Iran31 August, 20262 min read
Iran’s Air Defense Force Commander Alireza Elhami Says Indigenous Systems Shot Down 200+ Aircraft
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Iran's air defense force developing indigenous systems with no foreign equivalent, entering production. Indigenous systems downed more than 200 enemy aircraft in the 40-day war.
5 outlets told this the same way.
Outlets did split on Iran Reviews US Negotiation Proposals As Pakistan And Qatar Mediate Strait Of Hormuz Dispute →
Air Defense Claims
Iran’s Army Air Defense Force commander Brigadier General Alireza Elhami said Iran’s indigenous air defense systems shot down more than 200 enemy aircraft during the US-Israeli war, and he said some domestically developed systems have no known foreign equivalents. In a message marking Air Defense Day on Tuesday, Elhami said Iran has been developing and deploying indigenous air defense systems tailored to the country’s operational requirements, adding that in some cases enemy forces were unaware of which Iranian systems had engaged their aircraft.
WANA News Agency also quoted Elhami saying a new generation of fully domestically developed air defense systems is being designed and manufactured, with some projects having no known foreign equivalent. WANA News Agency further said the deputy coordinator of Iran’s Air Defense Force described the network as deployed at more than 3,800 locations across Iran, including remote and difficult-to-access areas such as deserts, coastal regions, islands, and mountainous zones.
Missions and Readiness
PressTV quoted Brigadier General Mohammad Sadeghian as saying air defense forces are responsible for four major missions across the country: detection, identification, interception, and engagement of aerial targets. Sadeghian said, “The main mission of air defense is to detect any flying object in Iran’s skies and even beyond the country’s airspace,” and he added that after detection and identification, targets may be intercepted by fighter aircraft or engaged by missiles and air defense systems when necessary.
Mehr News Agency said Elhami described the new designs as gradually being turned into operational products, and he said no recognised foreign equivalent exists for them. Mehr News Agency also said the force deployed part of its indigenous systems during the 40-day war, and that those systems helped down more than 200 enemy aircraft.
Defense Industry Shift
شبكة تواصل الإخبارية said Iran’s ongoing war pushes the defense industry to rethink using interceptors that cost millions of dollars to shoot down relatively cheap attack drones. The same source said an American startup named Powerus, based in Florida, emerged aiming to build an international network to produce low-cost interceptors, with the UAE serving as the initial base for its expansion in the Middle East.
It added that the UAE subsidiary facility recently began operations and that the company’s plants currently produce about 3,000 interceptors per month, with plans to create a global network of plants capable of boosting output to about 15,000 interceptors per month by mid-2027. The article also said the UAE has faced more than 500 ballistic missiles and more than 2,200 Iranian drones since the war began in February, killing at least 15 people and injuring hundreds, and it cited the Guardian in connection with an interceptor named “Guardian” costing about $5,000.