Where is the Iranian army. Iranian Armed Forces: strength and technical equipment

Iran is the most important player in the Middle East. In spite of complicated relationship with a number of countries in the region and some world leaders, this state maintains and builds up its potential in various fields, including in the field of the armed forces. The specifics of the situation in the Middle East makes official Tehran pay special attention to the development of the army and its weapons. As a result, the Iranian armed forces are among the most powerful in their region.

At the end of April, an updated version of the well-known Global Firepower rating was published, which determines the defense potential of many countries of the world. The development of the army and related areas allowed Iran to take 20th place in the general list. With this result, he was ahead of many countries in his region, only behind Turkey (8th place), Egypt (12th place) and Israel (15th place). Iran's GFP score is 0.4024. Consider the factors that allow the Iranian army to have a very high potential, as well as take their places in various ratings.

Troops on parade. Photo by theiranproject.com

The current situation in the Iranian armed forces is described in an interesting way in the latest The Military Balance 2017. The authors of this publication write that Iran still maintains a specific army, which has a lot of outdated equipment, but at the same time is equipped with well-trained personnel, and also has strategic nuclear weapons, which are a key element of security. Indeed, the Iranian army still has some models and equipment that have long been decommissioned in other countries. However, even at the same time, the country manages to maintain a fairly high potential.

On the this moment Iran's population exceeds 82.8 million people. Approximately half of the population is fit for service, each year the draft age reaches 1.4 million people. In total, 523 thousand people are employed in the armed forces. There is also a 350,000-strong reserve, consisting of retired and volunteers.

An interesting feature of the Iranian armed forces is their division into two separate structures with their own command. There is a full-fledged army with ground forces, air force and navy. In addition, there is a separate structure called the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which also has its own ground forces, air force and navy. Despite the formal separation, both the army and the IRGC have similar goals and in most cases must work together.

MBT "Karrar" is one of the latest developments in Iran. Photo Imp-navigator.livejournal.com

The most numerous structure in the Iranian armed forces are ground troops. 350 thousand people serve in them. The command and control of the troops is carried out by five headquarters with the division of areas of responsibility by region. The ground forces have 8 armored brigades, 14 mechanized brigades, 12 light infantry and one airborne brigade. There are also aviation artillery units. The ground forces include 10 special-purpose brigades with different functions.

Iran has a large fleet of armored vehicles, including a variety of models, including long outdated ones. Armored units have over 1,500 tanks of several types. The most numerous (560 units) are vehicles of the T-55 family of Soviet, Chinese and domestic production. There are also 480 newer T-72s. The troops have obsolete American M47s, M48s and M60s in significant numbers. There are 610 Soviet-designed infantry fighting vehicles. The fleet of armored personnel carriers (at least 640 units) includes tracked vehicles of the M113 type or domestic analogues, as well as wheeled BTR-50 and BTR-60 Soviet-assembled vehicles. There are at least 35-40 repair and recovery and other auxiliary armored vehicles.

Artillery units are armed with up to three hundred self-propelled units with guns up to 203 mm in caliber. Available combat vehicles Soviet, American and Iranian production. The most numerous self-propelled guns in Iran is the American M109 - there are one and a half hundred such machines. More than 2 thousand towed artillery systems various types caliber up to 203 mm. As in the case of self-propelled artillery, towed guns were purchased from the USSR / Russia, the USA, or produced independently. There are self-propelled and towed rocket artillery in the amount of approximately 1500 units. The most numerous is the Chinese-made Type 63 launcher - 700 units. The troops have 3,000 mortars with a caliber of 81 to 120 mm.

Fighter F-14 American production. Photo by Wikimedia Commons

The ground forces operate at least 30 operational-tactical missile systems of several types. This weapon is a further development of the Soviet or North Korean systems.

The military air defense has a significant number of MANPADS of the Igla and Strela families, as well as similar Iranian-made models. Also, the troops have more than 1100 anti-aircraft guns of various types. There are self-propelled armored vehicles ZSU-23-4 (up to 100) and ZSU-57-2 (up to 80). Towed anti-aircraft artillery presented various systems from ZPU-2 machine gun mounts to M-1939 guns.

The Iranian army also has its own aviation units. There are about three dozen light multi-purpose and training aircraft of several types of foreign production. Troop support is provided by 50 AH-1J Cobra helicopters and 50 HESA Shahed 285 vehicles of its own production. There are 173 transport helicopters, including 20 heavy CH-47 Chinook and several dozen light Bell 205 and Bell 206. In recent years, the production of unmanned aerial vehicles for various purposes has been mastered.

The ground forces of the army are supplemented by similar units from the IRGC. The ground forces of the Corps are controlled by 31 regional headquarters and include 2 armored divisions, 3 armored brigades, at least 8 light infantry divisions and more than 5 similar brigades. The airborne troops of the IRGC include one brigade. The ground forces of the IRGC are invited to use the same equipment as the main army.

Front-line bomber Su-24. Photo by Wikimedia Commons

Naval Forces Iranian army is equipped with 18 thousand people. The fleet of the army and the IRGC is armed with almost four hundred ships and boats of various types, and the bulk of this equipment is intended to protect the coast.

The fleet has 21 submarines. The main submarine forces are Russian-built Project 877 submarines in the amount of three units. There are also at least 17 small and midget submarines with torpedo armament, built according to two projects of their own Iranian design.

The surface fleet includes 81 ships and boats. There are seven corvettes of three projects, equipped with rocket, artillery and torpedo weapons. 16 missile boats of several types remain in service, and about half of them are used as part of Coast Guard units. Several dozen torpedo boats of a number of projects of domestic and foreign construction are preserved.

