The exact data on the Iranian army is unknown, below are the interpretations of 04.2015 and 08.2014

The military potential of Iran consists of two components: the Armed Forces (Ground Forces, Air Force and Air Defense, Navy) and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, in fact, parallel to the Iranian army.

Data on the structure and number are classified and therefore vary greatly. Observers agree that Iran has the largest and most powerful army in the region, although it is significantly inferior to its neighbors in terms of military budget (from 7 to 10 billion dollars).

The number of Ground Forces is from 350 to 545 thousand people, of which at least 230 thousand are professional contract soldiers, and the rest are conscripts. Subdivided into 10-12 divisions.

In service: 1500-1700 tanks, of which only 100 are modern, Iranian designs; 1100 armored personnel carriers, infantry fighting vehicles and armored vehicles; 3200 guns, only 1100 of them are self-propelled artillery mounts; 900 multiple rocket launchers of various types.

Man-portable anti-aircraft missile systems and anti-tank guided missiles of Soviet and Russian design are present in large numbers.

Navy: 65 obsolete aircraft and helicopters, 5 frigates, 3 corvettes, 28 submarines (Iranian, Soviet, North Korean, British production). "Trump" of the Iranian Navy - three Russian submarines of project 877EKM "Halibut" built in the early 1990s.

Air Force and Air Defense System. It has 300 aircraft (of which approximately 130 fighters and 170 attack aircraft) and 200 helicopters. The main body of equipment needs a major overhaul.

Air defense is represented by at least ten Soviet/Russian air defense systems S-200, 45 S-75, 29 Tor-M1 and 30 short-range British Rapira. There were reports of the arrival of several S-300 batteries from Belarus.

Moreover, it must be said that it was the long-term sanctions regime that forced Tehran to start its own production of weapons almost from scratch. Most of the achievements of the Iranian defense industry are copied Western or Russian designs.

Recently there was a message about the launch of the production of anti-ship missiles "Nasr", air defense "Kaem" and "Tufan-5". Then mass production of drones began, capable of not only “looking far”, but also striking.

http://cont.ws/post/164663?_utl_t=lj Iran's army... the world's most eclectic | Blog Harry Chemist | KONT

The military equipment of the Iranian army is collected from all over the world. Despite the low level of its own military-industrial complex, the armed forces of Iran have a significant combat potential. Iran's military system is unique: it coexists with an army preserved from the Shah's time and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), created after the 1979 revolution, and both the army and the IRGC have their own ground forces, air force and navy. The IRGC performs the functions of the "second army" and at the same time the internal troops of the Islamic regime...

Soldiers of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps during an Iranian ballistic missile test

From the world to the tank

Some analogue of such a system can be considered the coexistence of the Wehrmacht and the Waffen SS in Nazi Germany. In fact, part of the IRGC is the Basij militia, with a potential strength (after mobilization) of several million people. In addition, the IRGC includes a structure that performs strategic reconnaissance and sabotage functions - the Kods special forces. Both the army and the IRGC report to the spiritual leader of Iran (now Ayatollah Khamenei), and the elected president is only one of 11 members of the Supreme National Security Council.

There is the Main Political and Ideological Directorate and the same departments of the Armed Forces. There is an apparatus of Islamic observers, without whose sanction no decisions of the commanders are valid (that is, it is a complete analogue of the Bolshevik commissars in the Red Army during the Civil War).

At present, the Iranian Armed Forces are among the most eclectic in the world in terms of equipping with military equipment. They have weapons:

- American, English and French, surviving from the Shah's times;
- Chinese and North Korean, supplied during the 1980-88 war with Iraq and after it;
- Soviet and Russian, re-exported from Syria, Libya and North Korea during the war or bought in the USSR and Russia after it ended;
- own, copied from foreign samples.

Most of the weapons and equipment are outdated, and in relation to Western models, there is also the problem of the lack of spare parts and ammunition.

The newest physically is the equipment of our own production. Iran largely follows the Chinese practice of copying almost any foreign designs it has. However, the scientific, technical and production capabilities of the Iranian military-industrial complex are much lower than those of the Chinese military-industrial complex, therefore, most of the domestic equipment is of very low quality, which is why it enters the Armed Forces in small quantities. Of course, international sanctions have a negative effect on the Iranian Armed Forces, due to which it can conduct legal military cooperation only with the DPRK, which is also under sanctions.

Member of the Basij militia

During the war with Iraq, Iranian military personnel, as a rule, demonstrated a very low level of combat training. There are serious doubts that over the past quarter of a century there have been radical changes for the better in this regard.

Since the exact losses of the Iranian Armed Forces during the war with Iraq, the current technical state of military equipment and the production capabilities of the military-industrial complex, the number of armaments of the Iranian Armed Forces is estimated very approximately (this is how the figures below should be treated). Also, data on the organizational structure of the Iranian Armed Forces, especially the ground forces, are not completely reliable.

Below is the total number of weapons and equipment for the Army and the IRGC. Belonging to the IRGC is specifically stipulated in cases where it is reliably known.

What is the Iranian army

The ground forces of the army are divided into four territorial commands: Northern, Western, Southwestern, Eastern. Most of the units are deployed in the west of the country. In total, the ground forces of the Army have five armored divisions, three mechanized divisions, four infantry divisions, one armored brigade, and six artillery brigades. There are also powerful mobile and special forces - airborne and airborne assault divisions, two airborne brigades, four airborne assault brigades, and a commando brigade.

The ground forces of the IRGC have 26 infantry brigades, two mechanized, two tank divisions, 16 infantry, six armored, two mechanized, one chemical defense, one psychological warfare, ten groups (missile, chemical defense, communications, air defense, engineering, five artillery ).

The tactical missiles "Tondar" are in service (up to 30 launchers and 150-200 missiles, firing range - up to 150 kilometers). They are copied from the Chinese M-7 missiles, which, in turn, are based on the HQ-2 anti-aircraft missiles (a Chinese copy of the Soviet S-75 air defense system).

The tank fleet of Iran is extremely diverse. The most modern are 480 Soviet T-72 tanks and about 150 of our own Zulfikar, created on the basis of the T-72. There are also many old tanks - up to 250 British Chieftains, 75 Soviet T-62s and 150 North Korean Cheonma-ho created on their basis, 540 Soviet T-54/55s (including 200 Safir tanks modernized in Iran itself). "), 220 Chinese Tour 59 and 250 Tour 69, 150 American M60A1, 168 M48, 170 M47. In addition, 110 British Scorpion light tanks and 20 own Tosan tanks created on their basis are in service.

