PeeD
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Best option would be a multi car units with 1 AESA X-band leading them even if the cost is $12 Million instead of 3 and that way you can track a large number of targets and you can send that data to a unit of 3-4 Tabas vehicles that would have their own radars off and only used as backup to the AESA + 1-2 vehicles for SHORAD operation capable of intercepting projectiles Also other mobile support, command, coms, surveillance,... will be based on operational requirements)
With the proper tactics, software, navigation and datalink between each vehicle having just 1 AESA X-Band vehicle in each unit would be like all of them are equipped with X-Band AESA radars (So basically for a $3M investment per vehicle your upgrading your very slow MiG-29's to very slow MiG-35's)
And if Iran focuses on mass producing every little components needed to build X-Band AESA radars with Iranian built compact long ranged solid state transmitters we will also be able to build more capable missiles and the price difference between that and the 3rd of Khordad will only be a little more at best not double the price
even as a backup to other fixed or less mobile AIDS system I would still be preferable to at least have one 3rd of Khordar or AESA in each unit for better autonomy if those sites are taken out
And you produce the $12Million USD AESA at a rate of 1 per month (12 per year) for $144Million + the $3 Million USD Tabas at a rate of 1 Per Week (52 per year) for $156M for a total of $300M And in terms of price that's equivalent to buying 2 Su-30's with ammo a year which should be minimum requirement on such a system in a country who hasn't paid to acquire more advanced modern fighters for the past 40 years! Our F-4's are now 50 years old and a country our size should have at least purchased 12 new modern fighters a year every year not including CAS fighter or trainers!
What you are talking about is already there: the 3rd Khordad battery: Bashir advanced PESA radar and 3-4 3rd Khordad TELARs with a slave TEL.
The Bashir PESA just has lower LPI capabilities than a AESA, in terms of "speed" and range it is like a AESA (hell you can replace the Bashir with a Najam-802 if you think AESAs are needed here).
This is a whole structured SAM system that can work without IADS support if needed. Some SHORAD and AAA is also welcome here because the Bashir radar of the system needs protection.
Now the difference to the Tabas: This is a single independent autonomous system it works at a lower tier-level than the 3rd Khordad battery structure.
The Tabas does not need a battery structure! It just need a Toyota communication vehicle, HF and UHF link is already sufficient.
It can drive and hide somewhere 20-30km from the next IADS communication node.
It can receive location of a identified target from:
- IADS
- 3rd Khordad battery
- Search with its own radar if necessary (here it has a risk of detection due to its old school radar)
The Tabas is the infantry soldier of Iranian SAMs. At $2-3m it is expandable (20 Tabas for a single Su-30). Due to its battery independent nature you can have many location along the frontline with single Tabas systems. This means very small footprint: No convoy of vehicles like a SAM battery.
If you realize what a capability this means, you understand that it is not outdated at all. It is more one of the genius asymmetrical approaches of the IRGC.
It shows that every technology, even older ones can have a valuable place.
Just to show what this means: 30 years ago, at the end of the war, the IRGC bought SA-2 batteries for million dollars. If you would have told them that in 25 years a single vehicle would do the same job at almost twice the range for 2-3 million $, just with half the missile load as penalty...
Its exactly systems like the Tabas that stop your dream of Su-30s to come true. Decision makers will take those 20 Tabas over one Su-30SM every day in Irans current threat situation.
A SAM concentration node like the 3rd Khordad can engage 16 targets at once, has 24 ready to fire missiles and would still cost cost probably half as much as a Su-30 at $35-40m. A S-300PMU-2 battalion able to engage 6 targets with 32 ready to fire missiles costs $150-200m. That's a price for which you can get more than 4 full size 3rd Khordad battery which create 4 circles with 150km radius protecting about the same area as a S-300 but with 64 guidance channels and 96 ready to fire missiles, each several times cheaper than a S-300 SAM.
So to conclude:
For 150-200 million dollars you can get following systems:
- 1 S-300 battalion, 6 simultaneous engagements, 36 ready to fire missiles, 400km protected circle area
- 3 Su-30SM with variable location, 8-10 simultaneous engagements with 8-10 missiles, a variable 120km circle protected. Secondary role as bomber.
- 4 3rd Khordad full size batteries, 64 simultaneous engagements, 96 ready to fire missiles protecting a circle area of about 300km
- 60 single vehicle autonomous Tabas systems, with 60 simultaneous engagements, 180 ready to fire missiles, protecting 60 circle areas of 100km
Protected square km ranking:
1- Tabas = 471 000km²
2- 3rd Khordad = 282 000km²
3- S-300 = 125 000km²
4- Su-30SM = 33 000km² (variable location)
System redundancy ranking (how many single critical systems to kill to knock out whole system complex)
1- Tabas = 60
2- 3rd Khordad = 16
3- Su-30SM = 3
4- S-300 = 1
The Tabas can only achieve this overall system performance by using the most cost effective technologies and avoid pitfalls like "AESA is a must". Thanks god there is no influential military industrial complex in Iran that dictates developments. IRGC ideas that allow Iran to protect itself against a enemy with 50-times higher military budget.
PS:
Fun fact: Tabas or 3rd Khordad does not need to kill the enemy aircraft --> they just need to endanger them sufficiently that they feel necessary to fly at lower levels.
Once they are in that envelope, other systems such as SHORAD, MANPADs and AAA will become dangerous.