Article Posted on : - Aug 05, 2010

Russian S-300 surface-to-air missile systems

MOSCOW (PTI): Former soviet republic Belarus Wednesday strongly denied media reports about the delivery of two S-300PT air defence missiles to Iran.

"The State Military-Industrial Committee can officially state that Belarus has never held talks with Iran on the deliveries of the S-300 air defence systems", the committee's spokesman Vladimir Lavrenyuk was quoted as saying by RIA Novosti.

"Belarus has never supplied S-300 systems or their components to Iran," he said, adding Minsk strictly complied with international arms control regulations.

Earlier, Iran's semi-official news agency Fars had claimed that Tehran had acquired two S-300PT (SA-10 Grumble) systems from Belarus and two more systems from an unidentified supplier.

Iranian officials have not confirmed the fact so far.

Under the new set of UN sanctions, Russia has put the S-300 missile contract with Iran on the backburner, which was signed in 2007 and deliveries were withheld on different pretexts.

Back in January 2008 Jane's Defence Systems News reported that Tehran was in the final stages of negotiations with Belarus for acquisition of two surplus trailer-mounted towed S-300PT systems.

The actual sale has never been confirmed as Belarus has no right to resell air defence systems supplied by the Soviet Union and later the Russian Federation.

The S-300 PT is capable of shooting down aircraft, cruise missiles and ballistic missile warheads at ranges of over 144 kilometres and at altitudes of about 27,500 meters.