According to information published by “The Guardian” website on April 12, 2022, Russia would have received military equipment and weapons from Iran for its war effort in Ukraine, including Bavar 373 air defense missile system.
Since the fall of the Soviet Union, Russia and Iran have generally enjoyed very close cordial relations. Iran and Russia are strategic allies and form an axis in the Caucasus alongside Armenia. Iran and Russia were also military allies in the conflicts in Syria and Iraq and partners in Afghanistan and post-Soviet Central Asia.
Due to Western economic sanctions on Iran, Russia has become a key trading partner, especially in regard to the former’s excess oil reserves. While much of the Iranian military uses Iranian-manufactured weapons and domestic hardware, Iran still purchases some weapons systems from Russia. In turn, Iran has helped Russia with its drone technology and other military technology.
The Bavar 373 launches the Sayyad-4 missile which is very similar to the Russian-made 48N6E which is the missile used by the Russian S-300 air defense missile systems. The 48N6E is a vertical tube-launched, solid fuel, single-stage, long-range, Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM) designed to engage aircraft, cruise missiles, UAVs, and Theater Ballistic Missiles (TBMs). It is able to operate in a clutter and jamming environment. 48N6E features high maneuverability, a fragmentation warhead, a proximity fuse, and a semi-active radar guidance system.
According to information published in the Iranian weapons export catalog, the AD-200 is an air defense missile system designed to intercept aerial targets at long range and long altitudes. The air defense system is able to be used in all-weather conditions and can engage simultaneously six targets with 12 missiles. The AD-200 missile can destroy a wide range of aerial targets such as aircraft, helicopters, UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles), and cruise missiles.
Citing the technical features published on the Iranian weapons export catalog, the missile can destroy aerial targets with a range from 5 to 200 km and an altitude from 100 m to 27 km. The missile has a diameter of 515 mm, a total weight of 2,050 kg with a warhead of 180 kg. The missile has an inertial guidance system updated via data link semi-active and active radar homing.