Iran, Russia keep world in dark, secretly test fire S-400 air defence system

Iran reportedly conducted its first operational test of the Russian S-400 Triumf air defence system. The test took place on July 26, highlighting Tehran's focus on enhancing its air defence following the 12-day conflict with Israel.

The Iranian regime had deployed the Russian S-400 system near the strategically important city of Isfahan. The move marks a seismic shift in their military's ability to protect its airspace against adversaries—especially Israel and the United States.

Iranian media outlet Birun.info reported that the deployment of the Russian air defence system included the 91N6E acquisition radar ‘Big Bird’, 92N6E ‘Grave Stone’ engagement radar, a command and control unit, and multiple mobile surface-to-air missile launchers.

According to reports, the missiles fired during the test included the 48N6E3, which has a range of up to 250 kilometres, and the 40N6, which is capable of destroying high-value airborne targets at distances of up to 380 kilometres.

In the recent conflict with Israel, reports claimed that the Iranian air defences fell short in deterring Israeli fighter jets. Even though there were sparse rumours that Iran’s Bavar 373 system downed Israeli warplanes, there was no official confirmation of those claims.

During the war with Iran, Israel released videos of its fighter jets refueling en-route to Iran. Notably, refuelers played a critical role in Israel’s aerial combat capabilities against Iran.

Now, with the S-400 and its long-range missile systems, those refuelers could become vulnerable targets, potentially putting Israel’s air fleet at risk of running short on fuel mid-mission.

With the long-range 40N6 missile, Iran can now threaten high-value aircraft such as E-2D Hawkeyes, JSTARS, KC-135 tankers, or even stealth fighters, from up to 350 kilometers away.

The deployment of such long-range systems will also force Israel and the US to rethink their airborne ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance) and strike operations, particularly around Iran’s nuclear and missile development sites.

Despite the S-400’s limited detection capabilities against stealth aircraft, Tehran’s enhanced defences will force Israel to reconsider its aerial warfare strategies.

Notably, Israel’s only real advantage over Iran has been its air force.

Moreover, all of the US allies in the Gulf have reportedly refused to allow Israel to land its warplanes at US bases in the Middle East, further limiting Israel’s operational reach.

A separate report also suggests that Saudi Arabia denied a US request to supply air defence missiles to Israel. Washington had asked Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to help replenish Israel’s interceptors after Iranian attacks strained their missile defense capacity.

Reports further claim that Bin Salman wanted Israel to suffer at the hands of Iran.

The fear among Middle Eastern nations is rising as Israel continues to assert its military dominance. Many Arab leaders fear that if Tehran falls, they could be the next targets.

While reports of the deployment are being widely discussed among defence experts as a major development, Iran has remained silent on the matter.

However, regional OSINT (Open-Source Intelligence) platforms monitoring the area have reported unusual electromagnetic emissions consistent with S-400 radar profiles and have noted transport signatures matching S-400 components.

Earlier, several OSINT reports confirmed the landing of a Russian Ilyushin Il-76 military cargo plane in Tehran. The suspicious arrival of the Il-76 fueled speculation that Russia was supplying weapons to Iran.

The clandestine landing of the Russian aircraft coincided with an expansion of Iran’s radar coverage. Experts suggest that the cargo plane’s arrival on July 26 may have delivered the final S-400 missiles or critical fire-control software upgrades.

Notably, Iran had previously shown little interest in acquiring the S-400, insisting that its indigenous Bavar 373 system already provided similar capabilities.

However, experts have questioned these claims, citing Tehran’s limited technological base and experience in developing long-range air defence systems.

It is also believed that Russia’s decision to supply the S-400 may have been influenced by its failure to deliver SU-35 fighter jets that Iran had ordered.

Iran had planned to integrate the SU-35s into a multi-domain defense network to counter any potential foreign aggression. But Russia’s failure to fulfill that order reportedly irked Tehran.

With Russia’s military strained in the war with Ukraine, the S-400 delivery to Tehran is seen as an interim solution to Iran’s defence requirements.