Iraqi soldiers flee the battlefield during the Iran-Iraq War, 1980.

The ground forces are armed with 189 Brazilian BRM EE-9, 623 Soviet infantry fighting vehicles (210 BMP-1, 413 BMP-2), about 700 armored personnel carriers (up to 250 American M113A1, up to 150 Soviet BTR-50 and up to 150 BTR-60, 140 own "Borag").

Self-propelled artillery includes up to 60 Soviet 2S1 self-propelled guns and their local copies "Raad-1" (122 mm), 180 American M109 and their local copies "Raad-2" (155 mm), 30 North Korean M-1978 (170 mm), 30 American M107 (175 mm) and 30 M110 (203 mm). There are over 2,200 towed guns and 5,000 mortars. The rocket artillery is armed with seven old Soviet MLRS BM-11, 100 BM-21 "Grad" and 50 of their local copies of "Nur" (122 mm), 700 Chinese Toure 63 and 600 of their local counterparts "Khaseb" (107 mm), ten domestic "Fajr-3" and nine North Korean M-1985 (240 mm).

There are several thousand anti-tank systems - American "Tou" (and their local copies "Tufan"), Soviet anti-tank systems "Malyutka" (and their local copies "Raad"), "Fagot", "Konkurs".

Military air defense includes 29 modern Russian short-range Tor-M1 air defense systems and 250 local Shahab air defense systems copied from the Chinese HQ-7 (which is itself a copy of the French Crotal air defense system). There are up to 400 old Soviet Strela-2 MANPADS, up to 700 more modern Igla, 200 Swedish RBS-70. Up to 100 Soviet ZSU-23-4 "Shilka" and possibly 80 very old ZSU-57-2s are in service. The number of anti-aircraft guns is close to a thousand.

The army aviation has 33 light aircraft, up to 50 American AN-1J Cobra combat helicopters, some of which have been modernized in Iran itself, about 200 multi-purpose and transport helicopters.

The Air Force of the Iranian Army is divided into three Operational Commands: "North", "Center", "South". They include 17 tactical air bases. The IRGC Air Force has five air bases and five missile brigades.

It is in the Air Force of the IRGC that all ballistic missiles are located (except for the above-mentioned tactical missiles of the ground forces). This is up to 20 launchers (PU) "Shehab-1/2" (up to 600 missiles "Shehab-1", up to 150 "Shehab-2"), copied from the North Korean "Hwaseong-5/6" (flight range - up to 500 km), 32 PU MRBM "Shehab-3" (North Korean "Nodon", up to 1500 km). There is also an unknown number of missiles of other types, the most promising and modern of which should be considered the Sejil IRBM (range - up to 2000 km).

The aviation fleet is extremely eclectic. It includes Western-made cars acquired during the Shah, Chinese and Russian, bought in the 1980s and 90s. In addition, part of the Su-24 bombers, Su-25 attack aircraft and MiG-29 fighters, all Su-22 attack aircraft and Mirage-F1 fighters flew in 1991 from Iraq and were then confiscated by Iran.

Attack aviation consists of Soviet-made aircraft. These are 34 Su-24 bombers, 37 Su-22 attack aircraft (all are in storage awaiting modernization) and 13 Su-25s. All Su-25s are part of the IRGC Air Force.

Testing of medium-range ballistic missiles "Shehab-3".

A significant number of American-made fighters remain in service - at least 27 F-14A (one more in storage), at least 36 F-4D / E, at least 61 F-5. The latter includes several units (not more than 20) of the Saega and Azaraksh fighters, created on the basis of the F-5 in Iran itself. Their mass production is unlikely to be deployed due to the low performance characteristics of these machines.

In addition, the Air Force has ten French Mirage-F1 fighters (8 EQ, two combat training BQs; seven more EQs, four BQs in storage), 28 Soviet MiG-29s (including seven combat training UBs). ), 36 Chinese J-7s (including 12 combat training JJ-7s) copied from the MiG-21.

Reconnaissance aviation consists of American aircraft - seven RF-4E and up to 13 RF-5A based on fighters, one RC-130H based on a transport aircraft.

There are six American tankers (four Boeing 707s, two Boeing 747s) and more than 100 transport aircraft. Of these, 11 Chinese Y-12s, 13 Soviet Il-76s and 10 Ukrainian An-74s are in the IRGC Air Force. One can also note the Iran-140 light transport aircraft, which were created in Ukraine (like the An-140), but are now being produced in Russia and Iran, since Ukraine itself could neither produce nor operate them.

In addition, the Iranian Air Force has 140 training aircraft and 86 helicopters, of which 38 Russian Mi-17s are in the IRGC Air Force.

Ground-based air defense includes 30 British Rapira and 15 Tigercat air defense systems (the latter are most likely decommissioned), seven batteries (42 launchers) of the Chinese HQ-2 air defense system (a copy of the Soviet S-75), 25 batteries (150 launchers) of the American air defense system “Improved Hawk” and its local copy “Mersad”, three batteries of the Soviet “Kvadrat” air defense system (12 launchers) and one regiment of S-200 air defense systems (12 launchers).

The Iranian navy is stationed mainly in the Persian Gulf, but has recently been building up forces in the Caspian Sea.

There are three fairly modern Russian submarines (submarines) of project 877, three small submarines (Besakh, Fateh, Nakhang), 21 ultra-small submarines of their own construction of the Gadir type and four Yugoslav SMPLs of the Yugo type.

Three English-built frigates of the Alvand type remain in the Navy. According to a similar project in Iran itself, two Jamaran-class frigates have been built in recent years (and proclaimed "destroyers"). The Sahand frigate of a more advanced design is being built.

Three old corvettes remain in service - two types of Bayandor, one Khamzeh.

There are ten Chinese Hudong-class missile boats, ten Kaman-class (French-built under the Combatant-2 project) and three similar Iranian-built Sina, up to 80 small missile boats of our own construction with small-sized Chinese anti-ship missiles S-701 and S-704.

The streets of Tehran during the presidential elections.