Iran has a landing fleet of 13 ships and 11 boats. The largest of the landing ships can take on board up to 10 tanks or 225 soldiers. Boats have a smaller capacity, but some of them have other capabilities due to the use of an air cushion.

Attack helicopter HESA Shahed 285 Iranian development. Photo by Wikimedia Commons

Mine-sweeping forces are represented by five ships of several projects. One of the available minesweepers, however, is based in the Caspian Sea and is used as a training vessel. The rest can decide combat missions in the Persian Gulf.

AT naval aviation Iran serves 2,600 people. The search and destruction of enemy submarines is assigned to 3 P-3 Orion aircraft and 10 SH-3D helicopters. Also, in the interests of the fleet, 16 aircraft and 20 helicopters of various types, intended for auxiliary work, should be used.

Coastal defense formations have several types of missile systems. Also, two brigades are based on the shore. marines with a total of 2600 people.

Military transport aircraft C-130. Photo by Wikimedia Commons

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has its own navy with 15,000 men. Another 5,000 have been consolidated into one brigade of the Marine Corps of the IRGC. The main task of the IRGC fleet is to protect the coast from various threats. To do this, it has more than 110 patrol ships and vessels, including those with anti-ship missile weapons. Artillery and torpedo boats are also used. The IRGC has its own amphibious fleet of four ships. There are coastal defense formations, which are armed with missile systems similar to naval systems.

18 thousand people serve in the air force. In addition, the Air Force includes the Air Defense Forces, in which 12,000 people serve. characteristic problem air force is the presence of a significant number of obsolete foreign equipment. The Air Force has 5 fighter squadrons, 9 fighter-bomber squadrons and 1 similar unit operating front-line bombers. There is one reconnaissance and one naval patrol squadron each. The work of aviation at long distances is provided by tankers of one squadron. Transport tasks are solved by five squadrons, training is conducted on the basis of four. Most of the helicopters are army aviation, however, the Air Force also has several such squadrons.

Fighter aviation is manned by American and Soviet/Russian made aircraft. The most massive (more than 60 units) remains the F-4D / E Phantom II type. There is also a fairly large (more than 55) grouping of F-5 aircraft. In total, more than 260 fighters are in operation. The attack on ground targets is assigned to 39 Su-24 and Su-25 bombers and attack aircraft.

Frigate Jamaran. Photo by Globalsecurity.org

Transport aviation has 117 aircraft, including 12 Il-76 heavy aircraft, 19 medium C-130s and other equipment. In particular, the fleet of light passenger vehicles is equipped with several types of aircraft. American aircraft of several types of the Boeing brand are used as flying tankers. More than 150 propeller and jet aircraft of several types are used to train pilots.

The helicopter fleet consists of 35-40 helicopters of several models. There are at least two heavy CH-47s and more than 30 medium Bell 214s. Not so long ago, the Iranian industry launched the production of its own transport and multi-purpose helicopters, their number in the troops is constantly growing.

Air defense troops belonging to the Air Force are equipped mainly with missile systems. There are more than 500 complexes in service different types with different characteristics. Portable, stationary and mobile missile systems different types of foreign production. The main supplier of air defense systems was Russia, which sold the Tor-M1, S-300PMU2, Strela, etc. systems to Iran. There are also old systems of American, British and French production. A small number of artillery installations are operated.

Coast Guard boats from the IRGC Navy. Photo by Wikimedia Commons

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps also includes rocket troops, which are the basis strategic forces. This branch of the military is composed of several formations that operate missile systems of various types. It is known that the missile troops are armed with at least 12 mobile complexes with missiles medium range"Shahab-3". Another 10 such missiles are deployed using silo launchers. There is information about the presence of Sajil-2 missiles. The group of short-range missiles is represented by about two dozen complexes of the Fateh and Shahab families.

Approximately at the beginning of the current decade, a cyber command was created in Iran, whose tasks include working with information systems and solving relevant special tasks. To date, only the very fact of the existence of such a structure, as well as its belonging to the IRGC, is known. Other information such as numbers personnel, features of technical equipment and tasks to be solved remain a mystery. All information about cyber troops is based only on fragmentary information and various estimates.

In 2016, Iran's gross domestic product reached 12,962 trillion reais (more than $412 billion) - $5,124 per capita. At the same time, GDP growth was observed by 4.5% compared to 2015. Inflation for the year decreased from 11.9% to 7.4%. Last year, 499 trillion reais ($15.9 billion) was allocated for defense spending. These expenditures made it possible to support the armed forces in current state, as well as to ensure the purchase of various new weapons and equipment.

Modern missile systems at the exhibition. Photo by Wikimedia Commons

Significant economic growth is ensured a large number workers - 29.75 million people. The country has just under 173,000 km of highways, over 8,440 km of railways and 850 km of inland waterways. There are 319 airfields and 3 major seaports. The most important element Iranian economy is mining. According to GFP, Iran currently produces 3,236,000 barrels of oil daily and consumes 1,870,000 barrels. Explored reserves reach 158 billion barrels.

For several recent decades Iran is forced to live and work under international pressure and lack of access to many necessary technologies, products, etc. However, the mobilization of own resources and the support of a few friendly states allow the country to obtain the desired results, as well as to have a sufficiently powerful army that compares favorably with a number of other armed forces in the region.

Limited financial and political opportunities lead to noticeable problems in the renewal and modernization of the army, however, even in such conditions, Tehran, on the whole, copes with the difficulties that arise. Thanks to this, political will and certain military capabilities allow the Iranian administration not only to maintain the current state of affairs, but also to intervene in current conflicts. Thus, Iranian military experts are involved in the fight against piracy in the Gulf of Aden, assist in peacekeeping operations in Sudan, and also provide serious support to government forces in Syria.

