Mersad; Iran's first step in the field of medium-range air defense systems

Pars Today – In modern warfare, air defense systems play a vital role in countering aerial threats and preventing the enemy from dominating the airspace of battlefronts.

According to Pars Today, during the 8-year imposed war of Saddam's Ba'athist regime against Iran, Iran's air defense systems—thanks to the initiatives of Martyr Major General Satari, who was then the commander of the Air Force's air defense unit—made highly effective use of the defense assets of this force, especially the Hawk missile system, to shoot down Iraqi aircraft.

After the end of the imposed war, this air defense system was used as the foundation for designing and building Iran's first domestically-produced medium-altitude surface-to-air defense system, named the Mersad system.

Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi, Iran's then-Defense Minister, announced at the opening ceremony of the production line for this missile system on April 11, 2010, that this medium-range air defense system can destroy modern aircraft at low and medium altitudes and has greater capabilities compared to similar defense systems like the Hawk. Furthermore, the Mersad system has high mobility, the ability to counter electronic warfare, and can be networked with other radar and defense sys

A general overview

The Mersad system can be considered Iran's first indigenous system, all components of which are domestically manufactured. Mersad is the result of completing the improvement path of the American MIM-23 Hawk air defense system in Iran. All research, design, and production stages were carried out using experiences gained from the imposed war, and it was built by specialists from the Aerospace Industries Organization of Iran's Ministry of Defense.

The main components of the fully digitally designed Meirsad system include: search radars, target tracking and engagement radars, software and hardware networks, launch platforms, and a command and control center.

In general, the most significant changes of this system compared to its American counterpart can be summarized as the use of digital electronics, advanced solid-state electronic components in the radars and missiles, improved algorithms for target detection and tracking, and a fire control system in its construction.

The radars of this system, named "Kavosh," "Jooya,"and "Hadi," were built based on American models but with significant modifications, especially in the application of digital technologies.

The Kavosh radar can detect targets with a radar cross-section of half a square meter at a distance of 150 km and achieve radar lock on them at 80 km. Its maximum engagement range is estimated at around 45 km.

The Jooya low-altitude search radar plays a role in detecting and tracking targets flying at low altitudes. The **Hadi** radar is responsible for locking onto the target and guiding the missile toward it.

In the Meirsad system, the capability to engage two targets simultaneously using two Hadi radars has been achieved. This radar is also equipped with electro-optical tracking systems, which preserve its optical lock function in severe electronic warfare conditions.

Furthermore, a look inside the control room of the Mersad defense system clearly shows the extent of changes made to this indigenous system compared to the Hawk defense system. The Mersad-2 system was also introduced in the 2010s with updates and optimizations compared to its first generation and joined the Army's Air Defense Force.

Specialists of the Air Defense Force of the Islamic Republic of Iran, by making extensive changes to the system's control room, have been able to build this system in complete confidentiality using modern technologies and writing specialized codes for different stages, to effectively counter peripheral threats. In the Mersad-2 system, the detection range of the Kavosh radar was increased to 220 km.

The Shahin and Shalamcheh missiles are two developed versions for the Mersad system, and published images of them indicate a complete overhaul in the design and manufacturing stages of these two missiles compared to the American Hawk missile.

The main changes are in their guidance and navigation systems, the most notable of which include the use of a phased array flat-panel antenna, digital electronics, and solid-state components.

The **Shalamcheh** missile, as a more advanced version of the Shahin missile, was unveiled in September 2011. This missile weighs approximately 700 kg, has a length of 5 meters, a diameter of 360 mm, and a speed of about Mach 3. The operational altitude for engaging aerial targets with the Shalamcheh missile is estimated to range from 60 meters to 18,000 meters, achieving engagement within a distance of 40 km. The warhead weight of this missile is about 70 kg, indicating that it will completely destroy the target upon impact.

Presence in military exercises and operational effectiveness

The Mersad and Mersad-2 systems, which became operational from the late 2000s and early 2010s respectively, have been tested in numerous exercises against targets with low radar cross-sections, including small drones.

The Mersad defense system was successfully tested during the "Muhammad Rasoolullah (PBUH)" military exercise in January 2015, destroying designated targets. The farthest target destroyed by the Mersad system in this exercise was engaged at a distance of over 30 km.

In a joint air defense exercise in 2018, the Hafez 3D phased array radar was used for the Mersad system. During this exercise, it was announced that a new missile had been added to the Mersad system. This missile, launched from a launcher with a capacity of up to three rounds, bears a strong resemblance to the Standard missile, which has been built and operationalized in Iran under the new names Fajr and Mehrab with upgraded capabilities. The name of this missile was later announced as Shalamcheh-2.

On November 8, 2019, an intruding foreign drone was shot down by a Mersad air defense system belonging to the Army's Air Defense Force in the Mahshahr port region. This was just one of the successful tests of the Mersad system and the Air Defense Force of the Islamic Republic of Iran, demonstrating the high readiness of this force and its systems.