The Navy has 14 "large" and up to 150 small patrol boats, many of which are armed with MLRS or anti-tank systems.

There are five minesweepers. The landing forces include four Hengam-type TDKs, six Ormuz-type TDKs, three small Fouquet-type TDs, and seven British-built hovercraft (6 VN7, 1 SRN6).

All frigates and missile boats, including Western-built ones, are armed with Chinese anti-ship missiles or their local copies.

The IRGC Navy includes all SMPLs, Hudong-class missile boats, up to 30 small missile boats, and up to 50 small patrol boats. The rest of the ships and boats are part of the Army Navy.

The frigate "Damavand" (the second ship of the "Jamaran" type), the corvette "Khamzeh" (built in 1936), two missile boats of the "Sina" type, several patrol boats, one minesweeper are deployed in the Caspian Sea.

Naval aviation has five US P-3F base patrol aircraft, four US Falcon-20 RER aircraft, 13 transport aircraft, ten US SH-3D anti-submarine helicopters, seven RH-53D minesweepers, and 17 transport helicopters.

The Marine Corps includes two brigades, including one as part of the IRGC.

In the Coastal Defense - one brigade each (four launchers each) of Chinese anti-ship missiles HY-2 and S-802.

The specificity of religious influence in the state significantly affected various spheres of political and public life in Iran. National peculiarities were not spared and the country's Armed Forces are considered the most numerous among other states of the Middle and Near East. The current paramilitary personnel managed to gain invaluable military experience over the course of 8 years during the war with Iraq - from 1980 to 1988. The fundamental factors in the creation of a powerful defensive base were the military-political independence of Iran, the economic potential and the originality of national religious values.

War between Sunnis and Shiites

In view of the fact that the army was a direct participant in the Arab-Iranian conflict, the comparison of Iran and Saudi Arabia in the framework of the confrontation between the two branches of the Islamic faith is of some importance. The confrontation between Sunnis and Shiites was clearly manifested by the above war in the 80s of the XX century. Political scientists, historians call this battle the largest in the recent history of the world after the Second World War. Speaking against the Iranian Shiites, the Arabs actively used ballistic missiles and chemical weapons against the civilian population. More than 1 million people were declared dead among civilians and those who represented the Armed Forces of Iran and Saudi Arabia.

In addition, Iraq has benefited from the numerous support of neighboring Arab states. The IRI did not forget about it.

Components of the Iranian Armed Forces

The Iranian Armed Forces, whose structure and organization is distinguished by the presence of two fundamental elements, is a powerful defense complex. The first is a permanent formation, traditional for world states, a regular army. The second is the so-called IRGC, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Both organizations have their own subsystem, consisting of ground forces, a powerful fleet and combat aviation. Each of them functions confidently both in wartime and in peacetime.

Among the components of the IRGC, the presence of a strategically important structure should be emphasized, the scope of which includes providing the main headquarters with data obtained in the course of reconnaissance and sabotage activities. In addition to the specified Special Forces, the Law Enforcement Forces also constitute the Armed Forces. Iran especially needs the activities of specialized law enforcement agencies in wartime. During this period, they are managed by the General Staff of the Armed Forces.

Under the auspices of the IRGC organization, an additional unit of the people's militia was also created, called the "Islamic Army of 20 million", or the Resistance and Mobilization Forces.

Powers of the Spiritual Leader of the State

According to the main statutory legislative act of Iran, art. 110 states that the spiritual leader of the state and the nation as a whole is recognized as the Supreme Commander. In addition, by this Constitution, he was given the authority to manage and make the most important decisions in the military-political sphere of the republic. The main issues affecting the competence of the spiritual leader include:

• Declaration of war, peace and the beginning of mobilization on a national scale.
• Selection, appointment, dismissal and acceptance of the resignation of the heads of individual units and components that are part of the Iranian Armed Forces: the command of the General Staff, the IRGC, the SOP, etc.
• Coordination, management and control over the work of the Supreme National Security Council. This advisory body is the most important link in ensuring state security, defense capability, strategic and work of the highest executive bodies in the relevant sectors.

The main tasks of the latter structure are the development of protective measures consistent with the policy of the spiritual leader, and the coordination of social, economic, informational and cultural aspects of state activity with the security interests of the state.

The Iranian Armed Forces report directly to the Commander-in-Chief through the General Staff. In turn, the latter serves as an administrative and operational control apparatus not only when martial law is introduced in the country. The General Staff of the Armed Forces unites the leadership of the regular army and the Guard Corps, the SOP and decentralized local bodies of each of the listed links, which have their own purpose, composition and duties.

Iranian Ministry of Defense

The Ministry of Defense is not part of the Iranian Armed Forces. It has no direct relation to the immediate combat missions of the troops. The mission of the central executive body is:

• implementation of the construction of military facilities;
• drawing up a budget intended only for financing the military industry;
• control over the intended use of funds;
• support for the domestic defense industry;
• purchase and modernization of military equipment.

The number of military personnel and the number of military equipment

Iran can proudly boast of the total cumulative number of people in the Armed Forces: the average figure is equal to 700,000. Other sources provide slightly different figures: from 500 to 900 thousand troops. Moreover, representatives of the ground forces make up about 80% of all troops. Behind them are 100 thousand people involved in combat aviation, then about 40 thousand military personnel represent the naval forces.

The inaccuracy of information can be easily explained by their inaccessibility and closeness in Iran. When the world community begins to be interested in the armed forces, Iran tightly closes the "information doors" in front of it. The main flow of data is being promoted from unofficial sources, therefore, distortions in the lists of personnel, weapons and equipment can often occur.

As for military equipment, the Iranian Armed Forces also hold leadership positions here: tanks, according to some sources, are about 2,000 units, about 2,500 artillery pieces, about 900 MLRS, including Grad, Smerch, Hurricane other. It is impossible not to mention 200 units of anti-ship missiles, 300 combat aircraft, 400 tactical and anti-aircraft missile launchers. This is not the whole list of equipment owned by the Iranian Armed Forces. Armored personnel carriers, infantry fighting vehicles, self-propelled artillery mounts, mortars - all of the above weapons inspire confidence in the power of the country.

