Reuters media revealed that in the next 1 to 10 years, the Iranian army's demand for "Red Arrows" will increase from more than 1,000 to 20,000; the vast Iranian country is really going to be covered with "Red Arrows". More than 1,000 to 20,000, from shoulder-held launch to land vehicle-mounted and helicopter-mounted launch; vast Iran really want to spread "Red Arrow". The U.S. is worried that China's new "Red Arrow" anti-tank missiles can destroy the latest U.S. Army tanks in service, based on its own security concerns. It is reported that the United States is trying to prevent China from providing Iran with new "Red Arrow" anti-tank missiles.
Most of the Iranian Army's active anti-tank missiles are still the Soviet Union in the 1960s and 1970s production of the first and second-generation anti-tank missiles, bulky, automation is low, the range is close to the anti-jamming performance is poor, can not deal with modern tanks device of the new composite armor and other new protective armor. It is this situation that prompted the Iranian Army to look at the "Red Arrow" anti-tank missiles.
The Red Arrow has the ability to "fire and forget". "Red Arrow" ultimately adopted the radio command and passive infrared thermal imaging composite guidance mode. Its advantage is high resolution, can distinguish between infrared tracer, infrared decoys, infrared jammer, including a variety of active jamming systems and the target of the infrared band difference. Since the engine exhaust hatch in the upper part of the tank hull is a huge heat source radiating a large amount of infrared rays, this makes the use of infrared thermal imaging guide head can effectively carry out roof takedowns on tanks.
"Red Arrow" adopts a two-stage tandem high-explosive combat unit. The combat unit uses today's advanced explosive molding technology, the front charge of the drug shield material used molybdenum, rather than the commonly used copper. In tests, this structure of the combatant successfully destroyed the multi-layer explosive reactive armor that can effectively defend against the copper shield tandem combatant. In order to increase the speed of attack, reduce the chance of being intercepted, "Red Arrow" power plant using advanced solid ramjet engine, its thrust to reach the ordinary solid engine twice, 3 seconds after the launch, the missile flight Mach number can be more than 1. The missile's maximum range of 6 kilometers.
Dexterity and lightweight is a major feature of the Red Arrow. The missile takes the form of tube launching, packaging tube doubles as a launch tube, which is conducive to maintenance and carry. In order to reduce the weight of the body, "Red Arrow" missile 70% of the body material made of carbon fiber and glass fiber composite materials, with high strength, light weight, small size advantages. Body weight of only 9 kilograms, small size, the weapon length of only 800 millimeters, easy for soldiers to carry and shoulder launch.
Good versatility is another feature of the Red Arrow missile. "The Red Arrow missile has been developed as a land-based vehicle-carrying type and a helicopter-carrying type. The vehicle is manufactured by China North Industries Corporation. The vehicle has four Red Arrow missiles in the ready-to-fire state installed on the gyratory launcher tube and another four missiles in reserve. The vehicle is equipped with an automatic loading system. The helicopter-mounted Red Arrow missiles can be mounted on various helicopters in service with the Iranian Army, as well as on the Chinese-made Helicopter-10, which is currently being equipped. The standard configuration consists of eight missiles mounted on two 4-launch tubes on each of the helicopter gunship's two short wings. The nose of the helicopter is equipped with a fixed thermal imager for missile guidance, fire control and laser speed measurement.
Iran did not get the J-7 until the end of the Iran-Iraq war. Their knowledge of this fighter came from actual combat. In the long-term air war with the Iraqi air force, the Iranian air force, including the F-14A "Tomcat" pilots, including all types of first-line fighter pilots have reflected that the MiG-21 is a very difficult to deal with the enemy, although there is no high altitude and high-speed advantage of the MiG-25, but "very flexible ". According to these reports, the Iranian Air Force decided to introduce some J-7, and another important reason that prompted Iran's determination to introduce the J-7 was the consumption of the war, by the late Iran-Iraq war, all the main combat models of the Iranian Air Force were seriously depleted, in addition to some of them were lost in combat, most of the fighters could not take off for combat due to the lack of spare parts, and those fighters that could be lifted up for combat could only be frequently mobilized to make up the In 1987, Iran imported 36 J-7Ns, which were initially assigned to the IRGC Air Force but were transferred to the Islamic Air Force after a period of use. By the time these J-7Ns arrived in Iran, the Iran-Iraq War was nearly over, so they did not get a chance to see combat. However, these J-7Ns still trained a large number of excellent pilots for Iran and are still an indispensable part of the Iranian Air Force. According to some commentators who specialize in Iranian military research, the Iranian Islamic Air Force now mainly uses the J-7N to train new pilots, and the lightweight and nimble J-7N helps to familiarize rookie pilots who have just finished the propeller primary trainer course with jet fighters as soon as possible, and the J-7N is also used in the training course of weapons use. In a recent video broadcast on Iranian TV about the Iranian Air Force's ground attack training, the J-7N was the first to come out and accurately hit the target on the ground, and then the F-14A, F-4, F-5, and Su-24 came out one after another. Interestingly, the J-7N also had a starring role in Iran, where it was responsible for playing its cousin, the MiG-21MF of the Iraqi Air Force, in the Iranian movie Hamle on H-3 (Air Attack on H-3), a realistic depiction of the April 4, 1981, attack by the Iranian Islamic Air Force against the Iraqi Air Force in Jordan/Iraq. Iran's Islamic Air Force's legendary air raid on the Iraqi Air Force's H-3 airbase on the Jordanian/Iraqi border. There are actually up to 60 minutes of war scenes in this 95-minute total-length film.
