During the Iran– Iraq War, Iran’ s air defense units protected the country against enemy air attacks.

Air defense was established within the Iranian Army Air Force in 1957. Initially, several technical air force officers were sent to the United Kingdom to undergo radar training, laying the groundwork for the creation of an air defense organization in the country. A radar training school was subsequently established within the Air Force Training Brigade. Between 1957 and 1969, twelve years went into building up the groundwork for air defense. The necessary training courses were held in the United Kingdom, the United States, and inside Iran. Required equipment— including British Hydra and Tonic radars and American FPS radars— was purchased and put into operation in the country. In 1969, the current air defense organization of Iran began its activities, and by 1971, the number of radar stations had reached 20, while surface-to-air missile battalions had grown to 14.⁠[1]

The Seacat and Tigercat missiles entered service in 1966, the Rapier missile in 1974 (all manufactured in the United Kingdom), the Hawk missile in 1975 (manufactured in the United States), and the Oerlikon anti-aircraft gun in 1971 (manufactured in Switzerland).⁠[2] In addition, the 23-mm anti-aircraft gun entered service in 1968⁠[3] and the SAM-7 missile in 1976⁠[4] (both manufactured in the Soviet Union). Alongside the Iranian Air Force, the Army Ground Forces, and the Navy were also equipped with some anti-aircraft guns and missile systems.⁠[5]

Before the victory of the Islamic Revolution, Iran’ s air defense was divided into four regions, and each commander reported directly to the central air defense command. Air defense groups consisted of a radar station, Hawk and Rapier missile battalions, and ground-to-air defense weapons such as Oerlikon systems and 23-mm guns, organized in different combinations. During this period, the number of Iran’ s air defense groups reached 21.⁠[6]

With the outbreak of the Iran– Iraq War and the need to strengthen air defense in operational areas, the only readily available missile system was the Hawk, which at the time had a suitable operational range. For this reason, it was decided to move Hawk sites closer to the battlefield in order to provide air cover for operational areas.⁠[7] For example, during Operation Beit al-Muqaddas, starting in late April 1982, three complete Hawk batteries named Tabuk, Badr, and Kheibar were deployed from the air defense groups of Bushehr, Omidiyeh, and Dezful to the operational zone.⁠[8] Along with 166 anti-aircraft guns and 5 Rapier missile units, they engaged enemy aircraft.⁠[9]

Iran’ s air defense units used the same equipment that had been deployed during Operation Beit al-Muqaddas to provide aerial coverage for the 1982 operations, including Moslim ibn Aqil and Muharram.⁠[10] During Operation Muharram, 20 enemy aircraft were shot down.⁠[11]

After Soviet helicopters and aircraft hit the Harmak border area near Zahedan on April 5, 1982— while pursuing Afghan Mujahideen⁠[12]— and Afghan aircraft carried out cross‑border attacks in eastern Iran, air defense transferred 41 anti‑aircraft guns to the Gendarmerie to boost air protection in the region.⁠[13]

The heaviest operation in which Iran’ s air defense was asked to deploy ground-to-air equipment was Operation Kheibar in early 1984. In that operation, air defense support included three Hawk batteries, five Rapier missile units, 12 Oerlikon anti-aircraft units, 38 35-mm guns, 128 23-mm guns, and 28 14.5-mm guns.⁠[14]

On November 16, 1985, the National Air Defense Headquarters was established in order to coordinate air defense activities between the Army and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).⁠[15] Shortly afterward, on January 5, 1986, the Raad Headquarters was formed within the Iranian Army Air Force in two sections— offensive and defensive operations.⁠[16]

With the formation of Raad Headquarters, Iran’ s air defense units gained greater capacity to concentrate on safeguarding the country’ s interior regions. Raad Headquarters covered the battlefronts using the resources and personnel of the Army Air Force Logistics Command and the Air Force Support Center, and even supplied defensive equipment and systems from the logistics depots.⁠[17] Later, during Operation Valfajr 8 in February 1986 and the capture of Al-Faw, air defense succeeded in shooting down 72 enemy aircraft.⁠[18]

The IRGC Air Defense was also established in the early days of the war. After Imam Khomeini (ra) issued an order in September 1985 to form the IRGC’ s three service branches, this unit continued its activities under the title of the Air Defense Command within the IRGC Air Force. As enemy air attacks intensified, strengthening this force became a priority.⁠[19] In 1984, the SAM-2 surface-to-air missile system entered Iran through Libya,⁠[20] and in 1986, the HQ-2 surface-to-air missile system was acquired from China,⁠[21] after which both were organized and made operational. This command carried out numerous missions during the war, including the establishment of Fajr bases for the defense of cities. Among its notable achievements was the downing of an Iraqi MiG-25 over Isfahan on February 15, 1986.⁠[22]

During the Iran-Iraq War, limited radar visibility at low altitudes across much of the Iranian plateau led to the deployment of visual observers around sensitive sites.⁠[23] As a result, 700 observation posts were set up and put into operation across the country.⁠[24]

One of the innovations of Iran’ s air defense during the war was its ability to sound warning sirens in cities even though the country’ s radar systems were not capable of detecting or tracking incoming enemy missiles. When a missile attack was launched toward a city, warning sirens were usually activated 10 to 15 minutes before the impact. Observers stationed along the borders would report the light produced by the flames of missile launches to radar stations. Air defense personnel at these radar stations then compared the reports with data received from listening stations. Through quick and timely reactions, they could determine which city was under threat and activate the warning sirens there.⁠[25]

One of the most tragic events in Iran’ s air defense occurred during the final days of the war. On July 26, 1988, Iraqi aircraft attacked the Subashi radar site in Hamedan, which was responsible for monitoring the operational air defense zone. The site was struck twice with anti-radiation missiles, resulting in the martyrdom of its commander and 18 personnel stationed at the radar site.⁠[26]

During the Iran– Iraq War, Iran’ s operational air defense units— through an extensive network of radar systems and observation posts— detected tens of thousands of enemy air attacks, shot down 605 aircraft, and neutralized 24,862 others through tactical measures.⁠[27]

During the war, 418 personnel from the Army’ s air defense units were martyred, and 459 were wounded,⁠[28] while 487 members of the IRGC’ s air defense forces were martyred and 468 were wounded.⁠[29]

Colonel Nasser Eskandar Afshar, Major General Mahmoud Khazraei (martyred), and Brigadier General Mahmoud Yamini served as commanders of the Iranian Army Air Defense Force,⁠[30] while Muhammad-Ali Ahmadi, Mohsen Ansari, and Mohsen Souhani commanded the IRGC Air Defense Force⁠[31] during the war.

After the war, on February 13, 1993, the National Air Defense Headquarters was reorganized into the Khatam al‑Anbiya (pbuh) Air Defense Headquarters, which became responsible for the country’ s air defense and for coordinating between the Army and the IRGC air defense forces.⁠[32] In 2009, the air defense was separated from the Army Air Force and became an independent branch.⁠[33]