Iran says its new Bavar-373 Long-Range Air Defense System Can Shoot Down F-22 and F-35 Stealth Fighters

The Iranian Bavar-373 not only competes with the S-400 but is effective against stealth aircraft such as F-22 and F-35 fighters.

On Aug. 22, 2019, IRINN TV (Iran) aired a report about the unveiling of the Iranian-made Bavar-373 long-range air defense system.

As shown by the video in this post, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, who was present at the unveiling, said that the Bavar-373 system is superior to the Russian S-300 system and that it competes with the S-400 system and the American Patriot system. The report said that the Bavar-373 system was designed for Iran’s geographical conditions and that it can simultaneously engage six targets with 12 missiles at a range of up to 250 kilometers.

Bavar-373’s radar system reportedly has a range of 350 kilometers, and the report said that it can be used against cruise missiles carrying chemical, biological, or nuclear warheads under any weather conditions and “Even if the heaviest jammers and electronic systems lock on to it.”

In addition, the report said that Bavar-373 can launch surface-to-air missiles such as the Sayyad-4 to an altitude of 27,000 meters. Iranian Defense Minister Amir Khatami said that Bavar-373 can be used against strategic and tactical fighters and bombers, as well as against cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, and… stealth aircraft.

A claim confirmed by Russian aviation publication Avia.Pro which on Aug. 11, 2019 not only said that the Iranian system is “superior” to the S-300 but also that “The Iranian Bavar-373 radars can detect air targets at distances of up to 300 kilometers, and, in addition to aircraft, the radar is able to detect cruise and ballistic missiles, as well as small drones. According to unconfirmed data, the radar is also capable of detecting stealth aircraft, which makes it an effective means of combating F-22 and F-35 fighters, which, incidentally, were recently discovered near the Iranian borders.”

Noteworthy on Jun. 27, the U.S. Air Force (USAF) deployed F-22 Raptors stealth fighters to Qatar for the first time in order to defend American forces and interests in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility.

The F-22 movement came a week after an Iranian surface-to-air missile (SAM) shot down U.S. Navy MQ-4C Triton drone over the Strait of Hormuz.

Peter Layton, former Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) officer and now a defense analyst with the Griffith Asia Institute, then said that the likely mission of the F-22s in the event of full-scale hostilities with Iran would be targeting Tehran’s surface-to-air missile batteries, especially the S-300 system.

But since Aug. 22 in case of war with Iran. Bavar-373 sites would be F-22s’ (or F-35s’) first target.

Photo credit: U.S. Air Force