The story of the Iranian J-7N's relationship with the MiG-21 has another little twist: In 1989, Iran ordered a batch of second-hand MiG-21PFs from East Germany in order to diversify its sources of weaponry; however, just as they were being refurbished and prepared to be loaded onto a ship for shipment to Iran, the Berlin Wall fell on November 9, 1989, and the East German state ceased to exist. On November 9, 1989, the Berlin Wall fell and East Germany ceased to exist, and the contract with Iran was canceled. The MiG-21PFs were retained, and one of them, No. 3-0914, with Iranian Air Force markings on the fuselage, was later sent to a museum in Italy specializing in the collection of fighters from Eastern European countries. Thus, the J-7N lost the chance to fight alongside its cousins.
3, Boom-6 and C-601 in the Iran-Iraq War
During the Iran-Iraq War, the Iraqi Air Force General*** acquired four Boom-6s and about thirty or so C-601 anti-ship missiles. These Boom-6s had a distinctive paint job: the fuselage was painted dark green, and the belly was painted light gray to suit the Persian Gulf environment.The C-601 anti-ship missile, known domestically as the Hawk-6 and under the NATO designation CSA-1 "North Sea Siren," has a level flight speed of Mach 0.9 and an effective range of 120 kilometers.The most notable feature of the C-601 is that it has the ability to fly at a speed of 0.5 mph. 601's most notable feature is a powerful warhead, enough to destroy large warships and super-giant oil tankers, in December 1987, the Iraqi Air Force received the Boom-6, immediately deployed them to the air bases in western Iraq and Jordan for intensive training, and shortly thereafter used them in the battle against Iranian ships, in less than six months, the Boom-6 used the C-601 to destroy and injure six oil/cargo tankers, and the C-601 was used to destroy and injure six oil/cargo ships. In less than six months, the Boom-6 used the C-601 to destroy and injure a total of six oil/cargo tankers.
Although the Boom-6 is powerful, it has one obvious weakness, which is its poor self-defense capability. In response to this weakness, the Iraqi Air Force developed a unique tactic. Soon after receiving the Boom-6, Iraqi Air Force technicians integrated Soviet-made UPAZ aerial refueling pods into the fuselages of two Boom-6s. When the Boom-6 goes deep into the Persian Gulf to carry out long-range anti-ship missions, the Iraqi Air Force always sends out two Mirage F.1 fighters to escort it, and when the Mirage F.1 is short of fuel during the escort process, the Boom-6 uses the UPAZ aerial refueling pods to refuel the Mirage fighters in the air, and the Iraqis are protecting the Boom-6's safety through this method. (Thousands of dragons editor's note: this statement needs to be examined, China's Boom 6 aircraft is the belly of the bomb bay into a fuel tank, to achieve the ability of aerial refueling, leaving aside the question of whether or not Iraq has the ability to do such a modification, if you take into account the use of only the Boom 6 aircraft's own fuel tanks, then the amount of fuel is difficult to realize the fuel to the fighter aircraft.)
In 1991, two Boom-6s parked on the airfield were destroyed by U.S. forces during the first wave of U.S. air strikes on Iraq on the first night of the Gulf War.
Iran also acquired an unknown number of C-601 anti-ship missiles, but unlike the Iraqi Air Force, the Iranians deployed the C-601s off the coast as shore-based anti-ship missiles.
At exactly 9:00 a.m. on the morning of April 18, 1988, the U.S. Navy launched an attack on Iranian naval installations, and Operation Mantis began. In retaliation for the sinking of the Iranian frigate Sahand by A-6 and A-7 attack planes from the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise, the Iranian Navy immediately sent the U.S. Navy's Jack. Jack Williams. Immediately in retaliation, Iran fired at least five C-601 anti-ship missiles at the frigate USS Jack Williams (FFG-24). At the time, the frigate The frigate was traveling west of the Strait of Hormuz and was within range of Iran's C-601 shore-based anti-ship missiles. "Jack Williams Jack Williams" rushed to perform an emergency evasive maneuver and released all the jamming foils. All five missiles missed the ship.
Previously, the U.S. had formally warned Iran that it would not hesitate to destroy Iranian shore-based anti-ship missiles if they showed hostility to U.S. ships. However, after this C-601 attack, the U.S. actually did not say anything, and the matter was finally dropped. The reason for this may be that the Americans are worried that if they launch an attack on Iran's inland anti-ship missile positions, it will cause an all-out war between the United States and Iran.
