Iran’s defense ministry has unveiled the upgraded version of the Bavar-373 mobile long range surface-to-air missile system with improved range. Bavar-373 system was initially capable of destroying targets at 200km and now the upgraded system, aiming to attack targets at very long ranges, including ballistic missiles, fighter aircraft, and bombers can destroy targets at 300km. Iran describes it as a competitor with the S-300 missile system. It is manufactured by the Iranian Defence Ministry in cooperation with unspecified local manufacturers and universities.The state-controlled media Presstv reported that the long-range test of the Bavar-373 system, a stationary target was detected at a range of more than 450km by the optimized radar of the Bavar 373 system, and it was tracked at a range of about 405km and was hit and destroyed at a range of more than 300km.
The Bavar-373 system detection radar was said to have increased from 350 to 450 kilometers, and the range of its engagement range has risen from 260 to 400 kilometers. It also noted that the missile range has gone from 200 to 300 kilometers, and its engagement altitude has increased from 27 to 32 kilometers. The report also announced the launching of the Sayad B4 missile’s production line, saying the long-range missile, running on solid propellant, was operationally evaluated for the first time. The Bavar-373 system was formally unveiled during a ceremony attended by former Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on August 22, 2019. It was reported at the time that the road-mobile system can detect targets or planes at more than 300 kilometers, lock them at about 250 kilometers, and destroy them at 200 kilometers.
Bavar-373 is an Iranian long-range road-mobile surface-to-air missile system unveiled in August 2016. Iran describes it as a competitor with the S-300 missile system. The system was formally unveiled during a ceremony attended by the Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on 22 August 2019, and was declared operational the same day. After the Russian ban on exporting S-300 to Iran (which was lifted in 2015), Iran decided to develop a similar system domestically. It was later revealed that the name of the system will be Bavar 373. Bavar meaning “belief” and 373 which is the Abjad number of prophet Muhammad’s name. In April 2022, reports surfaced which claimed that Iran had transferred a Bavar-373 system to Russia for use in the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Iran Foreign Minister Amir Abdolhainnan refuted allegations of arms transfers to Russia in a call with Ukraine Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.
In April 2015, Iran unveiled some of Bavar’s subsystems, which include the Fakour commanding and smart control system which has the ability to collect information from all sources relevant to air defence, including passive and active military radars (such as the Mersad), signal surveillance, missile systems and commanding and control systems. The Rasoul advanced communications system is for encoding information, connecting the country’s infrastructure and transferring radar information from the battle scene to commanding centres. Bavar-373 will utilize Sayyad-4 missiles, which are contained in two rectangular launch canisters. No formal information was given about this missile but it appears from news photos that Sayyad-4 is similar to Sayyad-3 in wings and control surfaces, however it varies lightly in frontal shape. The canisters containing the Sayyad-4 missiles are to be carried on the Zoljanah 10×10 truck.
