Sedjil (air-to-air missile)

Not to be confused with other similar name an Iranian missile, Sejjil.
Sedjil
TypeAir-to-air missile[1]
Service history
In service1988 April 4
Used byIran[2][3][4]
Production history
ManufacturerSelf-Sufficiency Jihad Organization Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force[1][5]
Specifications
Mass500 kg
Length5 m
Diameter40 cm
PropellantSolid fuel
Operational
range
90 km
Maximum speed mach 4-5
Guidance
system
guided semi-active radar
F-14 Tomcat, which can carry a Sedjil-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 mach 4-5.[1]

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 experimental pilot in November 1986, and succeeded in synchronizing the mentioned missile with the AN/AWG-9 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

  1. ^ a b c d e "The world is amazed by Iran's missile power, "Sedjil" missile". yjc.ir. 15 June 2020.
  2. ^ Fardanews, Sedjil (missile) Retrieved 15 June 2020
  3. ^ Iran Equipped Its F-14s With Modified Hawk SAMs That Had Bombs Attached To Their Noses thedrive.com Retrieved 15 June 2020
  4. ^ Sedjil Project - AIM23 missile rahrovan-artesh.ir Retrieved 15 June 2020
  5. ^ How does "Sedjil" sit on the foreheads of the enemies of the Islamic Republic? shoaresaal.ir Retrieved 15 June 2020
  6. ^ Islamic Republic of Iran News Network, Iran's new missile Retrieved 15 June 2020
  7. ^ Familiarity with air-to-air missiles in Iran hamshahrionline.ir Retrieved 15 June 2020
  8. ^ How does "Sedjil" sit on the foreheads of the enemies of the Islamic Republic? dana.ir Retrieved 15 June 2020
  9. ^ Sedjil on the foreheads of the enemies of the Islamic Republic iraneconomist.com Retrieved 15 June 2020
  10. ^ Defenders of Iran's airspace; From Sedjil to Fakoor 3danews.ir Retrieved 15 June 2020
  11. ^ Tomcats equipped with Sedjil missile tasnimnews.com Retrieved 15 June 2020
  12. ^ Iranian Sedjil in American Tomcat irinn.ir Retrieved 15 June 2020
  13. ^ The world is amazed by Iran's missile power, "Sedjil" missile yjc.ir Retrieved 15 June 2020
  14. ^ a b Leone, Dario (2020-05-31). "Former IRIAF F-14 pilot explains how he was able to score 16 aerial kills in the Tomcat (eight with the AIM-54 Phoenix missile, two with the M61A Vulcan gun, and one with the MIM-23 Hawk missile)". The Aviation Geek Club. Retrieved 2023-06-27.