Sedjil (air-to-air missile)

Not to be confused with other similar name an Iranian missile, Sejjil.

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]

Sedjil
Type	Air-to-air missile[1]
Service history
In service	1988 April 4
Used by	Iran[2][3][4]
Production history
Manufacturer	Self-Sufficiency Jihad Organization Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force[1][5]
Specifications
Mass	500 kg
Length	5 m
Diameter	40 cm
Propellant	Solid 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

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] was finally manufactured on 4 April 1988.^[12]

Operational history

In its first military use Cpt. Mazandarani managed to shoot down one Super Etendard over Persian Gulf from 20 km away.^[13]

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.^[13]

See also

• List of military equipment manufactured in Iran
• Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force
• Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran
• Sejjil
• Iran-Iraq War

References

1. "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. Iranian Sedjil in American Tomcat irinn.ir Retrieved 15 June 2020
12. The world is amazed by Iran's missile power, "Sedjil" missile yjc.ir Retrieved 15 June 2020
13. 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.