The Raad (Persian: رعد, 'thunder') or RAAD is an Iranian wire-guidedanti-tank guided missile based on the Soviet9M14M Malyutka (AT-3b Sagger) missile.[4][5] The Raad began mass production in 1988 and was publicly unveiled in 1997. It is manufactured by Parchin Missile Industries, a subsidiary of Iran's Defense Industries Organization.[6]
The Raad family comes in four variants: the base RAAD missile, a clone of the 9M14M Malyutka-M (AT-3b Sagger); the I-RAAD, with SACLOS guidance, the RAAD-T, with a tandem warhead, and the I-RAAD-T, with both a tandem warhead and SACLOS guidance.
RAAD means thunder in Persian. It is not an acronym and many sources do not capitalize the name.
History
During the Iran-Iraq War, Iran had an acute need for anti-tank missiles, necessitating the country to buy AT-3 Sagger missiles.[4] Iran also acquired the HJ-73, the Chinese version of the Sagger.[7]
Indigenous manufacturing work began in the tail end of the war[8] and mass production began in 1998,[9] with the Raad being the first anti-tank guided weapon to be built by Iran.[4] The RAAD was obtained with Russian assistance.[10]
The weapon was unveiled on April 30, 1997.[11] The RAAD has almost identical components with 9M14 Malyutka, from the battery to the guidance unit.[12]
According to SIPRI, 1500 RAAD/Sagger missiles were built or imported by Iran between 1996 and 2001[13] and 2,250 from 1996 to 2004.[14]
As of 2015, 4,500 RAADs were made in Iran.[2]
Combat use
Iran supplied Hezbollah with the Raad in the early 2000s and Hezbollah used Raad missiles in the 2006 Lebanon War.[15] Israel captured ten baseline RAAD missiles on the Karine A in January 2002.[16]
The Raad has been used in the Syrian Civil War by Hezbollah fighters, and the Syrian Army.[17] I-RAAD missiles have been used by ISIL fighters in Iraq.[18]
On October 7, 2023, Al-Quds Brigades militants used a RAAD-T during the raid on Israel from Gaza.[19]
Variants
RAAD
The RAAD is an identical copy of the 9M14M Malyutka-M (NATO AT-3b "Sagger").[4]
RAAD-T
The first improvement of the RAAD missile, the RAAD-T has a tandem warhead to defeat explosive Reactive Armor.[20][21] However, the RAAD-T still uses the obsolete MCLOS guidance of the original RAAD.[8] According to its export material, the RAAD-T has improved maneuverability over the base RAAD[3] and has 400 mm RHA penetration after reactive armor.[22]
I-RAAD
For Improved RAAD, the I-RAAD has a different launcher with a tripod-mounted SACLOS guidance system that makes the missile much easier to aim.[4] The specific SACLOS method is a TV differential tracker.[4] The guidance unit is similar to that of the Chinese HJ-73 system,[4] and possibly the HJ-73C model in particular. First seen in 1998.[12] RAAD missiles can be used by I-RAAD launchers.[4]
It's used to defeat ERA armor.[23]
I-RAAD-T
The I-RAAD-T system combines the tandem-warhead of the RAAD-T missile with the SACLOS guidance system of the I-RAAD launcher.[4] RAAD and I-RAAD missiles can be retrofitted to the I-RAAD-T standard.[3] The I-RAAD-T also includes a simulator that allows operators to be trained on the system without actually firing a missile.[4] 400 mm RHA penetration after reactive armor.[3]
The front end can be used on other RAAD or 9M14 Malyutka missiles.[21]
Operators
Non-State actors
- Al-Quds Brigades[19]
Hezbollah[17]
Islamic State: Acquired I-RAADs.[18]
References
- ↑"Parchin". 2008-10-15. Retrieved 2009-01-12.
- 12"Iran to continue local production of Russian anti-tank missiles 9M11 and 9M113 TASS 10603161 | March 2016 Global Defense Security news industry | Defense Security global news industry army 2016 | Archive News year". Archived from the original on 2018-03-27. Retrieved 2023-03-19.
- 1234Cite error: The named reference
Newwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - 12345678910"AIO Raad Anti-Tank Guided Weapon (Iran), Vehicle-mounted anti-tank guided weapons". Jane's Information Group. 2008-07-02. Archived from the original on 2009-02-27. Retrieved 2009-01-19.
- ↑"This Iranian Missile Launcher is a World of Trouble". 28 July 2021. Archived from the original on July 28, 2021.
- ↑Iran missile nti.org September 2021
- ↑"Przeciwpancerne pociski kierowane Iranu cz. 1".
- 12"آشنایی با موشکهای ضد زره ایران". hamshahrionline.ir. 16 July 2012.
- ↑"Arms Deliveries to Iran and Self-Sufficiency". Defense Intelligence Agency. 24 February 1988. Archived from the original on 2018-06-21.
- ↑Anthony H. Cordesman; Michael Peacock (19 October 2015). "The Arab-U.S. Strategic Partnership and the Changing Security Balance in the Gulf". CSIS. Retrieved 16 May 2023.
- ↑"Missile Chronology, 1997". Nuclear Threat Initiative. February 2006. Archived from the original on February 27, 2009. Retrieved 2009-01-12.
- 12"RAAD series anti-tank weapon systems (Iran), Anti-tank weapons". Jane's Information Group. 2008-12-31. Archived from the original on February 27, 2009. Retrieved 2009-02-20.
- ↑Ракетная промышленность, Военная промышленность Ирана (in Russian). War Online. 2002-12-19. Archived from the original on 2003-02-04. Retrieved 2009-01-12.
- ↑"Transfers and licensed production of major conventional weapons: Imports sorted by recipient. Deals with deliveries or orders made 1994-2004"(PDF). Archived from the original(PDF) on 2006-01-11. Retrieved 2009-02-21.
- ↑Riad Kahwaji (2006-08-20). "Arab States Eye Better Spec Ops, Missiles". Ocnus.Net. Archived from the original on 2009-02-27. Retrieved 2009-01-12.
- ↑Kirill & Oleg Granovsky (2002-07-20). "Weapons Found on 'Karine-A' and 'Santorini'". Archived from the original on 2003-02-10. Retrieved 2009-02-20.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - 12Yiftah S. Shapir. "Observations on Hizbollah Weaponry"(PDF). INSS.
- 12"As ISIS Continues to Gain Ground, Here's What the Militants Have in Their Arsenal". Business Insider.
- 12"Al Quds Brigade Deploys from Gaza Iranian-made RAAD-T Anti-Tank Missil". 21 October 2023.
- ↑"AT - 3 SAGGER / HJ-73 Hongjian (Red Arrow) Anti-Tank Guided Missile".
- 12Jones & Ness (2010), p. 463.
- ↑Terrorism: Documents of International and Local Control, Volume 92. Oceana Publications, 2008. p. 211
- ↑"ODIN - OE Data Integration Network".
- ↑The Military Balance 2019. International Institute for Strategic Studies. February 2019. p. 341. ISBN 978-1857439885.
- ↑"Common ATGMs in the Syrian Civil War". Medium. 17 August 2016. Archived from the original on 26 March 2018.
Bibliography
- Jones, Richard D.; Ness, Leland S., eds. (2010). Jane's Infantry Weapons 2010-2011. Jane's Publishing. ISBN 978-0710629081.
- Anti-tank guided missiles of Iran
- Hezbollah rocket systems
- Military equipment introduced in the 1980s
- Anti-tank guided missiles
- Rocket weapons
- Anti-tank weapons
- Military equipment of Iran
- Guided missiles of Iran