The Tabas () missile system is an Iranian medium range road-mobile aerial defense system that was first revealed on 11 May 2014. It is believed to be another version of the Ra'ad air defense system along with Sevom Khordad. The name of the air defense system refers to

Operation Eagle Claw Operation Eagle Claw ( Persian: عملیات پنجه عقاب) was a failed U.S. Department of Defense attempt to rescue 52 embassy staff held captive by Revolutionary Iran on 24 April 1980. It was ordered by US President Jimmy Carter afte ...

which took place at

Tabas Tabas () is a city in the Central District of Tabas County, South Khorasan province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district. History Early history The history of Tabas dates back to pre-Islamic times. It was an im ...

and hence the name of the missile system.

Characteristics

The missile system resembles the Soviet Buk-M1 missile system due to its lets sophisticated radar system. The speed of its

TELAR A transporter erector launcher (TEL) is a missile vehicle with an integrated tractor unit that can transport, elevate to a firing position and launch one or more rockets or missiles. History Such vehicles exist for both surface-to-air missiles ...

is estimated to be 65 km/h; each vehicle can carry 3 missiles. It is also likely that the system can intercept

ballistic missiles A ballistic missile is a type of missile that uses projectile motion to deliver warheads on a target. These weapons are powered only during relatively brief periods—most of the flight is unpowered. Short-range ballistic missiles (SRBM) typica ...

cruise missiles A cruise missile is an unmanned self-propelled guided missile that sustains flight through aerodynamic lift for most of its flight path. Cruise missiles are designed to deliver a large payload over long distances with high precision. Modern cru ...

anti-radiation missiles An anti-radiation missile (ARM) is a missile designed to detect and home in on an enemy radio emission source. Typically, these are designed for use against an enemy radar, although jammers and even radios used for communications can also be ta ...

, smart bombs and

UAVs An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) or unmanned aircraft system (UAS), commonly known as a drone, is an aircraft with no human pilot, crew, or passengers onboard, but rather is controlled remotely or is autonomous.De Gruyter Handbook of Drone ...

. Each Tabas battery consists of one

and two TELs hence each battery carries 9 missiles. Each battalion consists of four batteries and hence can engage multiple targets simultaneously. Each battalion is also equipped with a Bashir

S-band The S band is a designation by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) for a part of the microwave band of the electromagnetic spectrum covering frequencies from 2 to 4 gigahertz (GHz). Thus it crosses the convention ...

3-D

Phased array In antenna (radio), antenna theory, a phased array usually means an electronically scanned array, a computer-controlled Antenna array, array of antennas which creates a radio beam, beam of radio waves that can be electronically steered to point ...

radar Radar is a system that uses radio waves to determine the distance ('' ranging''), direction ( azimuth and elevation angles), and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It is a radiodetermination method used to detect and track ...

that extends its detection range up to 350 km.

References

{{Weapons of Iran Surface-to-air missiles of Iran 21st-century surface-to-air missiles Weapons and ammunition introduced in 2014 Guided missiles of Iran