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Iraqi army now equipped with latest generation of air defense missile systems Pantsir-S1 and SA-24 0

Iraqi Army air defense missile system

Wednesday, October 1, 2014 09:57 AM

Iraqi army now equipped with latest generation of air defense missile systems Pantsir-S1 and SA-24.

The official website of the Iraqi ministry of Defense has just released some pictures with the delivery of Russian-made air defense missile systems Pantsir-S1 and Man-Portable Air Defense System (MANPADS) Igla-S SA-24 Grinch. Now, the Iraqi army is equipped with new generation of air defense systems.

Iraqi Army Pantsir-S1 is armed with two 2A38M 30mm automatic anti-aircraft guns developed from the two-barreled 30mm GSh-30 gun, coupled with twelve 57E6 surface-to-air missiles on launchers.

In October 203, Russia has announced the supply of weapons to Iraq under contract signed in 2012. The contract, worth over $4 billion, accounts for the supply of 48 Pantsir-S1 anti-aircraft missile gun systems and 40 helicopters Mi-35 and Mi-28NE.

The counselor of the Prime Minister of Iraq, Ali al-Musawi said “The Iraqi defense system, created with the assistance of the U.S. and the West, has as its main objectives the protection of the country's sovereignty and the fight against terrorism.”

The latest pictures published by the Iraqi Ministry of Defense also show that Iraqi armed forces are now equipped with the latest generation of Russian-made MANPADS Igla-S (SA-24 Grinch).

The Pantsir-S1 combines surface-to-air missiles and anti-aircraft dual auto-cannons capable of engaging aerial targets at medium- and short-range. The Pantsir-S1 is designed to work in tandem with long-range SAM systems like Russia’s S-400 to protect critical infrastructure against air strikes.

Iraqi army soldier demonstrates Russian-made SA-24 Igla-S man-portable air defense missile system.

The SA-24 Grinch (Russian name Igla-S 9K338) is the latest generation of Russian-made man-portable air defense missile system.

The launcher unit 9P522 fires the missile 9M342. The effectiveness of the 9M342 missile against air targets is attributed to the increase weight of the explosive in the missile's warhead and to the impact/proximity fuze enabling the missile to kill the target both in the event of a direct hit and when it passes at a distance of up to 1.5 m from the target. The target engagement has increased to 6 km compared with the 5.2 km of the Igla (SA-16 / SA-18) system.