SA-15 MISSILE SYSTEM

Figure 11: SA-15 or Tor-M1 surface-to-air missile delivery system117

SA-15 Missile System

The air defence unit that downed Flight PS752 was a Russian-made SA-15 (or Tor-M1) short-range, SAM delivery system.118 This is a mobile system that includes target acquisition radar, tracking radar, and missiles.119 Two radars detect and engage manned aircraft, helicopters, missiles, and other precision-guided ammunition.120 A three- or four-person crew is generally required to operate the system, and it includes a vehicle commander, system operator, and vehicle driver.121

The SA-15 has a range of 12 to 16 km, and can fire at targets with an altitude of 6 km. Missiles reach a velocity of up to three times the speed of sound.122 The missile relies on command guidance from the SA15’s radar tracking system, which transmits instructions to the missile while it is in flight.123 The warhead is located further down the shaft of the missile and is designed to detonate by proximity and shower its target with shrapnel projectiles.

These missile delivery systems originated in 1986, and there have been a number of updates over the years.124 The age of Iran’s current fleet is uncertain, but Iran is known to have purchased some of its SA15 units in 2007 from Russia125 and additional units as recently as 2015.126 As of 2018, Iran reportedly had 29 SA-15 missile delivery systems.127

Given the lethal threat posed by anti-aircraft batteries such as the SA-15, they are typically targeted first by an attacking enemy, which puts the operating crews under intense psychological pressure during times of potential conflict.128 While the unit is designed to be easy to operate, it requires some training. The Forensic Team has no information on the exact age of the SA-15 equipment that was used or the quality and length of training that the Iranian personnel responsible for the launch of missiles at Flight PS752 received on the use of this system.129 The Forensic Team did, however, obtain information suggesting that the operator of the SAM system could have been a trainer on the SA-15. If confirmed, this would make their actions and decisions all the more concerning.

According to military experts, SAM units typically operate as part of an integrated air defence structure. Depending on the mission, deployments can include several SA-15s (SAM battery) working in concert to defend targets in a specific area along with a battery command post. The battery command post provides

Forensic Team Finding:

The specifications of this system are consistent with images captured of Flight PS752 debris showing the missile head intact as the proximity warhead is positioned further down the body of the missile.