Iran Rapidly Replaces Damaged Air Defences After Devastating Israeli Airstrikes

In the aftermath of Israel’s precision air campaign that ripped through Iran’s layered air defence network last month, Tehran has swiftly replaced damaged air defence systems using locally produced, pre-positioned reserves in a strategic move to restore its aerial deterrence.

Iran’s Defah Press news agency reported that critical components of the Islamic Republic’s air defence infrastructure damaged during the June conflict have now been fully replaced by domestic systems mobilised from storage across the country.

The report cited Major General Mahmoud Mousavi, the deputy for operations of Iran’s regular army (Artesh), who publicly admitted that parts of the nation’s air defence grid were “damaged” but asserted that replacement platforms had already been deployed.

“Some of our air defences were damaged—this is not something we can hide—but our colleagues have used domestic resources and replaced them with pre-arranged systems that were stored in suitable locations in order to keep the airspace secure,” Mousavi said.

His remarks not only confirmed the scale of destruction inflicted by Israeli warplanes and stand-off munitions, but also revealed the resilience of Iran’s defence-industrial complex in restoring combat readiness without reliance on foreign imports.

The June 2025 confrontation marked one of the most intense aerial exchanges between the two regional adversaries, as Israeli fighter jets—reportedly including stealth-capable F-35I Adirs—penetrated deep into Iranian airspace, targeting radar sites, command centres, and long-range SAM launchers.

In response, Iran unleashed a historic barrage of over 300 ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and kamikaze drones against Israeli territory, testing the layered effectiveness of the Jewish state’s Iron Dome, David’s Sling, and Arrow-3 defence systems.

While Israel’s Iron Dome intercepted the many of the drone and rocket attacks, the Iranian campaign demonstrated a new willingness to escalate with strategic-grade systems—marking a dangerous shift in regional doctrine and deterrence thresholds.

But the Israeli air campaign left behind smouldering wreckage of Iranian SAM sites, especially those stationed near key nuclear and missile facilities in Isfahan, Yazd, and around the highly sensitive Natanz and Fordow enrichment complexes.

The destruction triggered an emergency internal mobilisation by the Iranian Armed Forces, which deployed replacement systems from reserve stockpiles, including advanced platforms like the Bavar-373, Sayyad, and 3rd Khordad systems.

The Bavar-373, Iran’s flagship long-range air defence system, was developed as an indigenous equivalent to the Russian S-300 and, by Tehran’s claim, rivals even the S-400 in capability.

It employs the Sayyad-4B missile with a reported maximum range of 300 km and an altitude ceiling of 27–30 km, and is designed to counter stealth fighters, cruise missiles, and high-speed UAVs.

The system’s phased-array radar, dubbed Me’raj-4, can reportedly detect up to 300 targets, track 60 simultaneously, and engage up to 6 at once—making it the backbone of Iran’s strategic air defence belt.

Alongside the Bavar-373, Iran also operates the Russian-supplied S-300PMU2 Favorit, which remains in active service and provides overlapping long-range coverage around high-value installations, though these too were reportedly struck during Israeli sorties.

At the medium range, Iran relies on the 3rd Khordad system, a mobile platform that made global headlines in June 2019 after it successfully downed a U.S. RQ-4A Global Hawk UAV over the Strait of Hormuz.

The 3rd Khordad employs the Taer-2B missile with a range of up to 105 km, supports radar tracking of 100 targets, and can engage four threats simultaneously, offering rapid-reaction defence against incoming threats.

The Talash system, supporting Sayyad-2 and Sayyad-3 missiles, provides an additional medium-to-long range option, with intercept ranges of 120 km and 150 km respectively.

Short-range and point-defence systems, including the Raad, Mersad (a reverse-engineered Hawk system), and Tor-M1 (acquired from Russia), offer critical coverage against low-flying aircraft and loitering munitions.

While Defah Press did not confirm the exact types of systems redeployed, the swift reconstitution of Iran’s air defence architecture suggests that Tehran activated its indigenous platforms rather than relying on new foreign procurements.

There were no reports of recent imports of foreign-made systems, further reinforcing the Iranian government’s messaging that its strategic military independence remains intact, even under direct kinetic pressure from Israel.

Iran’s strategy of decentralised storage and dispersion of air defence systems appears to have paid off, allowing for rapid redeployment and continuation of operations from pre-designated locations across the country.

This model of “air defence in depth” forms part of Tehran’s broader A2/AD (Anti-Access/Area Denial) strategy aimed at deterring U.S. and Israeli aerial incursions over key military and nuclear sites.

Although Iranian officials claim that the airspace has been “secured,” military analysts remain sceptical about the restored grid’s readiness, given the possibility that sensitive tracking radars and electronic warfare assets may take months to rebuild.

Some experts believe Israel’s strikes served not just as punitive actions but also as an intelligence-gathering campaign to map Iran’s electronic order of battle, uncover radar blind zones, and prepare for future deep strike missions.

The loss of long-range radar installations could temporarily degrade Iran’s early warning capacity, especially against stealth aircraft and low-altitude cruise missile threats—an area where Israeli platforms like the F-35I excel.

Nevertheless, the strategic messaging from Tehran is clear: despite absorbing a powerful kinetic shock from Israeli airpower, Iran’s air defence posture remains operational, and its resolve to defend sovereign airspace has not diminished.

Iranian media has also highlighted the speed with which replacement units were deployed, portraying it as a triumph of domestic innovation and logistical preparedness, designed to reinforce national morale and military credibility.

This narrative aligns with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s consistent push for “defence self-sufficiency,” which places emphasis on homegrown missile production, radar systems, and drone warfare technologies.

As the Middle East teeters on the edge of a broader regional conflagration, the ability of Iran to restore its aerial defences—especially under fire—will have far-reaching implications for future Israeli strategic calculus and potential U.S. involvement.

With tensions continuing to escalate over Iran’s nuclear programme, arms transfers to proxies, and maritime confrontations in the Strait of Hormuz, the state of Iran’s air defences could be a key factor in shaping the next phase of confrontation.

Whether or not Iran’s reconstituted systems can survive another round of Israeli airstrikes—or a joint U.S.-Israeli operation—remains to be tested, but for now, Tehran is signalling that it is ready, rebuilt, and defiant.