Iran unveils for the first time its new AD-08 Majid short-range mobile air defense (SHORAD) missile system mounted on an Iveco Daily 4×4 light truck during a military exercise. The AD-08 Majid is a short-range and low-altitude air defense missile system fully developed by the Iranian defense industry. The missile system is designed to intercept and destroy UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Systems), cruise missiles, helicopters, and low-altitude aerial targets. The missile launcher station of the AD-08 Majid is mounted on the Iranian-made Aras-2 4×4 tactical vehicle. The AD-08 was unveiled in January 2022 but mounted on the ARAS-2, an Iranian-made 4×4 tactical vehicle that was developed based on the F-4. 5 Toyota Land Cruiser chassis.
The AD-08 Majid is fitted with a weapon station that has a traverse of 360° and two pods of four missile launcher canisters are mounted on each side. the center of the turret is fitted with electro-optical systems used to acquire targets and to guide the missile. The system is able to acquire aerial threats at a maximum range of 15 km with a traverse of 360° and elevation from 0 to 12°. It can four targets simultaneously. The missile used by the AD-08 Majid air defense system is equipped with passive imaging infrared (IIR) homing guidance system. It can hit targets with a range from 700 m to 8 km with an altitude from 20 m to 6 km. The missile has a diameter of 156mm, a length of 2,670 mm, and a total weight of 75 kg.
The AD-08 can be also integrated with the Kashef-99 radar, a 3D mobile phased array system with a range of 12 kilometers used to detect small aircraft. Kashef is a series of Iranian early warning radars developed by SAIRAN. Currently there are three versions in service, Kashef 1, Kashef 2 and Kashef 99. Kashef 99 is a 3D phased-array radar system that is carried on a vehicle, suitable for detecting small aircraft and objects and has a range of 12 km. Kashef-99 can detect 300 targets simultaneously. Iran has in recent years made great headways in manufacturing a broad range of military equipment, including air defense systems that use cutting edge technologies. Tehran has repeatedly stated that its military might is defensive in nature and poses no threat to other countries.
The Iveco Daily is a large light commercial van produced by the Italian automaker Iveco since 1978; it was also sold as the Fiat Daily by Fiat until 1983. Unlike the more car-like unibody Fiat Ducato, the Daily uses a separate ladder frame typical of heavier commercial vehicles. The Iveco Daily is produced at the Iveco Suzzara plant, near Mantova in Italy, where Iveco has recently made substantial investments to renew the production lines. The Daily is also the longest-running vehicle of the Iveco production and in over 40 years have sold over three million units. Today it is marketed in 110 markets around the world. The third generation Daily was introduced in July 2014. Compared to the previous model, the vehicle has been completely revised; only the range of engines was retained.
