Apart from the 50 CM-302 anti-ship missile, the Islamic Republic received Chinese 6 HQ-16B surface-to-air missile systems, 1200 FN-6 MANPADS, 300 Sunflower-200 kamikaze drones, 3 HQ-9B anti-ballistic system, 4 YLC-9B radars, 3 Type 305A radars, 6 SLC-2 counter-battery radar and 50 HQ-19 anti-satellite interceptor missiles, Reuters said.
Considering fast-tracked delivery timeline and secrecy with the deal, China delivered these weapon systems from the Peoples Liberation Army’s inventory which will be replenished later stage.
These military hardware have already been destroyed by the Israeli and U.S. air strikes on day one of the conflict.
A $5 billion deal was secretly signed between Iran and China oil-for-weapon deal to upgrade Iran’s missile inventory. This large deal was to boost Iran’s anti-air and anti-ship capability, as Iran’s surface-to-air missile inventory was completely wiped out by the first Israeli and American strikes after a 12-day war.
Iran has reportedly received anti-ship cruise missiles, as the US threatens strikes on the Islamic Republic and presses its biggest military build-up in the Middle East in decades. Although the negotiations have been on since the past two years, the 12-day war between Israel and Iran in June has accelerated the discussions.
China had been a major weapons supplier to Iran in the 1980s, but that dwindled by the next decade due to international pressure.
About SLC-2 Counter-battery Radar
China’s counter-battery radar capabilities, led by the SLC-2 family are road mobile phased array radar systems based on H-200 radar designed to detect and track incoming missiles to guide counter-fire.
These systems can track multiple targets simultaneously, with some variants operational within eighty minutes to support battlefield air defense.
About The CM-302 Missiles
The supersonic semi-active radar-guided missiles have a range of about 290 kilometres and are advertised as capable of evading shipborne defences by flying low and fast. Their deployment would significantly enhance Iran’s strike capabilities and pose a threat to US naval forces in the region, two weapons experts said, according to Reuters.
CM-302 relies on the same seeker as the C-802 missile, but the Chinese anti-ship missile lacks a data link, satellite link or active guidance at the terminal phase. The ground-launched C-802 and CM-302 receive a single tracking data at the launch phase. Once at cruising altitude, CM-302 does not receive continuous tracking data from the radar, making it ineffective against warships.
The missiles would be among the most advanced military hardware transferred to Iran by China and would violate a United Nations weapons embargo imposed in 2006. The sanctions were suspended in 2015 as part of a nuclear deal with the US and its allies, and were then reimposed last September.
China markets the CM-302 as the world’s best anti-ship missile, capable of sinking an aircraft carrier or destroyer. The weapons system can be mounted on ships, aircraft or mobile ground vehicles. It can also take out targets on land.
According to U.S. CENTCOM, the U.S. has intercepted more than 52 missiles, including anti-ship and ballistic missiles. U.S. Navy’s Arleigh Burke class destroyers intercepted most of the missiles using SM-3 and SM-6 missiles.
At the first wave of U.S. attacks on Iran, the U.S. Air Force destroyed a stockpile of missiles in Tehran. CM-302 anti-ship missiles, HQ-16B anti-air missiles, HQ-9B anti-air missiles and YLC-8B radars were completely destroyed on day 1.
The missile sale underscored the growing military ties between Iran and China and would further complicate US efforts to curb Iran’s missile and nuclear programme.
The move also places China in a position that was long dominated by US military might.
Citrinowicz also told Reuters that China does not want a pro-Western regime in Iran. “That would be a threat to their interests. They are hoping that this regime will stay”, he added.
Last year, the US Treasury Department sanctioned several Chinese entities for supplying chemical precursors to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps for use in its ballistic missile programme. However, China rejected those allegations, saying it was unaware of the cases cited in the sanctions and that it strictly enforces export controls on dual-use products.
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