Ya Zahra (
Persian: یا زهراء, O
Zahra) is an Iranian unlicensed copy of the
HQ-7
The HQ-7 is a short-range surface-to-air missile
A surface-to-air missile (SAM), also known as a ground-to-air missile (GTAM) or surface-to-air guided weapon (SAGW), is a missile designed to be launched from the ground to destroy aircraft or ot ...
, itself an unlicensed copy of the French
Crotale missile short-range
air defense
Anti-aircraft warfare, counter-air or air defence forces is the battlespace response to aerial warfare, defined by NATO as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It includes surface based ...
system.
The system entered production in 2013.
The Ya Zahra differs from Iran's
Raad in being a short-range air defense system. Iranian sources say it is able to form a missile defense network. This system was successfully tested in "Defenders of Velayat Skies 4" air defense drills. Iranian sources claim the Ya Zahra is more advanced than the French Crotale.
Mass production of the Ya Zahra air defense system officially began on January 27, 2013.
The 3rd generation of the Ya Zahra system, Ya Zahra-3, has electo-optical equipment that reportedly helps to detect and track targets when the battlefield is affected by heavy jamming.
Also Ya Zahra has a full mobile version named Herz-e-Nohom.
The missile used by the system is the
Shahab Thaqeb.
[Iranian Military Capability 2011: 3. SHORAD – Short Range Air Defense. (January 2011)] It has been under development since at least 2011.
Comparable SAMs
*Crotale
*HQ-7
See also
*
Bavar 373
*
Mersad
*
Sayyad-2
References
{{Iran Missiles
Surface-to-air missiles of Iran
21st-century surface-to-air missiles
Guided missiles of Iran
Military equipment introduced in the 2010s