Iran is Doing All it Can to Rebuild its Air Defenses

Iran’s public display of Russian-made S-300 components during its April 18 Army Day parade in Tehran has renewed debate over the state of its air defense network and its implications for Israeli Air Force (IAF) operational freedom.

While the S-300 remains one of Iran’s most advanced long-range air defense systems, some observers stress that what was seen may be more psychological messaging than an actual restoration of Iran’s degraded military capacity.

Dr. Uzi Rubin, a senior researcher at the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies and former founder and director of the Arrow missile defense project in Israel’s Defense Ministry, examined the available footage and urged restraint in interpretation.

“I do not recommend making far-reaching speculations from the video clips of the parade. I couldn’t find a full video of the parade – only repeated clips,” Rubin said. “What I managed to see regarding the S-300 is, in total, two launchers, one logistics vehicle, and what looks like two flap lid radar vehicles in folded position. That suggests they have two S-300 batteries.”

Rubin pointed to precedents of the Iranians showcasing domestic imitations of Russian technology. “It should be noted that in the past, they announced the development of a system similar to the S-300 and displayed both launchers and radars resembling the Russian system in parades,” he said.

The logistics vehicles were disguised as commercial trucks, likely for road transport camouflage.

On the larger strategic question of whether Israeli air superiority over Iran remains intact, Rubin remained cautious, stating there was not enough public information to provide an answer.

Lt. Gen. (ret.) David Deptula, a former Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance at the United States Air Force headquarters who is Dean of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies and Senior Advisor at the Washington D.C.-based Jewish Institute for National Security of America, told JNS, “It is likely that several S-300 systems were eliminated by IAF F-35 attacks against Iran late last year.”

“The display of the S-300 is not surprising, but certainly does not pose any new air defense threat capability,” he said.

Deptula explained that Israel’s successful targeting of Iranian air defenses on Oct. 26, 2024, has left Iran scrambling to recover. “It is highly probable that Iran is doing all it can to rebuild its air defenses in light of the damage imposed on them by the IAF. Russian and Chinese involvement in assisting Iran in this regard is a certainty.”

Despite these developments, Deptula expressed confidence in Israel’s current continued air superiority in Iranian airspace, arguing that Israel “absolutely” still retained this advantage.

During Israel’s large-scale retaliatory operation against Iran following the firing of some 200 Iranian ballistic missiles at Israel on Oct. 1, 2024, the IAF reportedly used its stealth F-35I fleet and other jets to carry out coordinated strikes on Iranian air defense infrastructure, including radar arrays, command centers, and missile launchers. The attacks also targeted facilities linked to drone and missile production and a nuclear-related site at Parchin.

The April 18 parade was the first time since those strikes that Iran has publicly displayed the S-300, which it originally acquired from Russia in 2016. Tehran has previously boasted about domestic variants modeled after the S-300 platform, including the Bavar-373 system.

On the night of April 13 -14, 2024, Iran fired over 300 ballistic and cruise missiles and drones at Israel, and the vast majority were intercepted by Israel and its allies, particularly the United States.

In response to Iran’s direct attack, Israel conducted a limited retaliatory strike inside Iran in the pre-dawn hours of April 19, 2024. Reports indicated the strike targeted an airbase near Isfahan in central Iran. Specifically, satellite imagery and official sources suggested the target was a radar component belonging to an S-300 air defense battery protecting the area, which includes sensitive nuclear facilities.

Originally published in JNS.