Sedjil (air-to-air missile)

Sedjil (Persian: سجیل) is an Iranian semi-active radar homing air-to-air missile.[1][6][7] It is made by the Self-Sufficiency Jihad Organization of the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force and is actually a modified version of the surface-to-air MIM-23 HAWK. The Sedjil weighs approximately 500 kg, its length is 5 meters and its diameter is about 40 cm. The effective range of the missile is approximately 90 km. Its speed is estimated to be about 4-5 mach.[1]

Sedjil
TypeAir-to-air missile[1]
Service history
In service1988 April 4
Used byIran[2][3][4]
Production history
ManufacturerIran[1][5]
Specifications
Mass500 kg
Length5 m
Diameter40 cm

PropellantSolid fuel
Operational
range
90 km
Maximum speed 4-5 mach
Guidance
system
guided semiconductor radar

After six years of combat in the Iran-Iraq War, the prolonged conflict led to a shortage of weapons for Iranian forces, and they felt the need to procure additional weapons systems.[1] The Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force, employed an experienced test pilot, Fereidoun Ali-Mazandarani, as the experimenter pilot in November 1986, and succeeded in synchronizing the mentioned missile with the AN/APG-79 radar of the F-14 Tomcat launch aircraft. Experts in the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force also presented a related plan to convert the HAWK missiles. This plan was presented for the first time on 12 August 1986 with the name of "Project-Sedjil" by Ata'Allah-Bazargan (a high-ranking military pilot) and Fereidun Ali Mazandarani. It was submitted to the Iranian Air Force.[8] The missile[9][10][11][12] was finally manufactured on 4 April 1988.[13]

Operational history

In its first military use Cpt. Mazandarani managed to shoot down one Super Etendard over Persian Gulf from 20 km away.[14]

According to Iranian military documents and the book "Battle in the Sky" written by Brigadier General Fazllolah Javidnia, a MiG-29A was shot down by an F-14A using this missile in 1988.[14]

See also

References

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