IRGC'S Azarakhsh missile is air-launched and is installed on combat helicopters such as the Kobra.
Azarakhsh missile has an infrared seeker in its nose,
with the help of which it locks on the desired target and goes towards it.
This seeker can lock onto the target from a distance of 6
km and direct the missile towards it. It is also a fire-and-forget missile.
in 2021, Iran has reportedly fired its enigmatic Azarakhsh missile,
which is believed to be a clone of the American-made AIM-9 Sidewinder missile,
from one of its drones during a recently-held war drill.
Video footage of the war games shows the Iranian
military using its Karrar drone to launch the Azarakhsh missile.
Earlier, there were reports that Azarakhsh was
a combination of an anti-tank and a short-range surface-to-air missile.
There were visuals of how the missile was launched from the belly of the Karrar “interceptor drone”,
which had taken off from a truck-mounted launcher.
According to reports, the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Air Defense Force used the drones
to bring down the hypothetical aerial target on the second day of the exercise.
It was the first time that the missiles were used in any drill.
Military spokesperson, Rear Admiral Mahmoud Mousavi, said that the drills involving
drones were aimed at creating a strong defense mechanism at the nation’s borders.
“Today, the borders are being carefully monitored and observed by the Army via
drones equipped with surveillance and electronic information systems,” he said.
“Today, the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Army is
capable of giving a strong response to any aggression by the enemy,” said Mousavi.
The Azarakhsh (thunderbolt) missile reportedly weighs around 155 pounds.
According to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the missile is approximately 122
inches long, has a top speed of 1,230 miles per hour, and a range of just greater than 6 miles.
While the exact nature of the missile still remains a mystery,
experts believe it to be a derivative of the US-made AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missile.
The AIM-9 Sidewinder is a short-range air-to-air missile that was inducted into the United States
Navy in 1956 and was subsequently adopted by the US Air Force in 1964.
It stands as the most widely used air-to-air missile in the West, with more than 110,000
missiles produced for the US and 27 other nations.
Thousands of these missiles had earlier been delivered
to Iran before the revolution that ousted the Shah in 1979.
Contrary to the suggestion of the missiles being adapted to drones under the drills, the IRGC had
earlier described the missiles as weapons for helicopters and ground-based launchers.
According to reports, the targets used in the drills were said to have “low
radar cross-section”, however, no further information was provided regarding it.
First revealed in 2010, the Karrar unmanned aerial vehicle
was produced by the Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industrial Company.
The drone has a maximum range of around 620 miles,
and is launched using a rocket booster, and can be recovered by a parachute.
The latest exercise highlighted the version of the Karrar drone which appeared to be
fitted with an infrared sensor in the nose. While its function was not completely clear,
as per unconfirmed reports, it converts the drone into a “suicide interceptor”,
which helps it to destroy an aerial target like a heat-seeking missile.
Last year, in a similar fashion to the current Iranian drill, Russia’s Okhotnik unmanned combat
air vehicle (UCAV), was reportedly flight-tested with air-to-air missiles for the first time.
However, unlike the Iranian drill, no weapons were actually launched from the drone.
Meanwhile, Azarakhsh is designed based on
Sidewinder AIM-9J air-to-air missile, which Iran also owns.
This missile is based on the fuselage of the Sidewinder with a new seeker,
the infrared imaging camera, in the role of air-to-air and air-to-surface.
Azarakhsh was made with two types of hollow and cylindrical warheads,
which are anti-armor and anti-aircraft models. In fact, except for the shape of the fuselage,
everything from the engine to the nose sensor is different from the Sidewinder.
Compared to Sidewinder, Azarakhsh is lighter and also has less range and speed than Sidewinder.
Of course, Sidewinder is an air-to-air missile and high speed is necessary for it,
but Azarakhsh is an air-to-surface missile and does not need that high speed.
It should be said that the range of Azarakhsh for a missile launched from a helicopter is
quite appropriate and in accordance with the standard. The weight reduction also makes
it easier for the helicopter to carry the missile. Of course, the weight of
this missile is significantly higher than other air-launched anti-armor missiles such as Almas.