In general, Iran successfully copes with the existing difficulties and solves the tasks of one kind or another. The mobilization of forces and resources, combined with ideological preparation and other factors, led to the construction of sufficiently powerful armed forces with a relatively powerful potential. From the point of view of defense potential, Iran can deservedly be considered one of the leaders in the Middle East region.

According to materials:
http://globalfirepower.com/
http://globalsecurity.org/
http://armyrecognition.com/
http://waronline.org/
http://vpk-news.ru/
https://regnum.ru/
http://maritime-executive.com/
https://fas.org/
The Military Balance 2017

Iran is certainly one of the most militarily strong states in the Near and Middle East. The power of Iran is determined by a number of reasons. It is, among other things, a vast and rich natural resources territory, a growing population, the absence of a colonial past, as well as the presence of a developed cultural tradition that made it easy to transfer European military and industrial technologies to local soil.

Iran is also one of the most powerful Islamic states. Its military and political potential is noticeably higher than that of Pakistan, which possesses nuclear weapons, which is bound by the presence of a powerful and unfriendly neighbor - India, and an alliance with the United States. Also, Iran many times exceeds the potential of the countries of the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Peninsula, none of which can be compared with it in terms of population and the development of its own industry.

The armed forces of Iran have a classic three-service structure: ground forces, naval and air forces. In addition to the armed forces, Iran has a parallel military structure - the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, abbreviated as the IRGC, within which, in addition to regular formations, the Kode special forces and the Basij resistance forces operate, which are a trained reserve in case of mobilization.

The total number of regular armed forces - the army and the IRGC - exceeds 900,000 people, of which over 670,000 serve in the ground forces, 100,000 in the Air Force, 45,000 in the Navy, 135,000 in the Basij units and 15,000 - in the special forces "Code".

Army

The Iranian ground forces as of 2000 consisted of 44 divisions (32 infantry, seven armored, three mechanized, one airborne and one air assault) and 24 separate brigades (17 infantry, two armored and five airborne). In addition, the Iranian ground forces have seven missile brigades, ten artillery groups, anti-aircraft artillery groups, engineering and chemical units, and army aviation units. The ground forces are armed with 2,400 tanks, about 1,500 infantry fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers, about 2,000 field artillery pieces, over 700 multiple launch rocket systems and 4-5 thousand mortars with a caliber of over 60 millimeters.

Of the 44 divisions of the Iranian armed forces, 12 are part of the ground forces of the army, and 32 are part of the ground forces of the IRGC. To control the infantry, armored and mechanized divisions in the armed forces of Iran, the headquarters of the army corps are used, each of which is usually subordinate to three divisions, not counting individual units.

The largest amount of military equipment is concentrated in army divisions, which have almost 2,000 tanks and 500 armored personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles. The vast majority of armored vehicles are concentrated in units of armored and mechanized divisions, which have the greatest strike power and can be used to conduct maneuver combat operations. Infantry divisions, whose personnel are transported by trucks, are used in secondary directions. Iran's main battle tanks are the T-72 and the Safir-74 tanks; there are up to 1,500 of these vehicles in the armed forces, including up to 1,000 in permanent readiness units. The Safir-74 tanks (also known as 72Z) are a deep modernization of the T-54/55 tanks and the Chinese Type 59 and 69 tanks developed on their basis. upgraded fire control system and enhanced armor. The rest of the tank fleet Islamic republic are obsolete Chinese-made tanks - Type 59 and 69, English - Chieftain Mk 3 and Mk 5, and American - M47, M48 and M60, delivered before 1979.

Tank "Zolfagar-2" Photo from globalsecurity.org

Iran is actively working to modernize its tank fleet. Since 1992, licensed production of T-72 tanks has been established in the country, and work is underway to repair obsolete armored vehicles. In addition, at the end of the 90s of the twentieth century, Iran launched the main battle tank "Zolfagar" of its own design and light tank"Tosan".

The number of armored personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles in the armed forces of Iran is insufficient to provide all parts of the ground forces with light armored vehicles. The largest share among other "classmates" in the Iranian Armed Forces is occupied by BMP-1 and BMP-2, delivered in the 90s of the last century from Russia - there are over 700 of them. In second place are the outdated tracked BTR-50 and wheeled BTR-60 Soviet-made - about 500 cars in total. Rounding out the top three are the American M113s, of which there are more than 200. Finally, Iran has a small number of MTLB transporters (about 50 vehicles) and about the same number of Boragh infantry fighting vehicles of its own production, which are a licensed version of the BMP-1. At the moment, the production of these machines continues.

The Iranian ground forces have a significant number of anti-tank missiles, the production of which has been mastered by the Iranian industry. The main types of ATGMs are copies of the Soviet Malyutka ATGM and the American TOW ATGM.

Artillery units of the ground forces have various artillery systems of 105-203 mm caliber. Most divisions are equipped with Soviet-made 122mm D-30 howitzers, of which there are over 500, and long-range 130mm Type 59 guns, of which there are up to 1,100 barrels. The number of self-propelled guns is relatively small - out of 440 self-propelled guns M-109, no more than 200 vehicles are in service, the rest have been transferred for storage due to a lack of spare parts. At the moment, Iran is considering the possibility of repairing and modernizing the M-109 self-propelled guns on your own.

