I read articles concerning Iran acquiring the S-300 but never thought anything of it until i saw the Janes article.
Yep, I feel the same way. It becomes difficult to know for sure because of articles like these:
Russia's Pantsyr air defense system delivered to Syria, paid for by Iran
MOSCOW — Russia is delivering an advanced surface-to-air missile system to Syria.
Officials said the state-owned arms export agency, Rosoboronexport, has been exporting the Pantsyr-S1E air defense system to Syria. They said deliveries began in 2007 and would continue over the next year.
Pantsyr-S1E air defense system
The Pantsyr deal was said to have been financed by Iran. Officials said Russia would export 50 Pantsyr systems to Damascus in a nearly $1 billion sale.
"The first part of the delivery to Syria has started," the Moscow-based Nezavissimaya Gazeta daily said on Aug. 17.
Nezavissimaya Gazeta quoted a state-owned military information agency that reported the delivery to Syria. Later, officials acknowledged that the first shipment of an unspecified number of Pantsyr-S1E had arrived in Syria.
In May 2007, the London-based Jane's Defence Weekly placed the number of Pantsyr systems allocated to Iran at 10. Russian sources said up to 14 air defense units would arrive in Iran.
Officials dismissed reports that the Pantsyr would be reexported by Syria to Iran. In 2006, Moscow was confronted by Israeli evidence that anti-tank and other weapons sold to Syria were delivered to Hizbullah and used during the 34-day war.
Produced by KBP, Pantsyr-S1, with an interception range of 12 kilometers, was developed for the United Arab Emirates, said to have ordered 50 such systems. The Pantsyr mobile battery contains 12 missiles as well as 30 mm guns capable of firing 700 rounds per minute.
Geostrategy-Direct,
www.geostrategy-direct.com, August 29, 2007
-Iran finances major weapons buy from Russia for Syria
TEL AVIV — Iran effectively owns Syria's military and has paid at least $1.25 billion for a huge Syrian weapons order from Russia.
"Iran has, in effect, taken charge of Syria's military," an Israeli source said. "Iranian advisers work with the Syrian military to decide its requirements and combat doctrine."
Igla portable air defense missile system.
Israeli intelligence sources said Teheran has relayed to Russia $1.25 billion in 2007 for the sale of a range of air defense and anti-tank missile systems to Syria. The sources said the military systems ordered by Damascus were the most advanced developed by Russia.
The sources said Iran agreed to finance Syrian purchases of Russian defense systems in wake of the Israeli war with Hizbullah in mid-2006. During the 34-day war, Hizbullah, supplied by Iran and Syria, fired 4,500 rockets and missiles into Israel, which sparked a flight of about 350,000 civilians.
"The Iranians and Syrians agreed that a missile war should be the model for the next conflict," the source said. "The idea has been to provide Syria with massive firepower capability and establish a defense against Israeli aircraft."
Damascus has ordered the Pantsyr-S1E short-range air defense system, the Igla-S man-portable air defense system, the AT-14 anti-tank missile to bolster Syria's defenses. The Assad regime has also been financed by Iran to purchase the Iskander-E rocket, with a range of 280 kilometers, to fire massive salvos against Israeli civilian and military targets.
The sources said Russia delivered some of the systems to Syria in 2007. They said the bulk of the order would arrive by mid-2008 amid Syrian efforts to acquire such strategic platforms as the S-300 long-range air defense system.
Russia has also been contracted to overhaul the Syrian Air Force's combat fleet. The sources said this has enabled the resumption of the first significant Syrian air combat exercises in nearly a decade.
Geostrategy-Direct,
www.geostrategy-direct.com, September 5, 2007
-This kind of stuff gets reported, than drops off the map. Then, it's reported again...
It's sort of like hearing, "The check's in the mail"!?