Education and training of personnel and officers

Advanced training of personnel is an issue often on the agenda of the leadership in charge of the Armed Forces. Iran is currently taking serious steps in the system of education of soldiers and military training of officers. Comprehensive training and combat training, as observers note, contributes to the establishment of a mechanism for the interaction of all units and military units of various types of troops.

Particular attention in the educational process deserves discipline and exercises to practice the actions of each person liable for military service in the conditions of guerrilla battles, in the event of an occupation regime established throughout the state by an enemy with an ultra-modern weapon. In addition, if a military man does not meet the proper level of training after completing a military training course, this does not mean at all that he is not fit for military service. Religious attitudes and moral and psychological trainings will be able to compensate for such “gaps”. In the future, these people will be able to take part and organize psychological operations of the Iranian Armed Forces.

Purpose of the IRGC

Considering the Armed Forces of Iran, one of their elements should be considered in more detail. Interestingly, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) was originally created as a non-permanent formation in order to ensure domestic law and order. Formed more than 30 years ago, the IRGC was completely separate from the army and had nothing to do with it, including the management system. However, at the very beginning of the war between Iran and Iraq, the huge potential and multifunctional capabilities of the corps were revealed. In view of its predominance over the regular army in military, political and power capabilities, the leadership of the Iranian state prepared the corps for the main role in the system of the Armed Forces. For several years of the post-war period, a complex process of unhurried, but steady connection of the two fundamental structures of the paramilitary sphere of the state lasted. At the same time, a single Ministry of Defense for the corps and the army was formed. Definitely, the Iranian Armed Forces today have a complex apparatus and a successfully functioning system of the Guard Corps, in many respects superior to that of the regular state army.

Some time after the appointment of a follower of the IRGC to the post of head of the IRI, rumors arose about a possible merger of the two main components of the country's military system, while the supremacy would most likely be given to the corps.

Iranian nuclear weapons program

Since Iran is a nuclear state, missiles and the likelihood of their use are one of the main issues of the entire world community. Iran is capable of rebuffing the unpopular military decisions of the United States and Israel in relation to the state's nuclear program.

Specialists who analyze aspects of the weapons of the countries of the East believe that missile weapons for Iran are the most important element of manipulation and control over potential adversaries. By threatening to use missiles with nuclear warheads, the state is able to maintain supremacy in any situation. Not surprisingly, funding for the support and development of missile programs takes a significant share of the entire military budget. For example, in the early 1990s, in the post-war period, the state had many gaps in the socio-economic aspects of its life. At the same time, even then, emphasis was placed on optimizing this industry: the number of operational-tactical missiles significantly exceeded the number of such weapons in neighboring eastern states.

Features of the formation of weapons in Iran

In addition, following the "nuclear" path, Iran faced many, at first glance, absolutely insurmountable difficulties. The country has not developed a research component, which includes scientific traditions, specialized training, and many years of experience. It was simply impossible to create innovative weapons in this way. It could not be on a par with the most complex achievements of the Russians, Americans or developers of Western Europe. That is why the military-industrial complex of Iran is based on the method of borrowing foreign samples for the reproduction of weapons in the country.

It follows that the priority direction in design work and scientific research is the cloning of imported weapons, and more often - the passage of modernization to meet Iranian needs. Exemplary material is Chinese, North Korean, Pakistani, American and Russian military products. This has been repeatedly confirmed by weapons experts. Iranian guns, being presented and shown for the first time, were immediately criticized by well-known military experts. Probably, Iran finds “sources for inspiration” by various methods: from illegal procurement schemes to obtained intelligence. In addition, agreements on military-technical cooperation, signed bilaterally, are of no small importance here.

The presence of significant difficulties did not prevent the leading elite of the country from creating a military research base and armed forces. Iran currently has a sufficient number of scientific institutes, experimental research laboratories, design institutions. The created military infrastructure serves as a place for the development of the latest models of various military equipment.

Rocket Forces of Iran

Despite the fact that Iranian developers have many options for missile systems so far only in the future, existing analogues in the next decade have great chances of obtaining an important basis for creating medium-range ballistic missiles at the initial stage. Achieving such significant results will make it possible to get closer to the creation of intercontinental ballistic missiles. But for now, these are just plans. Today, Iran has modest missile equipment and a well-thought-out strategy.

Several missile brigades and their central command are subordinate to the spiritual leader - the Supreme Commander:

• "Shahab-3D" and "Shahab-3M" have an approximate range of 1300 km. They are accompanied by 32 launchers.
• "Shahab-1" and "Shahab-2" have a firing range of up to 700 km and 64 launchers.
• tactical missiles.

Rocket launch process

The missile forces of the Armed Forces of the Iranian state, as a rule, use mobile installations for launching missiles. This fact has a positive effect on their functioning. On the main territorial part of Iran, there are missile-technical bases corresponding to the positioning of the regions. Each of them has warehouses, fuel and lubricant resources, a developed communication system, and has its own infrastructure.

The missile complexes that take the order of duty regularly change their actual location. The launchers are mostly disguised as mediocre trucks, which are accompanied by two also disguised vehicles. Each of the latter is secretly transporting two missile warheads. The process of moving often takes place near mobile gas stations.

Trying to predict the course of development of the geopolitical scenario, one should take into account the emerging situation around Iran. The state's readiness for confrontations is determined by the state of its armed forces, which has a significant impact on the development of global world processes.

Armed forces of the countries of the world

The military system of Iran is unique: it coexists the Army, preserved from the Shah's times, and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), created after the 1979 revolution, and both the Army and the IRGC have their own ground forces, air force and navy. The IRGC performs the functions of the “second army” and, at the same time, the internal troops of the Islamic regime. Some analogue of such a system can be considered the coexistence of the Wehrmacht and the Waffen SS in Nazi Germany. In fact, part of the IRGC is the Basij militia, with a potential number (after mobilization) of several million people. In addition, the IRGC includes a structure that performs strategic reconnaissance and sabotage functions - the Kods special forces. Both the Army and the IRGC report to Iran's spiritual leader (now Ayatollah Khamenei), and the elected president is just one of 11 members of the Supreme National Security Council.

The central control body of the Armed Forces is the General Staff. There is the Main Political and Ideological Directorate and the same departments of the Armed Forces. There is an apparatus of Islamic observers, without whose sanction no decisions of the commanders are valid (that is, it is a complete analogue of the Bolshevik commissars in the Red Army during the Civil War).

