RAAD (anti-tank guided missile)

The Raad (Persian: رعد, "thunder") or RAAD is an Iranian wire-guided anti-tank guided missile based on the Soviet 9M14M Malyutka (AT-3b Sagger) missile.[4][5] The Raad began mass production in 1988 and was publicly unveiled in 1997. It is manufactured by Parchin Missile Industries, a subsidiary of Iran's Defense Industries Organization.[6]

This article is about the family of Iranian anti-tank missiles. For Iran's anti-ship missile, see Raad (anti-ship missile). For Iran's air defense system, see Raad (air defense system). For Pakistan's cruise missile, see Ra'ad.
RAAD
RAAD-T
TypeAnti-tank missile
Place of originIran
Service history
In service1988–present
Used bySee Operators
Wars2006 Lebanon War
Syrian Civil War
Iraqi Civil War
Production history
DesignerKBM
ManufacturerParchin Missile Industries[1]
No. built4,500 (2015)[2]
VariantsSee Variants
Specifications
Mass10.9 kg (RAAD/I-RAAD)
23 kg (guidance System)
Length83 cm (RAAD/I-RAAD)
98 cm (RAAD-T/I-RAAD-T)
Effective firing range400–3,000 m[3]
WarheadHEAT
Blast yield400 mm RHA (I-RAAD-T)
Maximum speed 120 m/s
Guidance
system
MCLOS or SACLOS

The Raad family comes in four variants: the base RAAD missile, a clone of the 9M14M Malyutka-M (AT-3b Sagger); the I-RAAD, with SACLOS guidance, the RAAD-T, with a tandem warhead, and the I-RAAD-T, with both a tandem warhead and SACLOS guidance.

RAAD means thunder in Persian. It is not an acronym and many sources do not capitalize the name. It is not to be confused with several other Iranian weapons also named Raad, such as the Raad-1, the Raad-2, Iran's Ra'ad anti ship missile or Pakistan's Ra'ad cruise missile.

History

During the Iran-Iraq War, Iran had an acute need for anti-tank missiles, necessitating the country to buy AT-3 Sagger missiles.[4] Indigenous manufacturing work began in the tail end of the war[7] and mass production began in 1998,[8] with the Raad being the first anti-tank guided weapon to be built by Iran.[4] The RAAD was obtained with Russian assistance.[9]

The weapon was unveiled on April 30, 1997.[10] The RAAD has almost identical components with 9M14 Malyutka, from the battery to the guidance unit.[11]

According to SIPRI, 1500 RAAD/Sagger missiles were built or imported by Iran between 1996 and 2001[12] and 2,250 from 1996 to 2004.[13]

As of 2015, 4,500 RAADs were made in Iran.[2]

Combat use

Iran supplied Hezbollah with the Raad in the early 2000s and Hezbollah used Raad missiles in the 2006 Lebanon War.[14] Israel captured ten baseline RAAD missiles on the Karine A in January 2002.[15]

The Raad has been used in the Syrian Civil War by Hezbollah fighters.[16] I-RAAD missiles have been used by ISIL fighters in Iraq.[17]

On October 7, 2023, Al-Quds Brigades militants used a RAAD-T during the raid on Israel from Gaza.[18]

Variants

RAAD

The RAAD is an identical copy of the Russian 9M14M Malyutka-M (NATO AT-3b "Sagger").[4]

RAAD-T

The first improvement of the RAAD missile, the RAAD-T has a tandem warhead to defeat explosive Reactive Armor.[19] However, the RAAD-T still uses the obsolete MCLOS guidance of the original RAAD.[7] According to its export material, the RAAD-T has improved maneuverability over the base RAAD[3] and has 400 mm RHA penetration after reactive armor.[20]

I-RAAD

For Improved RAAD, the I-RAAD has a different launcher with a tripod-mounted SACLOS guidance system that makes the missile much easier to aim.[4] The specific SACLOS method is a TV differential tracker.[4] The guidance unit is similar to that of the Chinese HJ-73 system,[4] and possibly the HJ-73C model in particular. First seen in 1998.[11] RAAD missiles can be used by I-RAAD launchers.[4]

It's used to defeat ERA armor.[21]

I-RAAD-T

The I-RAAD-T system combines the tandem-warhead of the RAAD-T missile with the SACLOS guidance system of the I-RAAD launcher.[4] RAAD and I-RAAD missiles can be retrofitted to the I-RAAD-T standard.[3] The I-RAAD-T also includes a simulator that allows operators to be trained on the system without actually firing a missile.[4] 400 mm RHA penetration after reactive armor.[3]

Operators

Non-State Actors

References
  1. "Parchin". 2008-10-15. Retrieved 2009-01-12.
  2. "Iran to continue local production of Russian anti-tank missiles 9M11 and 9M113 TASS 10603161 | March 2016 Global Defense Security news industry | Defense Security global news industry army 2016 | Archive News year".
  4. "AIO Raad Anti-Tank Guided Weapon (Iran), Vehicle-mounted anti-tank guided weapons". Jane's Information Group. 2008-07-02. Archived from the original on 2009-02-27. Retrieved 2009-01-19.
  5. "This Iranian Missile Launcher is a World of Trouble". 28 July 2021.
  6. Iran missile nti.org September 2021
  7. "آشنایی با موشک‌های ضد زره ایران". hamshahrionline.ir. 16 July 2012.
  8. "Arms Deliveries to Iran and Self-Sufficiency". Defense Intelligence Agency. 24 February 1988. Archived from the original on 2018-06-21.
  9. Anthony H. Cordesman; Michael Peacock (19 October 2015). "The Arab-U.S. Strategic Partnership and the Changing Security Balance in the Gulf". CSIS. Retrieved 16 May 2023.
  10. "Missile Chronology, 1997". Nuclear Threat Initiative. February 2006. Archived from the original on February 27, 2009. Retrieved 2009-01-12.
  11. "RAAD series anti-tank weapon systems (Iran), Anti-tank weapons". Jane's Information Group. 2008-12-31. Archived from the original on February 27, 2009. Retrieved 2009-02-20.
  12. Ракетная промышленность, Военная промышленность Ирана (in Russian). War Online. 2002-12-19. Archived from the original on 2003-02-04. Retrieved 2009-01-12.
  13. "Transfers and licensed production of major conventional weapons: Imports sorted by recipient. Deals with deliveries or orders made 1994-2004" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2006-01-11. Retrieved 2009-02-21.
  14. Riad Kahwaji (2006-08-20). "Arab States Eye Better Spec Ops, Missiles". Ocnus.Net. Archived from the original on 2009-02-27. Retrieved 2009-01-12.
  15. Kirill & Oleg Granovsky (2002-07-20). "Weapons Found on 'Karine-A' and 'Santorini'". Archived from the original on 2003-02-10. Retrieved 2009-02-20.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  16. Yiftah S. Shapir. "Observations on Hizbollah Weaponry" (PDF). INSS.
  17. "As ISIS Continues to Gain Ground, Here's What the Militants Have in Their Arsenal". Business Insider.
  18. https://www.armyrecognition.com/defense_news_october_2023_global_security_army_industry/al_quds_brigade_deploys_from_gaza_iranian-made_raad-t_missile_in_attack_on_israeli_target.html
  19. "AT - 3 SAGGER / HJ-73 Hongjian (Red Arrow) Anti-Tank Guided Missile".
  20. Terrorism: Documents of International and Local Control, Volume 92. Oceana Publications, 2008. p. 211
  21. "ODIN - OE Data Integration Network".
  22. The Military Balance 2019. International Institute for Strategic Studies. February 2019. p. 341. ISBN 978-1857439885.
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