Iranian multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) are of considerable interest. In the 80s and 90s, Iran developed a large number of various rockets caliber from 230 to 610 millimeters, which can be used both with MLRS and with single launchers. These shells are actively exported by Iran, including to the Hezbollah terrorist group, which used them against targets in Israel during recent hostilities. The combat effectiveness of these shells, especially long-range ones, when used alone is low due to the extremely low accuracy of firing (the circular probable deviation exceeds a kilometer, which ensures "plus minus area" accuracy). Therefore, such projectiles are used primarily for terrorist attacks. To support the combat operations of the ground forces, Iran uses the Soviet-made 122-mm Grad MLRS and their licensed version Hadid, and the Chinese 107-mm Type 63 MLRS.

In general, the Iranian ground forces are superior in strength to the armies of most neighboring countries, especially after the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime and the elimination of the old Iraqi army. Comparable to Iran in terms of power land army from the countries of the region, only Turkey, Syria and Israel can.

Fleet

The Iranian Navy does not have significant combat power. The surface fleet is actually reduced to a nominal structure, with a small number of obsolete corvettes and boats of English and American construction before 1979. In total, the surface forces have five patrol corvettes with a displacement of less than 1500 tons and 23 missile boats. The most combat-ready part of the Navy is the submarine force, which has three Russian-built Project 877EKM submarines, comparable in their performance characteristics to Israeli Dolphin-class submarines.

Despite insufficient forces, the Iranian Navy is able to conduct active fighting in the Persian Gulf due to the presence of a significant number of coastal missile batteries equipped with HY-2 Silkworm and YJ-2 (known as C-802) missile launchers. These Chinese-designed missiles are based on, respectively, the Soviet P-15 and American missile"Harpoon". The last missile can be used by submarines as well. Iran manufactures these missiles under license and exports them. In particular, the S-802 missile, launched on the evening of July 14 from the Lebanese coast and damaged the Israeli corvette Khanit, was supplied by Iran.

In addition, the Iranian Navy has 16-17 patrol aircraft and 30-40 anti-submarine and patrol helicopters of various types.

air force

The Iranian Air Force has approximately 220-240 combat aircraft in combat-ready units. This number is approximate and may turn out to be much higher, since in recent years Iran has established independent production of spare parts for many types of aircraft, which made it possible to repair and put into operation some of the previously unusable machines.

In estimating the number, one can start from the figures of 2000. At that time, the Iranian Air Force had (in combat readiness) about 40 MiG-29 fighters delivered from Russia in the 90s, about 20-25 F-14A Tomcat fighter-interceptors, 60 F-5E Tiger II fighters, 32 F-4E Phantom-II fighter, 30 J-7 fighters (Chinese version of the MiG-21 fighter) and 30 Su-24 bombers. In addition, the Iranian Air Force has approximately 200 reconnaissance, training and transport aircraft.

The basis of the combat power of the army aviation, organizationally part of the Air Force, but operationally subordinate to the army, is the AH-1J Cobra helicopters, of which there are 100 in total and approximately 70-80 combat-ready. In addition, the Air Force has over 150 combat-ready transport and multi-purpose helicopters. Iran also has its own production of helicopters based on American-designed Bell-205 and Bell-206 machines.

The Iranian Air Force, which has a significant amount of equipment, nevertheless does not have a high combat potential due to the diversity of vehicles and the ensuing difficulties in the combat training of flight personnel and the supply of spare parts. AT recent times Iran seeks to reduce the number of types of aircraft in the Air Force, organize the supply of spare parts and repair equipment. In addition, production of modern aircraft is being established in Iran. In particular, since 2000, Iran has been producing the An-140 transport and passenger aircraft under a Ukrainian license (over 50 aircraft were produced at the beginning of 2006), and is also launching the production of aircraft of its own design - the Tazarv combat training aircraft and the Saegheh supersonic fighter. The development and testing of its own supersonic jet fighter, even based on the outdated American F-5E fighter, allowed Iran to enter the "elite club" of states producing supersonic aircraft. Iran is also developing a promising supersonic Shafagh fighter.

The ground forces of Iran's air defense are also subordinate to the commander of the Air Force. Iran has 10 S-200 long-range air defense missile launchers purchased in the 90s from the CIS countries. In addition to these systems, Iran has 150 launchers of the Improved Hawk medium-range anti-aircraft missile system (SAM), for which it has mastered the production of missiles and spare parts, 45 launchers of the HQ-2J SAM (Chinese version of the Soviet S-75 SAM), as well as a small the number of Soviet Kvadrat air defense systems and FM-80 short-range air defense systems (Chinese version of the French Crotal air defense system).

The deliveries of Tor-M1 air defense systems from Russia, which began in 2006, should significantly strengthen Iran's air defense. According to some unconfirmed reports, Iran also has 2-3 S-300 anti-aircraft missile systems of early modifications acquired in the CIS countries.

In parts of the anti-aircraft artillery of Iran, mainly providing cover for the ground forces, there are over 1,000 artillery mounts with a caliber of 23 to 57 millimeters.

Missile weapons

A description of the Iranian armed forces would be incomplete without mentioning the short and medium-range ballistic missiles at their disposal. At the moment, Iran has a significant number of missiles of North Korean and domestic production.

Iran's main ballistic missiles are Shihab-1 and Shihab-2 - analogues of the Soviet ballistic missile "SKAD" of various versions. The technology for the production of these missiles was transferred to Iran, most likely from North Korea. Shihab-1 can hit targets at distances up to 300 kilometers, and Shihab-2 - up to 700, and also has higher accuracy than its predecessor. Also in Iran, the production of Shihab-3 missiles with a flight range of up to 1,500 kilometers has been launched, and more long-range and accurate samples of ballistic missiles are being developed.