At present, the Iranian Armed Forces are among the most eclectic in the world in terms of equipping with military equipment. They have weapons: American, English and French, which have survived from the Shah's times; Chinese and North Korean, supplied during the 1980-1988 war with Iraq and after it; Soviet and Russian, re-exported from Syria, Libya and North Korea during the war or bought in the USSR and Russia after it ended; own, copied from foreign samples. Most of the weapons and equipment are outdated, and in relation to Western models, there is also the problem of the lack of spare parts. The newest physically is the equipment of our own production. Iran largely follows the Chinese practice of copying almost any foreign designs it has. However, the scientific, technical and production capabilities of the Iranian military-industrial complex are much lower than those of the Chinese military-industrial complex, therefore, most of the domestic equipment is of very low quality, which is why it enters the Armed Forces in small quantities. Of course, international sanctions have a negative effect on the Iranian Armed Forces, due to which it can conduct legal military cooperation only with the DPRK, which is also under sanctions.

During the war with Iraq, Iranian military personnel, as a rule, showed a very low level of combat training (which was partly offset by high fanaticism). There are serious doubts that over the past quarter of a century there have been radical changes for the better in this regard.

Since the losses of the Iranian Armed Forces during the war with Iraq and, on the other hand, the trophies captured during this war, the current technical state of military equipment and the production capabilities of the military-industrial complex, the number of armaments of the Iranian Armed Forces is estimated very approximately (this is how one should treat the given numbers below). Also, data on the organizational structure of the Iranian Armed Forces, especially the ground forces, are not completely reliable.

Below is the total number of weapons and equipment for the Army and the IRGC. Belonging to the IRGC is specifically stipulated in cases where it is reliably known.

Ground troops The armies are divided into 4 territorial commands, each of which includes one army corps: Northern (2nd AC), Western (1st AC), Southwestern (3rd AC), Eastern (4th AC). Most of the units are deployed in the west of the country. It is not possible to give the exact composition of the commands (AC) due to the regular rotation of units and formations between them.

In total, the ground forces of the Army have 4 armored divisions (16th, 81st, 88th, 92nd), 3 mechanized divisions (28th, 77th, 84th), 3 infantry divisions (21 -I, 30th, 64th), 3 armored brigades (37th, 38th, 71st), 2 infantry brigades (40th, 41st), 6 artillery brigades (11th, 22nd, 23rd, 33rd, 44th, 55th). There are also powerful mobile and special forces - the 23rd airborne and 58th airborne assault divisions, the 55th and 65th airborne brigades, the 25th, 44th and 66th airborne assault brigades , 35th and 45th commando brigades.

The ground forces of the IRGC have 26 infantry, 2 mechanized, 2 tank divisions, 16 infantry, 6 armored, 2 mechanized, 1 RHBZ, 1 psychological warfare brigade, 10 groups (missile, RHBZ, communications, air defense, engineering, 5 artillery).

The tactical missiles "Tondar" are in service (from 20 to 30 launchers and 100-200 missiles, firing range - up to 150 km). They are copied from the Chinese M-7 missiles, which, in turn, are based on the HQ-2 anti-aircraft missiles (a Chinese copy of the Soviet S-75 air defense system). There are also approximately 250 Luna, Okhab and Shahin-2 tactical missiles, up to 500 Nazit and Iran-130 tactical missiles.

The tank fleet of Iran is extremely diverse. The most modern are 570 Soviet T-72s. There are also many old tanks - from 100 to 200 British Chieftains and up to 400 Mobarez (Chieftains, modernized in Iran itself), up to 300 Soviet T-62s and the North Korean Cheonma-ho created on their basis, up to 190 Safir tanks modernized in Iran itself (Soviet T-54/55 with a 105-mm gun of the M60 tank) and up to 100 T-54/55 themselves, up to 100 Chinese Tour 59, up to 250 Tour 69 and up to 500 T-72Z (Ture 59/69 with a 105-mm cannon), up to 150 American M60A1, from 40 to 100 M48, from 75 to 150 local "Zulfikar-1" and 5 "Zulfikar-3" (M48/60 with T-72 turret) , from 50 to 170 M47 and "Sabalan" (local modernization of the M47 with a 105-mm gun). In addition, from 80 to 130 British Scorpion light tanks and 20 own Tosan tanks created on their basis are in service.

The ground forces are armed with 35 Brazilian BRM EE-9, approximately 1200 infantry fighting vehicles (up to 600 BMP-1 and up to 190 of their local Borag counterparts, 413 BMP-2), up to 850 armored personnel carriers (up to 200 American M113A1, up to 150 Soviet armored personnel carriers -50, up to 45 BTR-152 and up to 300 BTR-60, about 50 domestic Raksh and up to 140 VMT-2 Cobra (wheeled with BMP-2 turret)).

Self-propelled artillery includes up to 60 Soviet 2S1 self-propelled guns and their local counterparts "Raad-1" (122 mm), approximately 180 American M109 and their local counterparts "Raad-2", several wheeled self-propelled guns - howitzers NM-41 on trucks (155 mm) , 18-20 North Korean M-1978 (170 mm), 25 to 40 American M107 (175 mm) and 30 to 38 M110 (203 mm). There are numerous towed guns - up to 200 American M101A1 (105 mm), from 100 to 500 Soviet D-30 and their local copies NM-40, up to 100 Chinese Tour 60 (122 mm), at least 800 Soviet M-46 and similar Chinese Touré 59 (130 mm), up to 30 Soviet D-20s (152 mm), about 120 Austrian GHN-45s, up to 100 American M114s and their local copies NM-41, 15 Chinese Type 88s (aka WAC-21), up to 30 South African G-5s (155mm), 20 to 50 US M115s (203mm). The number of mortars reaches 5 thousand.

The Iranian army is the most powerful in the region, the expert community is sure. But along with the high motivation of the personnel, the Islamic army has a big drawback - outdated air forces and air defense. The aggressive policy and nuclear ambitions of the Iranian leadership impede the large-scale rearmament of the national army. What is the position of the modern armed forces of Iran, found out Infox.ru.

