Tactical Sayyad air defense system or the Arman air defense system at an exhibition in September 2022, is likely to be arranged in a quad-pack, meaning four missiles placed together in one of the canisters, providing the Arman air defense system with the ability to engage targets within a few kilometers range.
Specifications of Arman air defense system:
Type: High-altitude medium-range anti-ballistic missile system
Origin: Iran
Producer: Aerospace Industries Organization (AIO)
Unveiled: 17 February 2024
System range: 120 km
Altitude of fire: 27 km
Radars: Najm-804 AESA radar and Joshan PESA radar
Detection range: 200-180 km
Interception range: 160 km
Engagement range: 120 km
Altitude of fire: 27 km
Maximum target detection: up to 24 targets
Number of simultaneously engaged target: 6 targets
Reaction time: less than 20 seconds
Batteries: 3 missiles on each TELAR (expandable to 6 in TEL version)
Missile: Sayad-3F (SD3-F) vertically launched missile
Range: 120 km
Altitude of fire: 27 km
Length: 6.1 meters
Diameter: 40 cm
Weight: 1000 kg
Speed: Mach 4.5 – 5.1
Infographics of Arman air defense system in Russian, Hebrew and Farsi:
Comment