Industry

Iran has its own and rather powerful military industry, which will soon make it possible to significantly increase the equipment of its armed forces with military equipment. The country has established or is developing the production of various types of weapons - from small arms to missiles. One of the most important areas is the production of armored vehicles. In the coming years, Iran expects to significantly increase the equipment of its units modern tanks and infantry fighting vehicles. By 2010, Iran may have 2,000 modern main battle tanks and a similar number of BMP-1s and BMP-2s, not counting various types of armored personnel carriers. Iran's aviation industry is capable of supplying spare parts for the available combat-ready fleet of American-made combat aircraft over the next five years, as well as producing, according to various estimates, from 30 to 60 (possibly more) jet fighters, not counting transport aircraft and helicopters.

Iran's missile industry is capable of producing various types of "products", from primitive unguided rockets to complex systems such as short and medium-range ballistic missiles, guided bombs and anti-tank guided missiles.

Iran is also making certain efforts to develop its shipbuilding and ship repair industry. The country mastered the repair of gas turbines, launched the production of light patrol boats and midget submarines for special forces. Negotiations are underway with various countries on the transfer of technologies for mastering the construction of large warships (corvette-frigate class).

Result

In general, Iran is a classic example of what is called "it's too late tomorrow." Today, Iran's armed forces are strong enough to successfully fight the army of any of its immediate neighbors. On the other hand, they cannot be considered a serious adversary for the armed forces of the United States, or, for example, Russia. In the event of an armed conflict between the United States and Iran, the main losses of the United States and its allies, as in Iraq, will be incurred during guerrilla war if they decide to occupy the territory of Iran. But "tomorrow" (several years later), conventional armed forces may not be enough to defeat Iran and conventional means defeats that can be singled out without ruining even such a rich treasury as the US. And then the question of combat use will again be on the agenda nuclear weapons. Or - about the restructuring of the political system of the world in connection with the emergence of another contender for the role of a superpower.

From a military-geographical point of view, Iran's position is very advantageous. It borders directly on countries that, at least for the time being, have not shown any readiness to provide their territory to the NATO and Israeli grouping for a military operation against their neighbor.

Turkey is unlikely to go for it, as it claims to revive influence in the Islamic world and has a difficult relationship with Israel. However, given the involvement in the internal conflict in Syria on the side of opponents of the legitimate government of this country, an ally of Iran, as well as NATO membership, under certain conditions, Ankara can provide its territory for such operations.

Anti-American sentiment is strong in Pakistan. Therefore, the deployment of significant contingents of NATO troops is very difficult. However, Pakistan's economic dependence on the United States and strong pro-American lobbies in the political elite may lead the country's leadership, under certain pressure, to agree to the deployment of troops intended for war with Iran.

Baghdad seeks to maintain at least neutral relations with Tehran and, most likely, will not provide an opportunity for an invasion of its neighbor.

In Afghanistan, the grouping of NATO armed forces is not able to control the territory of the country, where, moreover, there is no sufficient infrastructure to accommodate and ensure intensive combat activities of significant groupings of troops. Saudi Arabia and neighboring Arab monarchies are likely to agree to become a springboard for an operation against Iran. They have a relatively developed military infrastructure that allows them to deploy significant contingents. However, since these countries do not have a common border with Iran, their territory can be used mainly for the deployment of the Air Force grouping.

Iran's military potential is one of the largest in the Middle East. The armed forces are notable for their well-trained personnel. Its fighting spirit is very high, which is largely determined by the fact that Iran is a theocratic state in which Shiite Islam is adopted as the official religion. Today it is one of the most passionate religious movements.

The exact data on the Iranian army is unknown, below are the interpretations of 04.2015 and 08.2014

The military potential of Iran consists of two components: the Armed Forces (Ground Forces, Air Force and Air Defense, Navy) and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, in fact, parallel to the Iranian army.

Data on the structure and number are classified and therefore vary greatly. Observers agree that Iran has the largest and most powerful army in the region, although it is significantly inferior to its neighbors in terms of military budget (from 7 to 10 billion dollars).

The number of Ground Forces is from 350 to 545 thousand people, of which at least 230 thousand are professional contract soldiers, and the rest are conscripts. Subdivided into 10-12 divisions.

In service: 1500-1700 tanks, of which only 100 are modern, Iranian designs; 1100 armored personnel carriers, infantry fighting vehicles and armored vehicles; 3200 guns, only 1100 of them are self-propelled artillery mounts; 900 multiple rocket launchers of various types.

Man-portable anti-aircraft missile systems and anti-tank guided missiles of Soviet and Russian design are present in large numbers.

Navy: 65 obsolete aircraft and helicopters, 5 frigates, 3 corvettes, 28 submarines (Iranian, Soviet, North Korean, British production). "Trump" of the Iranian Navy - three Russian submarines project 877EKM "Halibut" built in the early 1990s.

Air Force and Air Defense System. It has 300 aircraft (of which approximately 130 fighters and 170 attack aircraft) and 200 helicopters. The main body of equipment needs a major overhaul.

Air defense is represented by at least ten Soviet/Russian air defense systems S-200, 45 S-75, 29 Tor-M1 and 30 short-range British Rapira. There were reports of the arrival of several S-300 batteries from Belarus.

Moreover, it must be said that it was the long-term sanctions regime that forced Tehran to start its own production of weapons almost from scratch. Most of the achievements of the Iranian defense industry are copied Western or Russian designs.