The Iranian army is one of the strongest in the Middle East and the Islamic world. This corresponds to the status of a regional power. The Iranian National Army gained vast experience during the fierce Iran-Iraq war. Then both sides used chemical weapons, and Iran used suicide bombers who marched into the minefields ahead of the tank columns. Now Tehran is striving to give the national armed forces a modern look, conducting developments in almost all military-technical areas - from tank building to missile technology. But the desire to have its own nuclear program has a negative impact on the renewal of the fleet of equipment. Few people can supply Iran with modern types of weapons without facing a negative reaction from the United States and Israel.

Guardians
Iran is a theocratic state. This also affects military construction. The Ministry of Defense includes the armed forces and separately the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The IRGC has its own naval forces, aviation and ground forces. The body is the backbone of the regime. Its acquisition is carried out on a voluntary basis. Guardians provide internal security and carry out activities abroad. The IRGC has a special forces unit called al-Quds (Jerusalem). It is the guards who are responsible for supporting Hamas in Palestine, Hezbollah in Lebanon and militants in Yemen.

The approximate strength of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is estimated at 130 thousand people, of which 100 thousand are the personnel of the ground forces. The corps is armed with armored vehicles, artillery systems, combat aircraft, and chemical weapons. The Marine Corps is also part of the IRGC Navy. When financing and updating military equipment, the country's leadership prioritizes precisely the guards of the revolution.

Under the control of the IRGC is the people's militia "Basiji" ("Basij-i Mostozafin" in Persian "Mobilization of the Oppressed"). The militias gained great fame in the summer of 2009 during the suppression of opposition demonstrations. Iranian political military figures often claim 10 million Basijs. But these are more mobilization opportunities than real numbers. In addition, the "resistance forces" are divided into two areas: spiritual propaganda and the military itself. The combat unit of the "Basiji" consists of several hundred battalions with a total strength of 300 thousand people, which is also quite a lot. The militia is the first reserve of the army in the event of hostilities. The reservists also provide security for the rear facilities, freeing up the main units for the advanced. The Basiji are made up of men between the ages of 12 and 60. There are also women's battalions. As part of the national security concept of building a mass "Islamic army", it is planned to increase the power structures to 20 million people, which will be based on irregular formations and a trained reserve.

main army
The armed forces of Iran number up to 350 thousand people. The Iranian army is completed by conscription - only men are called. The service life is from 17 to 20 months. Citizens who have served until the age of 55 are considered reservists. Over the past few years, the budget of the armed forces of the Islamic Republic (separate from the IRGC) has averaged about $ 7 billion.

The ground forces (280,000 servicemen) are armed with a variety of weapons acquired in different periods of Iranian history. Under the Shah, Iran preferred Western weapons: the M-47, M-48 tanks, various modifications of the British Chieftain tank. The Iranians got a lot of captured Western and Soviet equipment after the Iran-Iraq war. In the 1990s, several hundred T-72S and BMP-2s were assembled under license in Iran, but this contract ended in 2000. Now the land forces of the Islamic Republic are armed with up to 1.5 thousand tanks, 1.5 thousand infantry fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers, about 3 thousand artillery systems and more than a hundred army aviation helicopters.

The disadvantage of the Iranian army is an outdated air defense. Namely, the air defense is entrusted with the task of protecting strategic facilities, including nuclear ones. Iranian airspace is guarded by American HAWK anti-aircraft missile systems, Soviet S-75 and S-200VE, and Kvadrat mobile systems. Of the new products - 29 Russian "Tor-M1". There are also portable complexes: Igla-1, Strela-3, Stinger, QW-1. “Israeli or American air forces will easily overcome Iranian air defense,” says Alexander Khramchikhin, head of the analytical department of the Institute for Political and Military Analysis. Therefore, Tehran is in dire need of such a modern system as the S-300, an analogue of which is extremely difficult to create on its own. According to Khramchikhin, the recent announcement by the Iranian side about the creation of its own system, superior to the S-300, "is a bluff, and nothing more."

Compared to the forces of potential opponents, the Iranian air force also looks weak. Under the Shah, the Air Force was the elite of the army. Much attention was paid to their equipment, then the Iranian Air Force was considered the best among the third world countries. But after the Islamic revolution, the renewal of the aircraft fleet became difficult. In 1989-1991, Iran purchased from the USSR 20 MiG-29 fighters, 4 MiG-29UB fighters and 12 Su-24MK bombers. But the bulk of the military fleet is obsolete American-made aircraft. About 130 F-14A, F-4 and F-5 fighters of various modifications are in good condition (produced mainly in the 1970s). Recently, Iran managed to form a squadron consisting of Iranian Saegheh fighters. But, according to Alexander Khramchikhin, "this "newest" aircraft is a modification of the long-obsolete F-5 Tiger."

Iranian Navy are the strongest in the region, most of the fleet is located in the Persian Gulf. The main task is the possible blocking of the Strait of Hormuz, through which huge supplies of oil are carried out to Western countries. Attack and sabotage ships are concentrated here (up to 200 boats belong to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps). Iran has diesel submarines (Soviet and own-built). The fleet has three small British-built Alvand frigates, 14 La Combattante II missile boats, and two American Bayandor corvettes. The shipyards are building copies of British and French ships.

Iranian military-industrial complex
Under the sanctions on the supply of weapons, Tehran is forced to actively develop the national defense industry. Developments in the rocket and space industry are controlled by the IRGC. This year, the Iranian military has already managed to report that the country has begun production of Nasr-1 anti-ship missiles and Qaem and Toofan-5 anti-aircraft missiles. In February, mass production of unmanned aerial vehicles began, capable of not only reconnaissance, but also strikes. And the ground forces are armed with Iranian tanks Zulfiqar.

Most often, Iranian-made weapons are copies of foreign designs that are in service with the Iranian army, or equipment provided by China or North Korea. The Iranian Sayyad-1A missile is made on the basis of the Soviet S-75 (provided by China). Acquired during the Iran-Iraq war, these missiles became the basis for the creation of the Iranian tactical ballistic missile "Tondar-68".

With the help of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Iranian enterprises have launched the production of components and the assembly of Scud-B missiles (Iranian designation "Shehab-1"). From the DPRK, supplies were also made of a more long-range version of the Scud-S (Shehab-2) with a range of 500 km. The North Korean No-dong-1 missile has become the Iranian Shehab-3, capable of hitting targets at a distance of up to 1000 km.

