(JNi.media) Russia has begun supplying S-300 air defense systems to Iran, Russian presidential aide for military-technical cooperation Vladimir Kozhin told TASS. “The contract is in action. They’ve begun,” Kozhin said. Last month, according to TASS, Iranian ambassador to Russia Mehdi Sanai said his country was already receiving the first S-300 systems.
The S-300 is a series of initially Soviet and later Russian long range surface-to-air missile systems, first deployed by the Soviet Union in 1979, designed for the air defense of large industrial and administrative facilities, military bases, and control of airspace against enemy strike aircraft. Subsequent variations were developed to intercept ballistic missiles.
The head of the Rostec corporation Sergey Chemezov also said the new S-300 contract is being fulfilled, as of the start of November. Iran is receiving the S-300PMU-2 configuration.
Russia and Iran signed a contract in 2007 for the supply of five S-300PMU-1 battalions but in the autumn of 2010 then-President Dmitry Medvedev banned the supply of these systems to Tehran. The contract, worth more than $800 million, was annulled and the paid advance was returned to Iran. In response, Iran then filed a $4 billion lawsuit against Russia at the Geneva Court of Arbitration. In the spring of 2015, President Vladimir Putin lifted the ban on the supply of S-300 systems to Tehran.
According to Global Security, the S-300PMU2 “Favorit” is a new missile with a larger warhead and better guidance, and a range of 125 miles, versus the 95 miles of previous versions. It is designed to defend vital state and armed forces facilities against mass strikes by modem and future aircraft, strategic cruise missiles, tactical and theatre ballistic missiles, and other air attack weapons, over a full range of altitudes and speeds in heavy ECM environments.