Iranian Forces

[wesside]

A couple of days ago I met an Iranian fellow. He was quiet patriotic, so he was talking about how his country is able to stand up to the United States. Since I don’t know much or at all about the Iranian forces, I couldn’t say anything. Anyways can anyone of you guys provide an analysis of the Iranian forces capability?

Will be grateful

Thanks.

 

[dabrownguy]

Conventially they'll get owned! No joke. It'll be the Gulf War all over again. If the US forces dicide to stay than Gueriallia warfare may get the best of them. Basically US forces won't be able to take Cities well but could take a lot of other terriotry with a lot of success. Iran would be screwed. Although I think they might have one or more nukes hidden, but if that happnes then consider 30 million Iranians cockroach food.

 

[Pathfinder-X]

Iran's military is alot stronger than Iraqis. With over 2000 T-72, Chieftain, and Type-69 MBTs. Airforce consist of about 78 F-14(1/3 are operational), over 100 F-5s, and few newly developed fighters. They also have Mig-29s from Iraqis. I do expect they would put up a tougher fight than Iraq.

 

[srirangan]

Three days US gains total air superiority;
2 weeks US Armoured divisions marching towards Tehran;
3rd week, city seige and Iranian surrender.

 

[beleg]

There is no nation that can resist the military might of USA in conventional warfare for too long anyway.. Smartest move by Iranians would be to use asymetric warfare against the invading forces. I think due to their point of view of USA they will give a much more bloddy welcome. It wont be as easy for Americans due to geographical conditions of Iran as well.

America can surely win a war against anyone.. But can they sustain their invasion and victory after the enemy surrenders and goes underground?

I think we all see that the answer is a big NO.

 

[Sep]

Irans main military, that is the regular forces which are around 700,000 and include the navy, the air orce and a few groundforces will be defeated in 1 month at most. The we have the Pasdaran. There is not many of them but these same people not only stopped the advance of the 4th largest army in the world which had the backing of both communists and capitalsts, but also gained ground and even tried to take over the country which was their enemy and were only stopped when they were constantly attacked by chemical weapons. Now these same people have the weapons and technology that they didnt have before. They will go down in around 6 months. Then there is the Basijis. These guys are probebly one of the (if not the) largest armed groups in the world. They number from 6-10 million and are specifically trained for gurila warfare. Now these guys are the only people that can threaten the US forces and will probely not havea backbone after around 5 years. So clearly the US can beat Iran militarily if they are willing to pay the price ( they didnt in Vietnam and the will not in Iran). Now politically it will be suicide for thhe US to start a war with Iran because Iran is allied with the two other majour powers in the world (russia and china) and is the majour provider of oil to china and japan who recently signed new multle-billion dolour deal with Iran. Economically these is suicide for the whole world. If the US does not enter Iran and control every thing within 3-4 months the oil could rise to over $80 as it did after the Iranian revolution. And also before I forget Iran probebly has the largest ballsitic missile and they actually do have chemical and biological weapons and if they have nukes then they can simply bomb the Starit of Hormuz and pretty much make the whole world's economy colaps. And dont forget the 300 balistic missiles in the arab countries which point to Israel and are ready to be launched if Iran is attcked, and also dont forget the terrorists that are supported by Iran that have been quite for some time but will be reactivated at Iran's will, and also dont forget the youth movment which is backed by many all around the world, if the US attacks those sypthysers will not be happy either. Other than that good luck to all the people of the world and I sicerely hope that no war will ever take place.

 

[P.A.F]

i think iran would put up a good fight against the americans.

there order of battle : First Army Headquarters Tehran
Second Army Headquarters Esfahan
Third Army Headquarters Shiraz
28th Mechanized Division Kerman
84th Mechanized Division Khorramabad
18th Armored Division Tehran
81st Armored Division Qazin
88th Armored Division Ahvaz
30th Infantry Division Tehran
40th Infantry Division Hamadan
58th Infantry Division Ahvaz
64th Infantry Division Bandar 'E Mah Shahr
77th Infantry Division Tabriz
23rd Special Forces Division Tehran
55th Parachute Division Tehran
351st SSM Brigade Tehran
75th Logistics Brigade


there airforce:
F-4 Phantom
F-5 Tiger
Shenyang F-6
F-7 Airguard
F-14 Tomcat
MiG-29 Fulcrum
Su-17/20/22 Fitter
Su-24 Fencer
Su-25 Frogfoot


Navy:
IIN Insignia. IIN Fleet Insignia.

IIS Kooseh. IIS Korosh.