Recently there was a message about the start of production anti-ship missiles"Nasr", air defense "Kaem" and "Tufan-5". Next began mass production drones capable of not only "seeing far", but also to strike.

http://cont.ws/post/164663?_utl_t=lj Iran's army... the world's most eclectic | Blog Harry Chemist | KONT

The military equipment of the Iranian army is collected from all over the world. Despite the low level of its own military-industrial complex, the armed forces of Iran have a significant combat potential. The military system of Iran is unique: it coexists with the army, preserved from the Shah's times, and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), created after the 1979 revolution, and both the army and the IRGC have their own ground forces, air force and navy. The IRGC performs the functions of a "second army" and at the same time internal troops Islamic regime...

Soldiers of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps during an Iranian ballistic missile test

From the world to the tank

Some analogue of such a system can be considered the coexistence of the Wehrmacht and the Waffen SS in Nazi Germany. In fact, part of the IRGC is the Basij militia, with a potential strength (after mobilization) of several million people. In addition, the IRGC includes a structure that performs strategic reconnaissance and sabotage functions - the Kods special forces. Both the army and the IRGC are subordinate to the spiritual leader of Iran (now Ayatollah Khamenei), and the elected president is only one of 11 members Supreme Council national security.

There is the Main Political and Ideological Directorate and the same departments of the Armed Forces. There is an apparatus of Islamic observers, without whose sanction no decisions of the commanders are valid (that is, it is a complete analogue of the Bolshevik commissars in the Red Army during the Civil War).

At present, the Iranian Armed Forces are among the most eclectic in the world in terms of equipping with military equipment. They have weapons:

- American, English and French, surviving from the Shah's times;
- Chinese and North Korean, supplied during the 1980-88 war with Iraq and after it;
- Soviet and Russian, re-exported from Syria, Libya and North Korea during the war or bought in the USSR and Russia after it ended;
- own, copied from foreign samples.

Most of the weapons and equipment are outdated, and in relation to Western models, there is also the problem of the lack of spare parts and ammunition.

The newest physically is the equipment of our own production. Iran largely follows the Chinese practice of copying almost any foreign designs it has. However, the scientific, technical and production capabilities of the Iranian military-industrial complex are much lower than those of the Chinese military-industrial complex, so most of domestic technology has a very low quality, which is why it enters the aircraft in small quantities. Of course, international sanctions have a negative effect on the Iranian Armed Forces, due to which it can conduct legal military cooperation only with the DPRK, which is also under sanctions.

Member militia"Basij"

During the war with Iraq, Iranian military personnel, as a rule, demonstrated a very low level of combat training. There are serious doubts that over the past quarter of a century there have been radical changes for the better in this respect.

Since the exact losses of the Iranian Armed Forces during the war with Iraq, the current technical state of military equipment and the production capabilities of the military-industrial complex, the number of armaments of the Iranian Armed Forces is estimated very approximately (this is how the figures below should be treated). Also, data on organizational structure Iranian Armed Forces, especially ground forces.

Below is the total number of weapons and equipment for the Army and the IRGC. Belonging to the IRGC is specifically stipulated in cases where it is reliably known.

What is the Iranian army

The ground forces of the army are divided into four territorial commands: Northern, Western, Southwestern, Eastern. Most of the units are deployed in the west of the country. In total, the ground forces of the Army have five armored divisions, three mechanized divisions, four infantry divisions, one armored brigade, and six artillery brigades. There are also powerful mobile and special forces - airborne and airborne assault divisions, two airborne brigades, four airborne assault brigades, and a commando brigade.

The ground forces of the IRGC have 26 infantry brigades, two mechanized, two tank divisions, 16 infantry, six armored, two mechanized, one chemical protection, one psychological warfare, ten groups (missile, chemical protection, communications, air defense, engineering, five artillery).

The tactical missiles "Tondar" are in service (up to 30 launchers and 150-200 missiles, firing range - up to 150 kilometers). They are copied from Chinese M-7 missiles, which, in turn, are based on anti-aircraft missiles HQ-2 air defense system (Chinese copy of the Soviet S-75 air defense system).

The tank fleet of Iran is extremely diverse. The most modern are 480 Soviet tanks T-72 and about 150 of their own "Zulfikar", created on the basis of the T-72. There are also many old tanks - up to 250 British Chieftains, 75 Soviet T-62s and 150 North Korean Cheonma-ho created on their basis, 540 Soviet T-54/55 tanks (including 200 Safir tanks modernized in Iran itself). "), 220 Chinese Tour 59 and 250 Tour 69, 150 American M60A1, 168 M48, 170 M47. In addition, 110 British Scorpion light tanks and 20 own Tosan tanks created on their basis are in service.

Iraqi soldiers flee the battlefield during the Iran-Iraq War, 1980.

The ground forces are armed with 189 Brazilian BRM EE-9, 623 Soviet infantry fighting vehicles (210 BMP-1, 413 BMP-2), about 700 armored personnel carriers (up to 250 American M113A1, up to 150 Soviet BTR-50 and up to 150 BTR-60, 140 own "Borag").

Self-propelled artillery includes up to 60 Soviet 2S1 self-propelled guns and their local copies "Raad-1" (122 mm), 180 American M109 and their local copies "Raad-2" (155 mm), 30 North Korean M-1978 (170 mm), 30 American M107 (175 mm) and 30 M110 (203 mm). There are over 2,200 towed guns and 5,000 mortars. The rocket artillery is armed with seven old Soviet MLRS BM-11, 100 BM-21 "Grad" and 50 of their local copies of "Nur" (122 mm), 700 Chinese Toure 63 and 600 of their local counterparts "Khaseb" (107 mm), ten domestic "Fajr-3" and nine North Korean M-1985 (240 mm).

There are several thousand ATGMs - American "Tou" (and their local copies "Tufan"), Soviet ATGM "Malyutka" (and their local copies "Raad"), "Fagot", "Konkurs".

