January 9, 2023: Iran recently revealed its new AD-08 SHORAD (Short Range Air Defense) system, a mobile, short range anti-aircraft missile system mounted on a truck. All the equipment is Iranian-made and the vehicle carrying the system can be any 4x4 light truck. The system operator uses an electro-optical target designator which sends the heat-seeking missile in the direction of the target (helicopter, cruise missile, UAVs and any low flying aircraft). The 75 kg (165 pound) 156mm missile is 2.77 meters (8.5 feet) long and can hit targets 700 to 8,000 meters from the vehicle and at altitudes of 20 to 6,000 meters. There were no details on export efforts, how much the system costs or if it has any combat experience.

Iran announces a lot of new weapons that are never heard about again. Some of these systems are clearly prototypes that are misrepresented for propaganda purposes. The AD-08 may be real but that won’t be clear until it shows up in service, especially in a combat zone.