The basis for the Iranian anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs) currently being manufactured is the American missiles Taw (Iranian Tophan and Tophan-2), Dragon (Saej and Saej-2). But as often happens when copying weapons, Iranian counterparts are sometimes inferior to foreign originals.

prospects
“Having such a high number and even personnel units of suicide bombers, the Iranian army has a great offensive potential,” says Yevgeny Satanovsky, president of the Middle East Institute. In his opinion, despite a certain backwardness in technical terms, the Iranian armed forces are a powerful modern army. The Iranian army is the most combat-ready in the region. The only competitor is Saudi Arabia, which has the most modern weapons. But Iran takes not quality, but mass character, Alexander Khramchikhin believes. And in the event of a direct military clash between the two countries, the Arabians would have been defeated, the expert believes.

One of the reasons for the high combat capability of the Iranian army is the motivation of the personnel and the high-quality training of the reserve. Religious propaganda has a positive effect on the appearance of the army. The concept of national security involves the creation of a mass army with mobilization capabilities in wartime of up to 20 million people. A major re-equipment of the armed forces and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is also planned. So far, the technical backwardness and heterogeneity of the fleet of military equipment remains the Achilles' heel of the power structures of the Islamic Republic.

Iran is the most important player in the Middle East. Despite difficult relations with a number of countries in the region and some world leaders, this state maintains and builds up its potential in various areas, including in the field of the armed forces. The specifics of the situation in the Middle East makes official Tehran pay special attention to the development of the army and its weapons. As a result, the Iranian armed forces are among the most powerful in their region.

At the end of April, an updated version of the well-known Global Firepower rating was published, which determines the defense potential of many countries of the world. The development of the army and related areas allowed Iran to take 20th place in the general list. With this result, he was ahead of many countries in his region, only behind Turkey (8th place), Egypt (12th place) and Israel (15th place). Iran's GFP score is 0.4024. Consider the factors that allow the Iranian army to have a very high potential, as well as take their places in various ratings.

Troops on parade.

The current situation in the Iranian armed forces is described in an interesting way in the latest reference book The Military Balance 2017. The authors of this publication write that Iran still retains a specific army that has a lot of outdated equipment, but at the same time is equipped with well-trained personnel, and also has strategic nuclear weapons, which are a key element of security. Indeed, the Iranian army still has some samples of weapons and equipment that have long been decommissioned in other countries. However, even at the same time, the country manages to maintain a fairly high potential.

Presently Iran's population exceeds 82.8 million. Approximately half of the population is fit for service, each year the draft age reaches 1.4 million people. In total, 523 thousand people are employed in the armed forces. There is also a 350,000th reserve, consisting of retired and volunteers.

An interesting feature of the Iranian armed forces is their division into two separate structures with their own command. There is a full-fledged army with ground forces, air force and navy. In addition, there is a separate structure called the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which also has its own ground forces, air force and navy. Despite the formal separation, both the army and the IRGC have similar goals and in most cases must work together.

MBT "Karrar" is one of the latest developments in Iran.

The most numerous structure in the armed forces of Iran is the ground forces. 350 thousand people serve in them. The command and control of the troops is carried out by five headquarters with the division of areas of responsibility by region. The ground forces have 8 armored brigades, 14 mechanized brigades, 12 light infantry and one airborne brigade. There are also aviation and artillery units. The ground forces include 10 special-purpose brigades with different functions.

Iran has a large fleet of armored vehicles, including a variety of models, including long outdated ones. Armored units have more than 1500 tanks of several types. The most numerous (560 units) are vehicles of the T-55 family of Soviet, Chinese and domestic production. There are also 480 newer T-72s. The troops have obsolete American M47s, M48s and M60s in significant numbers. There are 610 Soviet-designed infantry fighting vehicles. The fleet of armored personnel carriers (at least 640 units) includes tracked vehicles of the M113 type or domestic analogues, as well as wheeled BTR-50 and BTR-60 Soviet-assembled vehicles. There are at least 35-40 repair and recovery and other auxiliary armored vehicles.

Artillery units are armed with up to three hundred self-propelled guns with guns up to 203 mm caliber. There are combat vehicles of Soviet, American and Iranian production. The most numerous self-propelled guns in Iran is the American M109 - there are one and a half hundred such machines. More than 2,000 towed artillery systems of various types with a caliber of up to 203 mm have been kept in service. As in the case of self-propelled artillery, towed guns were purchased from the USSR / Russia, the USA, or produced independently. There are self-propelled and towed rocket artillery in the amount of approximately 1500 units. The most numerous is the Chinese-made Type 63 launcher - 700 units. The troops have 3,000 mortars with a caliber of 81 to 120 mm.

Fighter F-14 American production.

The ground forces operate at least 30 operational-tactical missile systems of several types. This weapon is a further development of the Soviet or North Korean systems.

The military air defense has a significant number of MANPADS of the Igla and Strela families, as well as similar Iranian-made models. Also, the troops have more than 1100 anti-aircraft guns of various types. There are self-propelled armored vehicles ZSU-23-4 (up to 100) and ZSU-57-2 (up to 80). Towed anti-aircraft artillery is represented by various systems from ZPU-2 machine gun mounts to M-1939 guns.

The Iranian army also has its own aviation units.. There are about three dozen light multi-purpose and training aircraft of several types of foreign production. Troop support is provided by 50 AH-1J Cobra helicopters and 50 HESA Shahed 285 vehicles of its own production. There are 173 transport helicopters, including 20 heavy CH-47 Chinook and several dozen light Bell 205 and Bell 206. In recent years, the production of unmanned aerial vehicles for various purposes has been mastered.

The ground forces of the army are supplemented by similar units from the IRGC. The ground forces of the Corps are controlled by 31 regional headquarters and include 2 armored divisions, 3 armored brigades, at least 8 light infantry divisions and more than 5 similar brigades. The airborne troops of the IRGC include one brigade. The ground forces of the IRGC are invited to use the same equipment as the main army.

Front-line bomber Su-24.

The naval forces of the Iranian army are equipped with 18 thousand people. The fleet of the army and the IRGC is armed with almost four hundred ships and boats of various types, and the bulk of this equipment is intended to protect the coast.

The fleet has 21 submarines. The main submarine forces are Russian-built Project 877 submarines in the amount of three units. There are also at least 17 small and midget submarines with torpedo armament, built according to two projects of their own Iranian design.