HavaDarya (Hovercrafts & Helicopters) IIS Palang
IIS Babr IIS Saam Class
IIS Bayandor Class IIS Kaman class
IIS Artemiz IIS Simorgh Class
IIS Tonb IIS Char Bahar
Special Forces IIS Sohrab
IIS Hormoz IIS Keyvan Class
IIN Fleet Insignia.
IIS Korosh.
IIS Palang
IIS Saam Class
IIS Kaman class
IIS Simorgh Class
IIS Char Bahar
IIS Sohrab
IIS Keyvan Class

if america somehow does try anything then it would suffer heafty losses.

 

[highsea]

P.A.F., how could any of that hurt the US? None of it can hit us, it's a military designed for the ME. Assuming the US was going to attack Iran, why would we care about any of the machinery? We wouldn't be trying to occupy the country, just wreck the hardware. That wouldn't be hard to do...

 

[P.A.F]

obviously no body can get in the UsA's way but what i'm saying is that the US will face alot of destruction if they where to attack. the thing is that the iraqi army fleed this war because they were not under saddams control anymore. however the iranian army is loyal to the katami ragime and they would fight to the death. as for the airforce navy. well god knows what the iranians are up to in those 2 fields. obviously the USA would win this but the thing i'm saying is that they would have to pay a heavy price for it. Don't take iran for granted

 

[turin]

I widely agree with highsea. If the pure intend of the US would be to wreck Iran, this can be accomplished without any major casualties. The US have such a wide array of standoff- and long range attack weapons that Iran couldnt even use its equipment even if it is granted that everything in its arsenal is combat ready (and I seriously doubt that).

the thing is that the iraqi army fleed this war because they were not under saddams control anymore.

If you're speaking of the last war then this is a rather weak example since there was basically no iraqi army in existence. The last war in the ME comparable to such a scenario would be the one of 1991, where Saddam was in full control of his army. See what use it was? They fled nevertheless.

however the iranian army is loyal to the katami ragime and they would fight to the death.

Yeah the very same was said about the iraqi forces prior to 1991. They fought hard against Iran, veterans everywhere, yet still they fled the Coalition Forces when they realized what they where up against. I dont value the iranian loyalty to the Katami regime more than that of the iraqi army to Hussein in 1991 and even if it would be better...what is it worth when you cant see the enemy attacking you?

as for the airforce navy. well god knows what the iranians are up to in those 2 fields.

We mostly know and its not that impressive. Within the navy perhaps the most dangerous vessels would be the three Kilos, however I am rather sure the CBG can deal with them.
As for the air force, most of the F-14 are mothballed for good reasons, as well as most of the F-4 and F-5. A combination of about 25 F-14 and around thirty or so MiG 29, all quite old versions, arent that impressive when fielded against what the US can offer in an all-out strike.

I agree that occupation of Iran is not desirable since we would see about the same result as in Iraq now, perhaps with some more casualties for the US. However this would be achieved due to assymetric warfare, not with a working iranian army.

 

[yasin_khan]

Total Military Force
Active: 540,000
Reserves: 350,000

Army (350,000)
5 Corps HQ
4 Armored Divisions with 3 Armored 1 Mechinized Brigade, 4-5 Artillery Battalions
6 Infantry Divisions with 4 Infantry Brigades, 4-5 Artillery Battalions
2 Commando Divisions
1 Airborne Division

Navy (18,000)
Bases: Bandar-e Abbas (HQ), Bushehr, Kharg Island, Bandar-e Anzelli, Bandar-e Khomeini, Bandar-e Mahshahr, Chah Bahar

Air Force (52,000)
including 15,000 Air DefenseParamilitary (40,000 active)
Basij: 300,000
Law Enforcement Forces: 40,000

Strategic Force
There are ongoing investigations by the International Atomic Energy Agency concerning Iran's compliance with the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. At the end of August 2003, the IAEA stated in a confidential report leaked to the media that trace elements of Highly Enriched Uranium (HEU) were found in an Iranian nuclear facility. In June of 2003, a IAEA Director General report stated that Iran had not met the obligations required of it by the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. A November 2003 report identified further violations. In February 2004 it was discovered that Iran had blueprints for an advanced centrifuge design usable for uranium enrichment that it had withheld from nuclear inspectors. In December 2003, Iran signed an additional protocol authorizing IAEA inspectors to make intrusive, snap inspections of Iran's nuclear facilities. The protocol was signed as an addition to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. Continued uncertainties surrounding Iran's uranium enrichment activities were addressed in the IAEA's June 2004 report.

 

[yasin_khan]

Tosan
In December 1997 it was reported that Iran has manufactured a light battle tank that it intends to mass produce in the near future for unconventional warfare. Named Tosan [Towan] [Wild Horse or Fury], the tank is said to be capable of rapid response and built for strategic missions. Tosan is equipped with a 90 mm gun, an imrproved firing and targeting system and does not require special trucks to carry it. Iran claims it is nearly self-sufficient in arms.