Military air defense includes 29 modern Russian short-range Tor-M1 air defense systems and 250 local Shahab air defense systems copied from the Chinese HQ-7 (which is itself a copy of the French Crotal air defense system). There are up to 400 old Soviet MANPADS "Strela-2", up to 700 more modern "Igla", 200 Swedish RBS-70. Up to 100 Soviet ZSU-23-4 "Shilka" and possibly 80 very old ZSU-57-2 are in service. The number of anti-aircraft guns is close to a thousand.

The army aviation has 33 light aircraft, up to 50 American AN-1J Cobra combat helicopters, some of which have been modernized in Iran itself, about 200 multi-purpose and transport helicopters.

The Air Force of the Iranian Army is divided into three Operational Commands: "North", "Center", "South". They include 17 tactical air bases. The IRGC Air Force has five air bases and five missile brigades.

It is in the IRGC Air Force that all ballistic missiles are located (except for the above-mentioned tactical missiles of the ground forces). This is up to 20 launchers (PU) "Shehab-1/2" (up to 600 missiles "Shehab-1", up to 150 "Shehab-2"), copied from the North Korean "Hwaseong-5/6" (flight range - up to 500 km), 32 PU MRBM "Shehab-3" (North Korean "Nodon", up to 1500 km). There is also an unknown number of missiles of other types, the most promising and modern of which should be considered the Sejil IRBM (range - up to 2000 km).

The aviation fleet is extremely eclectic. It includes Western-made cars acquired during the Shah, Chinese and Russian, bought in the 1980s and 90s. In addition, part of the Su-24 bombers, Su-25 attack aircraft and MiG-29 fighters, all Su-22 attack aircraft and Mirage-F1 fighters flew in 1991 from Iraq and were then confiscated by Iran.

Attack aviation consists of Soviet-made aircraft. These are 34 Su-24 bombers, 37 Su-22 attack aircraft (all are in storage awaiting modernization) and 13 Su-25s. All Su-25s are part of the IRGC Air Force.

Testing of medium-range ballistic missiles "Shehab-3".

A significant number of American-made fighters remain in service - at least 27 F-14A (one more in storage), at least 36 F-4D / E, at least 61 F-5. The latter includes several units (not more than 20) of the Saega and Azaraksh fighters, created on the basis of the F-5 in Iran itself. Their mass production is unlikely to be deployed due to the low performance characteristics of these machines.

In addition, the Air Force has ten French Mirage-F1 fighters (8 EQ, two combat training BQs; seven more EQs, four BQs in storage), 28 Soviet MiG-29s (including seven combat training UBs). ), 36 Chinese J-7s (including 12 combat training JJ-7s) copied from the MiG-21.

Reconnaissance aviation consists of American aircraft - seven RF-4E and up to 13 RF-5A based on fighters, one RC-130H based on a transport aircraft.

There are six American tankers (four Boeing 707s, two Boeing 747s) and more than 100 transport aircraft. Of these, 11 Chinese Y-12s, 13 Soviet Il-76s and 10 Ukrainian An-74s are in the IRGC Air Force. One can also note the Iran-140 light transport aircraft, which were created in Ukraine (like the An-140), but are now being produced in Russia and Iran, since Ukraine itself could neither produce nor operate them.

In addition, the Iranian Air Force has 140 training aircraft and 86 helicopters, of which 38 Russian Mi-17s are in the IRGC Air Force.

Ground-based air defense includes 30 British Rapira and 15 Tigercat air defense systems (the latter are most likely decommissioned), seven batteries (42 launchers) of the Chinese HQ-2 air defense system (a copy of the Soviet S-75), 25 batteries (150 launchers) of the American air defense system “Improved Hawk” and its local copy “Mersad”, three batteries of the Soviet “Kvadrat” air defense system (12 launchers) and one regiment of S-200 air defense systems (12 launchers).

The Iranian navy is stationed mainly in the Persian Gulf, but has recently been building up forces in the Caspian Sea.

There are three fairly modern Russian submarines (submarines) of project 877, three small submarines (Besakh, Fateh, Nakhang), 21 ultra-small submarines of their own construction of the Gadir type and four Yugoslav SMPLs of the Yugo type.

Three English-built frigates of the Alvand type remain in the Navy. According to a similar project in Iran itself, two Jamaran-class frigates have been built in recent years (and proclaimed "destroyers"). The Sahand frigate of a more advanced design is being built.

Three old corvettes remain in service - two types of Bayandor, one Khamzeh.

There are ten Chinese missile boats of the Hudong type, ten of the Kaman type (French-built under the Combatant-2 project) and three similar Iranian-built Sina, up to 80 small missile boats of our own construction with small-sized Chinese anti-ship missiles S-701 and S-704.

The streets of Tehran during the presidential elections.

The Navy has 14 "large" and up to 150 small patrol boats, many of which are armed with MLRS or anti-tank systems.

There are five minesweepers. The landing forces include four Hengam-type TDKs, six Ormuz-type TDKs, three small Fouquet TDs, and seven British-built hovercraft (6 VN7, 1 SRN6).

All frigates and missile boats, including Western-built ones, are armed with Chinese anti-ship missiles or their local copies.

The IRGC Navy includes all SMPLs, Hudong-class missile boats, up to 30 small missile boats, and up to 50 small patrol boats. The rest of the ships and boats are part of the Army Navy.

The frigate "Damavand" (the second ship of the "Jamaran" type), the corvette "Khamzeh" (built in 1936), two missile boats of the "Sina" type, several patrol boats, one minesweeper are deployed in the Caspian Sea.