4, Iran's Red Flag-2
In the Iran-Iraq war, domestic weapons also played a great role, to a certain extent, swayed the development of the war.
The Soviet MiG-25 "Foxbat" fighter is the world's highest and fastest fighter, in the reign of the Shah Pahlavi, the Soviet Air Force MiG-25 has repeatedly invaded Iranian airspace to carry out reconnaissance missions. At that time, the Royal Iranian Air Force was equipped with the most advanced F-4 "Ghost" type fighters on the "Foxbat" can not do anything. This made when the pilot of the Pahlavi King was greatly annoyed, the person in charge of the air force to come up with a solution, the final result is known to all, and ultimately the Royal Iranian Air Force purchased the U.S. F-14A "Tomcat" fighters, Iranian Air Force's F-14A powerful, not only in the Iran-Iraq War, still is the Iranian Air Force rely on the trump card. The F-14A is the most powerful fighter in the world.
However, even the F-14A, in the Iran-Iraq war still can not completely suppress the Iraqi Air Force MiG-25 "Foxbat", although there have been a few MiG-25 shot down in the air war, but the speed of the "Foxbat" has been The Foxbat has always been a nightmare for the Iranian Air Force. In the showdown with the Iranian air force in a variety of U.S.-made fighters, the MiG-25 also repeatedly chopped, the Iraqi air force's famous ace pilot "Sky Falcon" Reyer once drove the MiG-25 shot down a number of Iranian fighters, including F-14A, F-4, F-5, and so on. Although they could not defeat the Foxbat in the air, the Iranians have another way, that is, the Red Flag-2 air defense missiles.
From December 1986 to January 1987, the Iraqi Air Force bombed the Iranian capitals of Tehran and Isfahan almost every day with MiG-25RB fighter-bombers, which flew at 20,000 to 22,000 meters, and at that time, none of the air defenses around the two cities posed a threat to them. People in the two cities could hear the noise of the Foxbat in flight, and sometimes even see it on a clear day, but were unable to shoot it down. In a few days of air strikes, at least 45 citizens were killed by bombs dropped by MiG-25RBs in Isfahan alone.
So the IRGC decided to deploy its newly acquired Red Flag-2 air defense missiles to Isfahan. The deployment operation took two weeks, most of which was spent on choosing a suitable launching position in the swampy area around the city of Isfahan. For more than two weeks, the MiG-25RBs continued to bomb the city with impunity, bringing death to the city, and the arrogant Iraqi Foxbat pilots even took the same flight paths and altitudes every day, because he believed that the Iranians did not have the means to threaten him.
On January 14, 1987,
the Foxbat was at it again, flying the same route, at Mach 2.2, at 22,000 meters. The soldiers of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps waited silently, firing a Red Flag-2 as soon as the MiG-25RB entered the ambush circle, and a second one a few moments later. The two missiles spiraled toward the MiG-25RB. Almost simultaneously, the Iranian Islamic Air Force's (IAF) air defense unit, which had taken up positions outside Isfahan, fired a Hawk missile at the Foxbat. Two Red Flag-2s and a Hawk hit the Foxbat almost simultaneously, and a huge explosion rocked the city, breaking the MiG-25RB into pieces and sending it crashing into a field north of Isfahan. More than a million people in Isfahan witnessed the battle, and both the IRGC and the Islamic Air Force (IAF) claimed that their own missiles shot down the Foxbat, but after careful investigation, the battle was awarded to the IRGC and their Red Flag-2s. Iraqi Foxbat pilot. He jumped out of the plane when it was hit by a missile, and the Iranian Islamic Air Force immediately sent helicopters to search for him at his landing site. The Iraqi pilot was smart enough to avoid the helicopters that came to catch him, but he panicked and ran headlong into the IRGC's positions while fleeing. The unlucky fellow ended up being sent to Iranian television for a public appearance on a TV program that night, with TV footage of him still wearing his Soviet-designed anti-high-G flight combat suit for pilots of high-altitude fighters.
Compared to the Soviet SAM-2 air defense missile, the Red Flag-2 has a more powerful high-explosive warhead, and when it hits the target it can form more fragments, with a larger kill radius, and therefore more powerful. It has been proved through actual combat that the Red Flag-2 is fully capable of shooting down heavy fighters of the MiG-25 class. About this conclusion, there is another proof: in the Iran-Iraq war late U.S. Navy launched a lesson aimed at Iran's "Operation Mantis", although the U.S. Navy battleships and shipborne fighters in the Persian Gulf on the surface of the show of force, but including the F-14, A-6, A-7, including shipborne combat attack aircraft have never dared approach and Attack Iranian targets on the mainland, and can only destroy a few Iranian offshore oil rigs to vent their anger, a large part of the reason