Mesbah 1

Mesbah 1
Static Mesbah 1 system
Type	Anti-aircraft system
Place of origin	Iran
Production history
Manufacturer	Defense Industries Organization
Produced	2010
Specifications
Caliber	23 mm (0.91 in)
Rate of fire	4000 rpm
Muzzle velocity	970 m/s (3,200 ft/s)
Effective firing range	2.5 km
Maximum firing range	4 km

Mesbah 1 is an Iranian anti aircraft artillery system developed to defend against incoming cruise missiles. It was unveiled in 2010 by Iranian defense minister Ahmad Vahidi and hit its intended target successfully in the test. Production started some months later.

Design

Mesbah uses 4 Iranian built Russian ZU-23-2 installed on a rotatable mount. Each autocannon has its own feed magazine. Each ZU-23-2 has a reported fire rate of 2000 rpm. But surprisingly the whole system is reported to have a rate of 4000 rpm instead of 8000. This is probably because developers wanted it to save ammunition. The mount can rotate in different angles but the exact degrees are unknown.

The system uses Radar and IR/Optical sensors to find its target automatically. Its radar is described as a 3D flat-antenna radar with a good accuracy that finds and traces the target and gives its position to the fire control system.

Mesbah is described being able to engage both fixed and rotary wing aircraft and cruise missiles in low and very low altitudes. Its automatic control system makes it need less crew to operate and its sophisticated tracking and tracing algorithms makes it able to engage small targets like incoming missiles.

Operators

• Iran

See also

• Equipment of the Iranian Army
• Iranian military industry
• Military of Iran

External links

• Video of the system