Naval aviation has five US P-3F base patrol aircraft, four US Falcon-20 RER aircraft, 13 transport aircraft, ten US SH-3D anti-submarine helicopters, seven RH-53D minesweeper helicopters, and 17 transport helicopters.

The Marine Corps includes two brigades, including one as part of the IRGC.

In the Coastal Defense - one brigade each (four launchers each) of Chinese anti-ship missiles HY-2 and S-802.

If the world were perfect, then no armies and weapons would be needed and there would never be wars. But the reality is that threats both abroad and within the state put national security under threat. This reality makes many states have a powerful army in the form of human potential and armaments.
There are several outstanding armies that are widely known for their size in combat experience and military equipment. They are among the ten largest armies in the world.

1. China

No wonder the world's most populous country, the Chinese People's Army, ranks first in the world in terms of army size. This nation is known not only for its large area, but also a huge amount of population and, accordingly, the largest army. The Chinese People's Liberation Army was founded in 1927.

Its main part consists of citizens aged 18 to 49 years. The number of 2300000 people. Budget $129 billion per year. Approximately 240 start-ups nuclear missiles. The Chinese army is well trained and has large resources for weapons and mobilization resources in the event of a war, it can put 200,000,000 people under arms. It is armed with 8,500 tanks, 61 submarines, 54 surface ships and 4,000 aircraft.

Russian army

The Russian army is one of the most experienced in the world. Its number is 1,013,628 military personnel (according to the presidential decree of March 28, 2017). The annual budget is 64 billion dollars and ranks 3rd in the world in terms of spending on the army. There are 2,867 tanks, 10,720 armored vehicles, 2,646 self-propelled guns, and 2,155 towed artillery pieces in service. Russia also has the largest number of nuclear warheads in the world.

3.United States of America

US Army

The US Army was founded in 1775. The United States currently has 1,400,000 active military personnel and 1,450,000 active personnel. The defense budget is what really sets the US apart from all the other countries on the list, at over $689 billion a year.
The United States also has the most trained troops and a powerful arsenal. Its ground forces use 8,325 tanks, 18,539 armored combat vehicles, 1,934 self-propelled guns, 1,791 towed artillery pieces, and 1,330 nuclear warheads.

indian army

Located in southern Asia, India is the largest arms importer in the world. With a population of 1.325 thousand soldiers and officers. The army's military budget is $44 billion a year. Also in service are about 80 nuclear warheads.

5. North Korea

Army of North Korea

North Korea has a well-trained and well-coordinated army of 1,106,000, as well as a large number of reservists of 8,200,000 as of 2011. It also has a large number of weapons which include: 5400 tanks, 2580 armored vehicles, 1600 self-propelled guns, 3500 towed artillery pieces, 1600 air defense systems and other powerful weapons. Military service in this state is mandatory for all the term of service in the army is 10 years.
While the totalitarian regime North Korea built a large army, most of its military equipment is considered obsolete. However, they have nuclear weapons, which in turn threatens the stability of the world in this region.

6. South Korea

Photo of the South Korean Army

Next on the list of the largest armies in the world is the South Korean army. In this state, the draft age is from 18 to 35 years, the term of service is 21 months.
Its armed forces are called the Army of the Republic of Korea. It uses both domestic weapons and imported ones. It is armed with 2,300 tanks, 2,600 armored vehicles, 30 air defense systems and 5,300 artillery pieces. The number of its troops reaches approximately 1,240,000 people.

7. Pakistan

pakistani army

The Pakistan Army rightfully ranks among the largest armies in the world. Its headcount is 617,000 people and the personnel reserve is about 515,500 people as of 2011.
Its ground forces use wide range weapons: 3490 tanks, 5745 armored vehicles, 1065 self-propelled guns, 3197 and towed artillery pieces. The Air Force is armed with 1,531 aircraft and 589 helicopters. The naval forces consist of 11 frigates and 8 submarines. With a budget of just over $5 billion, it is the smallest budget of the top ten military powers. Pakistan may be a small country in size, but it is undoubtedly one of the largest armies in the world in terms of size and military prowess. Also, this army is a permanent ally of the United States.

Iranian army

It is said that the most powerful army in the Middle East is the Iranian army. Iran is also known for its large troop strength. It has about 545,000 men, divided into 14 infantry divisions and 15 air bases. Their army is equipped with 2895 tanks, 1500 armored vehicles, 310 self-propelled guns, 860 air defense systems, 1858 aircraft and 800 helicopters. The defense budget is just over $10 billion.

Turkish army

Turkey has the largest army at the point of contact between Asia and Europe. Citizens are called up for service from the age of 20. The call lasts approximately from 6 to 15 months, depending on the educational level of the students. The number of the Turkish army is 1,041,900 people, of which 612,900 are regular military personnel and 429,000 are in the reserve. Its army is also well armed and has 4460 tanks, 1500 self-propelled guns, 7133 armored vehicles, 406 air defense systems, 570 aircraft and helicopters. The annual budget of this army is 19 billion dollars.

10 Israel

Israeli army

The army of the State of Israel is known as the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Every year men who have reached the age of 18 are subject to conscription. Every year about 121,000 men can be drafted into the army to serve in any of its military units. Currently, the Israel Army consists of 187,000 regular soldiers and a reserve of 565,000 people. As a result, the strength of the Israel Defense Forces is about 752,000. The army is equipped with last word equipment and is armed with 3870 tanks, 1775 armored vehicles, 706 self-propelled guns, 350 towed artillery pieces, and 48 air defense systems.

Not all countries in the world need a large army for reliable protection. However, the maintenance of peace and order would not be possible without a well-organized and well-armed army.