The surface fleet includes 81 ships and boats. There are seven corvettes of three projects, equipped with rocket, artillery and torpedo weapons. 16 missile boats of several types remain in service, and about half of them are used as part of Coast Guard units. Several dozen torpedo boats of a number of projects of domestic and foreign construction are preserved.

Iran has a landing fleet of 13 ships and 11 boats. The largest of the landing ships can take on board up to 10 tanks or 225 soldiers. Boats have a smaller capacity, but some of them have other capabilities due to the use of an air cushion.

Attack helicopter HESA Shahed 285 Iranian development.

Mine-sweeping forces are represented by five ships of several projects. One of the available minesweepers, however, is based in the Caspian Sea and is used as a training vessel. The rest can solve combat missions in the Persian Gulf.

There are 2,600 people serving in Iran's naval aviation. The search and destruction of enemy submarines is assigned to 3 P-3 Orion aircraft and 10 SH-3D helicopters. Also, in the interests of the fleet, 16 aircraft and 20 helicopters of various types, intended for auxiliary work, should be used.

Coastal defense formations have several types of missile systems. Also on the shore are based two brigades of marines with a total number of 2600 people.

Military transport aircraft C-130.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has its own navy with 15,000 men. Another 5,000 have been consolidated into one brigade of the Marine Corps of the IRGC. The main task of the IRGC fleet is to protect the coast from various threats. To do this, it has more than 110 patrol ships and vessels, including those with anti-ship missile weapons. Artillery and torpedo boats are also used. The IRGC has its own amphibious fleet of four ships. There are coastal defense formations that are armed with missile systems similar to those of the Navy.

18 thousand people serve in the air force. In addition, the Air Force includes the Air Defense Forces, in which 12,000 people serve. A characteristic problem of the air force is the presence of a significant number of obsolete foreign equipment. The Air Force has 5 fighter squadrons, 9 fighter-bomber squadrons and 1 similar formation operating front-line bombers. There is one reconnaissance and one naval patrol squadron each. The work of aviation at long distances is provided by tankers of one squadron. Transport tasks are solved by five squadrons, training is conducted on the basis of four. Most of the helicopters belong to the army aviation, however, there are several similar squadrons in the Air Force.

Fighter aviation is manned by American and Soviet/Russian made aircraft. The most massive (more than 60 units) remains the F-4D / E Phantom II type. There is also a fairly large (more than 55) grouping of F-5 aircraft. In total, more than 260 fighters are in operation. The attack on ground targets is assigned to 39 Su-24 and Su-25 bombers and attack aircraft.

Frigate Jamaran.

Transport aviation has 117 aircraft, including 12 Il-76 heavy aircraft, 19 medium C-130 aircraft and other equipment. In particular, the fleet of light passenger vehicles is equipped with several types of aircraft. American aircraft of several types of the Boeing brand are used as flying tankers. More than 150 propeller and jet aircraft of several types are used to train pilots.

The helicopter fleet consists of 35-40 helicopters of several models. There are at least two heavy CH-47s and more than 30 medium Bell 214s. Not so long ago, the Iranian industry launched the production of its own transport and multi-purpose helicopters, their number in the troops is constantly growing.

Air defense troops belonging to the Air Force are equipped mainly with missile systems. There are more than 500 complexes of different types with different characteristics in service. Portable, stationary and mobile missile systems of various types of foreign production are used. The main supplier of air defense systems was Russia, which sold the Tor-M1, S-300PMU2, Strela, etc. systems to Iran. There are also old systems of American, British and French production. A small number of artillery installations are operated.

Coast Guard boats from the IRGC Navy.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps also includes rocket troops, which are the backbone of the strategic forces. This branch of the military is composed of several formations that operate missile systems of various types. It is known that the missile troops are armed with at least 12 mobile complexes with Shahab-3 medium-range missiles. Another 10 such missiles have been deployed using silo launchers. There is information about the presence of Sajil-2 missiles. The group of short-range missiles is represented by about two dozen complexes of the Fateh and Shahab families.

Approximately at the beginning of the current decade, a cyber command was created in Iran, whose tasks include working with information systems and solving relevant special tasks. To date, only the very fact of the existence of such a structure, as well as its belonging to the IRGC, is known. Other information, such as the number of personnel, features of technical equipment and tasks to be solved, remain a secret. All information about cyber troops is based only on fragmentary information and various estimates.

In 2016, Iran's gross domestic product reached 12,962 trillion reais (over $412 billion) - $5,124 per capita. At the same time, GDP growth was observed by 4.5% compared to 2015. Inflation for the year decreased from 11.9% to 7.4%. Last year, 499 trillion reais ($15.9 billion) was allocated for defense spending. These expenses made it possible to maintain the armed forces in their current state, as well as to ensure the purchase of various new weapons and equipment.

Modern missile systems at the exhibition.

Significant economic growth is provided by a large number of workers - 29.75 million people. The country has just under 173,000 km of highways, over 8,440 km of railways and 850 km of inland waterways. There are 319 airfields and 3 major seaports. The most important element of the Iranian economy is mining. According to GFP, Iran currently produces 3,236,000 barrels of oil daily and consumes 1,870,000 barrels. Explored reserves reach 158 billion barrels.

Over the past few decades, Iran has been forced to live and work under international pressure and lack of access to many necessary technologies, products, etc. Nevertheless, the mobilization of its own resources and the support of a few friendly states allow the country to get the desired results, as well as to have a fairly powerful army that compares favorably with a number of other armed forces in the region.

Limited financial and political opportunities lead to noticeable problems in the renewal and modernization of the army, however, even in such conditions, Tehran, on the whole, copes with the difficulties that arise. Thanks to this, political will and certain military capabilities allow the Iranian administration not only to maintain the current state of affairs, but also to intervene in current conflicts. Thus, Iranian military experts are involved in the fight against piracy in the Gulf of Aden, assist in peacekeeping operations in Sudan, and also provide serious support to government forces in Syria.

In general, Iran successfully copes with the existing difficulties and solves the tasks of one kind or another. The mobilization of forces and resources, combined with ideological preparation and other factors, led to the construction of sufficiently powerful armed forces with a relatively powerful potential. From the point of view of its defense potential, Iran can deservedly be considered one of the leaders in the Middle East region.