Zulfiqar
The Iranian Zulfiqar [Zolfaqar] main battle tank is believed to be pieced together or developed from major components of the Russian T-72 and American M48 and M60 tanks. This tank, which is claimed to be in production in Irana, is said to be similiar in configuration to the M-48 and M-60. In April 1997 Acting Commander of the Ground Forces of the Iranian Army, Lieutenant General Mohammad Reza Ashtiani announced that the mass production of Zulfiqar tanks, which began in 1996, was still in progress. He stated that the manufacture of 520 different kinds of tank parts, 600 artillery parts, repair of 500 tanks and armored vehicles have been carried out. In late July 1997 Iranian President Hashemi Rafsanjani of Iran formally inaugurated a production line for the domestically manufactured Zulfiqar main battle tanks and Boragh tracked armoured personnel carriers. The facility will also produce the BMT-2 personnel carrier identified. Iran has reportedly developed a new explosive reactive armour (ERA) package that can be fitted to existing or new build MBTs to provide protection against kinetic and high-explosive anti-tank projectiles. If fitted to existing Iranian MBTs it would considerably increase their battlefield survivability.

Cobra BMT-2
The Iranian Cobra or BMT-2 armored personnel carrier appearss to be an indigenous design armed with a 30 mm gun or the ZU-23-2 anti-aircraft gun—a light automatic weapons system that Iran has been manufacturing for some years. Like the Zulfiqar main battle tank, the Cobra has been undergoing field trials in Iranian military exercises since May 1996. In late July 1997 Iranian President Hashemi Rafsanjani of Iran formally inaugurated a production line for the domestically manufactured Zulfiqar main battle tanks and Boragh tracked armoured personnel carriers. The facility will also produce the BMT-2 personnel carrier identified.

Saghegh
Iran now makes a number of anti-tank weapons. These include the Saghegh , an improved version of the manportable RPG-7 anti-tank rocket with an 80 mm tandem HEAT warhead instead of the standard 30 mm design, the NAFEZ anti-tank rocket, and a copy of the Soviet SPG-9 73 mm recoilless anti-tank gun. The Nader in an Iranian 44mm anti-tank rocket with a range of 400 meters able to penetrate 30 cm of armor.

Thunder 1
In May 1996, Iran claimed to have successfully tested its first locally made self-propelled gun, the 122 mm Thunder 1. This vehicle is apparently a modification of a Russian 122 mm gun, with a firing range of 15,200 meters and a road speed of 65 kilometers per hour. It may use the Iranian-made Boragh chassis, a modification of the Chinese Type WZ 501/503 armored infantry fighting vehicle.

Thunder 2
In early September 1997 it was reported that Iran had successfully tested a locally built rapid fire mobile field gun known as "Thunder 2." The Defense Industries Organization claimed that the 155 mm self-propelled gun had a high firing rate, accuracy and mobility. It was described as being able to fire five rounds per minute and move with a speed of 70 km (43 miles) per hour in the battlefield. The gun's range was reported as 30 km (19 miles), and it also includes features such as a laser range-finder and a semi-automatic loading system.

http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/land/row/index.html

 

[P.A.F]

if america starts anything then it will suffer in my point of view. if they start a war then they would want the katami regime out and to do that they have to invade. and the cilivians of iran are against an invasion therfore they would attack . therefore america would be in a worse situation then iraq.

 

[yasin_khan]

After opening rounds in Afghanistan and then in Iraq USA is not that fool to invade directly Iran.USA will first finish the game in the both countries then he will do something with Iran with out directly invading it.

 

[P.A.F]

well put it this way. iran is prepared for Iseal and the US. no matter what they do . they may lose but they would cause hefty damage.

 

[wesside]

Thanks a lot guys.

That helped a lot in providing me with some sense of what Iran is capable of.

Thanks again.

Cheers

 

[syeduzair]

P.A.F., how could any of that hurt the US? None of it can hit us,

I think Us should worry about her child born without wedlock (Israel), the possiable iranian nukes can end up its existance.

 

[turin]

I think Us should worry about her child born without wedlock (Israel), the possiable iranian nukes can end up its existance.

Could we please leave out wishful thinking?! In case you forgot, while you're talking about some "possible" iranian nukes, Israel got some of these little thingies in their arsenal for real and the day Iran starts to mess around with something nuclear, it will very likely be their last! :mrgreen

regards, turin

 

[Gremlin29]

Nuking Israel would be suicide for Iran as I would expect the US to retaliate rather swiftly and the US as we know, has more than just a few nukes.

Iran's armed forces are no better than Iraq's and would likewise fall quickly and completely.

 

[wesside]

Ye but it can work both ways if Iran nukes Israel, that is disastrous for sure but it can yield the same results if Israel nukes Iran. But I think the one who launched first would be penalized. Whether it be Iran or Israel.

What would the outcome if Iran and Israel have a nuclear exchange?
:cop