Regarding Iran's new SHORAD that looks like an old Tor-M1 ... I read that SOME of the posts here are based on disappointment with Iran copying an old technology.
May I be allowed to offer a different PERSPECTIVE here:
I use a software for my work even these day that I got from work some 20 years ago, and it had been developed in Oxford in 1998 or about then. The newer versions are better though, but the French alternative is incredible. This piece of software is clunky and a 100% pain in the @$$ to use, without a shadow of a doubt. Not wanting to bore everyone here with fancy technical mumbo jumbo, let's just call this software SSA, and let's say it is a HYDRA CFD (used for fluid dynamics for gas turbine engine design).
SSA is one of the most painful and nightmarish pieces of software for mathematical modeling I have ever used, and I honestly think i have used them all. IT IS THAT BAD. Absolute nightmare.
It was about $50K a long time ago, and it could only be used/run on RISC-based sparcstation that could run this ****ing thing.
Now I have transferred it to a high end laptop, and built an emulator (operating system) to run it and use it at work.
So, why the hell did I do that ????
BECAUSE I CAN USE IT WELL AFTER INVESTING SO MUCH TIME BETWEEN 1999-2003. BECAUSE I CAN USE IF FASTER THAN ALL THE NEW ONES THAT HAVE 1000 MORE ADVANCED FEATURES. BECAUSE I CAN DO A PIECE OF PRESENTATION WITH DATA EXTRACTED IN A MATTER OF 6 HOURS. I CAN DO MIRACLES WITH THIS ****ING SOFTWARE AT WORK.
That's why I spend lots of money and time to build an emulator for it so I can continue to use the stupid software that I hate so much.
Iran was offered (I would say had no choice) and got Tor-m1 in place of mig-31s (second time disappointed) which after paying for, the U.S. interceded and Russia refused to honor the contract and deliver the migs, and for the money it offered Iran the Tor's.
Actually, right around the time that I started with SSA software (give or take a bit).
My point:
Iran knows Tor-M really, really well. I am assuming, it knows all of its good and bad points, and knows how to use it well (yes I know it shot down a passenger airliner, but for that I blame the commander and the operator, and Rohani for refusing to shut down the commercial air traffic because his office wanted Iran to continue collecting for air space usage fees).
Once you know a system EXTREMELY WELL, you can use it in very creative ways, and that experience gives you incredible leverage in both usage and time investment. YES, YES, at some point technology moves on and you have to move with it. Using an F-14A today is nonsense. Iran needs a better fighter jet, with a realistic hybrid PESA radar, IRST/FLIR, ECM and ECCM, IRST/AR warning systems, etc.
But Tor-M (old technology) is a subset of an overall Air Defense Platform & Strategic Coverage. There is ROOM (IMO) in Iran's air defense for something like a Tor-M (even somewhat older ones, though I hope they have at least more powerful, much faster digital processing using advanced computers for data processor, lower S/N ratios, multiple discrete channels, better transmitters, better digital signal processing hardware that is available OTS in Malaysia, and I would keep my list to just that).
If Iran is using this platform in a creative way, in innovative strategic aggregated air defense, for certain defense scenarios against certain adversaries, then we may all be surprised how well Iranian AD experts have thought this through.
Or may be even, Iran has literally done nothing other than replaced the tracked vehicle with wheeled vehicle, and may be even a few basic updates. Who can be 100% sure? I have not seen the quantities to tell me that it definitely is being mass produced.
The other things Iran is doing with SHRAD is impressive, I had heard about it from someone more than couple of months ago. I was waiting to see it.
Good news for Iran.
More good news coming.
Stay well. Long live Iran.