Iran has a "very strong air force" despite the limitations imposed on the country by the United States by the 1979 Islamic revolution. This was declared two days ago by the supreme leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, during a meeting of commanders and personnel of the Air Force.
"Since the 1979 revolution, the US goal has been to prevent us from having a strong air force. But look at us now. We have managed to build aircraft entirely manufactured in Iran. We have turned US pressure into an opportunity '" Khamenei said, according to reports from the “Ima” news agency, published in Italy by the Nova agency.
Prior to 1979, Iranian aviation relied predominantly on US-made aircraft. The F-4D / E Phantom II, F-5A / B and F-HATomcat aircraft formed the backbone of Iran's air power during the rule of Shah Mohammad Reza Palliavi. This arsenal, however, has started to deteriorate over the years due to the exhausting 8-year war against Iraq and US sanctions that have prevented Tehran from obtaining spare parts and upgrades. Tehran, in the 80s, tried to procure the first variants of Soviet weapons, such as the Su-24, Su-25 and Mig-29 fighters, as well as the Chinese-made J-7 fighter. The new aircraft cannot stand comparison with the war assets of the rival Gulf countries (F-15, F-16, Mirage 2000, Eurofighter Typhoons) and above all with the State of Israel, which today also has the latest generation F fighter. -35. Iran has a vast territory with extensive mountainous areas that hinder radar coverage, which is combined with the obsolescence of most of its aircraft.
To address these shortcomings, Tehran has invested in land based air defenses supported by C4ISR networks. Tehran also purchased the Russian short to medium range air defense system TOR and the S-300 PMU-2 (surface-to-air missile) to strengthen stratified interception capability. However, the shooting down of Ukraine International Airlines' 752 aircraft by a missile on January 8 shortly after take-off from Tehran airport revealed serious gaps in training, combat readiness, and command and control and in the general discipline of air defense forces.
Iran's true military strength is therefore centered on asymmetric warfare capabilities, developed to compensate for conventional deficiencies. Tehran's asymmetrical assets include ballistic and cruise missiles, fast and flexible naval platforms for waging a war of attrition in the waters of the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea.
Iran maintains a vast inventory of short-range (up to 1.000 kilometers) and medium-range (between 1.000 and 3.000 kilometers) liquid and solid propellant ballistic missiles. However, its program of space launch vectors is allowing Iran to develop the necessary know-how for the production of intercontinental ballistic missiles with a range of 5.500.