Sattar air-to-surface laser missile; an effective weapon against enemy positions and equipment

Pars Today – The use of precision-guided, pinpoint munitions is of great importance to any country's air force. Given that in modern warfare, high speed and accuracy are priorities for destroying targets, the use of munitions that can meet this need has become increasingly important.

According to Pars Today, by possessing the family of "Sattar" air-to-surface laser-guided missiles, Iran has taken a major step toward providing smart munitions for deployment on F-4 and F-5 fighter aircraft.

Laser-guided missiles in Iran

Iran, as one of the world's missile powers, entered this field several years ago, stepping into a complex arena monopolized by only a handful of countries—the field of manufacturing laser-guided missiles. Laser-guided missiles operate by means of laser beams emitted from the fighter's laser targeting pod toward the target, as well as by following the waves reflected from the target resulting from the laser's impact, guiding the missile toward the target or point of impact.

Perhaps Iran can currently be considered the leading country in the region in manufacturing laser-guided missiles. Many Iranian air-to-ground missiles are now guided using laser technology. In this regard, one could mention the Star missile family (ASR-67 project), Qased smart bombs, and even Basir smart munitions as Iran's most famous laser-guided munitions.

Sattar missiles

Among all these munitions, the Star missile family is more important than the others. These missiles, with their ability to be mounted on F-4 and F-5 fighters of the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force, are considered more widely used than other air-to-surface missiles and munitions.

Currently, four generations of Star missiles have been unveiled, all of which, under the ASR-67 project, are guided and controlled using laser technology until the moment of impact. The design and manufacturing process for the first generation of these missiles, named Star-1, began in 1988. The missile was named "Star-1" because the research phase for its design and development began under the command of Martyr Colonel Amir-Hossein Sattari, the then-commander of the Air Force, and was completed after his martyrdom.

Sattar-1 missile

The Star-1 missile is a short-to-medium-range model, featuring a cylindrical body, four fixed trapezoidal wings at the mid-body, and four movable fins at the rear for control. The laser seeker around the nose is also covered by the body. The wing roots have greater thickness than the rest of the wing surface. The speed of Star-1 is unknown; however, the simple wing design suggests it was likely not intended for supersonic speeds, or if it is supersonic, a simple wing design has been used. The missile's propulsion is presumably solid fuel, with its nozzle visible at the rear of the body. Its stand-off range is reportedly 15 to 20 kilometers. Star-1 uses a 500-pound warhead.

Sattar-2 missile

In the Star-2 model, significant changes in the missile's configuration are observed, the most important being the use of front control fins (canards) instead of tail control. Canards are useful for reducing drag in supersonic flight. This control method, due to the low torque required to change the fin angle and the appropriate length of the torque arm, has a much faster response rate to commands from the controller compared to tail control surfaces, making it suitable for a fast-moving projectile. Star-2's wings, which are smaller than the previous model, have considerable thickness at the wing root and a steeper angle relative to the leading edge, evoking a design similar to an "extended wing root," which in turn has advantages at various flight angles.

The smaller size of the fully fixed wings compared to the previous model means less lift generation; therefore, Star-2 is either lighter than the previous model or must reach higher speeds using a more powerful propulsion system to generate sufficient lift. Additionally, the wing cross-section closely resembles airfoil sections suitable for supersonic speeds. Thus, although precise speed data for this missile is unavailable, these clues and the simple wing design suggest that the Star-2 missile's speed is supersonic. If so, this missile is both faster and more agile than its predecessor. Even if its speed is subsonic, a simple design has been selected for it.

In this generation, in addition to the seeker seen on Star-1, a balanced type known as PV-2 has also been observed. This type has a simpler structure and greater reliability. In this improved version of Star-2, new control fins with a higher leading-edge angle of attack are used at the nose.

Sattar-3 missile

The third generation of Star laser-guided missiles has been created through improvements to the second generation, but without structural transformations. The wings of Star-3 are generally similar to those of Star-2, with the difference that there is a movable section on the trailing edge and wingtip, while the leading edge is integrated, without extension, and has a different installation angle. The wings on this model are mounted farther forward compared to Star-2, and their shape is also compatible with supersonic speeds.

In most displayed examples of Star-3, the laser seeker used is of the PV-2 type; however, it has also been seen without it in some cases. As seen in images, the body diameter of all three Star missile models appears to be the same, but the length of Star-3 seems somewhat shorter than previous models. Based on speculation, the range of Star-2 and Star-3 is at least 15–20 kilometers, and their warhead mass is approximately 225 kg.

Sattar-4 missile

So far, among the Star missiles, the first and third generations have been displayed more frequently, but for several years, a model called Star-4, which resembles laser-guided bombs in appearance, has also been seen as a product of the ASR-67 project. However, the presence of a nozzle at the rear of the body suggests that this small, lightweight model is also a missile and was developed for specific applications. This model features trapezoidal wings with a large span at the rear of the body, a visible warhead at the mid-body matching the 500-pound (226.5 kg) Mk 82 bomb warhead, and control fins at the nose along with a balanced seeker (PV-2 type).

Laser designation system

Another noteworthy point regarding Star precision laser-guided missiles is the design and manufacture of a laser designator model mountable under the aircraft's fuselage. Previous-generation designators were rifle-like devices placed in the rear cockpit, through which targeting was conducted. Physical limitations in the cockpit prevented an increase in designation range, as one of the necessary conditions for this was enlarging the device's dimensions. Although the new laser targeting system is heavier and adds to the aerodynamic drag of the aircraft's external equipment, it allows target designation from greater distances. Additionally, the ability to designate targets by drones and transmit information to the missile-launching aircraft is an important measure for further protecting it from the dangers of enemy air defense systems.