The Iranian military has introduced a new short-range operational tactical missile Raad-500. It is equipped with a Zohair solid-fuel engine with a body made of composite materials, which are also used in the body of the rocket itself. The composite engine block is capable of withstanding pressures up to 100 bar and temperatures up to 3000 degrees Celsius.

According to the Iranian government channel Press TV, the use of new materials allowed designers to halve the weight of the new Iranian missile compared to its predecessor, the Fateh-110, and also increase the flight range by 200 km to 500 km.

It is clarified that the Iranian missile presented opens the way for the production of new solid-fuel rocket launchers and "allows Iranian ground-to-ground missiles to overcome various missile defense systems because of the small effective dispersion area." (The scattering area efficiency is a quantitative measure of the ability of an object to scatter an electromagnetic wave. - RT ).

In addition, the Aerospace Forces of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran introduced the new Salman rocket engine, also made with composite materials and designed to deliver satellites into orbit. It is noted that the engine is equipped with a controlled thrust vector.

Major General Hossein Salami, the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), and Amir Ali Hajizadeh, the aerospace forces commander, participated in the ceremony of presenting new missile developments.

Addressing those present at the ceremony, Hajizadeh noted that the developed adjustable nozzle technology allows controlling solid-propellant rocket engines outside the atmosphere and using them in spacecraft, launch vehicles and anti-tank missiles.

Specialists highly appreciate the new Iranian missile. As military expert Yuri Knutov noted in an interview with RT, the use of composite materials in the construction can reduce its radar visibility.

“Most likely, the GPS guidance system is involved, which will increase its accuracy. In this matter, Iran really managed to make a serious breakthrough, this could be judged even by how accurately Iranian missiles hit the United States on the territory of Iraq, ”the expert said.

According to Yuri Knutov, the appearance of accurate and unobtrusive short-range missiles near Iran will allow Tehran to keep an eye on American military bases in the Gulf countries.

  • Launch of the new Raad-500 rocket, February 9, 2020.
  • © IRAN PRESS / AFP

A similar point of view is shared by the editor-in-chief of the magazine Arsenal of the Fatherland Viktor Murakhovsky.

“The Raad-500 missile is a fairly modern development, although it is not yet known which control system is involved in it. If the new missile is highly accurate, then it can be compared, for example, with the Russian Iskander-M OTRK, ”the expert noted in a commentary on RT.

Pride of Tehran

This is not the first rocket science innovation recently announced by the Iranian authorities. So, at the beginning of last year, experts from the Iranian Defense Ministry introduced a new long-range cruise missile with a ground-based radius, the Hoveise.

The presentation of the new weapon took place during the defense exhibition "Iktidar-40." Speaking at the event, Iranian Defense Minister Amir Khatami called the Howeise missile an important achievement of the Iranian defense industry. The range of the new missile is over 1350 km, the developers say about the high accuracy and strength of the missile at low altitude. In addition, its advantage is that it can be prepared for launch in a short time.

  • Hoveise missile
  • © Frame: IRNA video

Also last year, Iranian designers introduced the Akhgar air-to-ground guided missile, designed for bombing ground targets with tactical aircraft. The range of the Akhgar missile is determined at 30 km. Trajectory speed - 600 km / h.

According to estimates by the Deputy Minister of Defense of Iran, Kassem Taghizade, now Iran is one of the five leading world powers in the missile industry, while it has great potential for the production of cruise missiles and other weapons. Tehran also claims that Iran has become the fourth largest rocket manufacturer in the world.

According to Middle East media, today Iran really has a powerful missile arsenal, which can number about 130 thousand high-precision long-range missiles.

In addition, it is known that Iran has the largest missile arsenal of ballistic missiles in the Middle East.

In Soviet traditions

The Iranian ballistic missile program was launched in the mid-1980s amid the war with Iraq. Baghdad actively launched rocket attacks on Iranian territory, while the Iranian army did not have the capabilities to retaliate. To close this gap, Tehran began developing its own ballistic missiles. However, at first, the Iranian side was forced to acquire Soviet-made Skud missiles on the world market.

Over time, Iranian designers managed to create their own models of missile weapons. So, in 2002 it passed tests and the Fateh-110 missile system was put into service. It was to replace this missile that the Raad-500 was subsequently developed. Initially, the range of the first Fatech-110 samples was about 200 km, subsequently the complex was modernized and its range reached 300 km.

  • The consequences of a missile strike by Iran on the American military base of Ain al-Assad in Iraq
  • Reuters
  • © John Davison

In addition, work was underway to increase the accuracy of missiles; Iranian designers managed to improve this characteristic to an almost exact defeat by 2012. Also, a variant of the Fateh-110 sea-based missile system was developed, which was called Halige-Fars.

Iran is armed with medium-range ballistic missiles. One of the best developments in this area is called the Sejil missile system by the Iranian media. A two-stage rocket with a solid-fuel engine "Segil" has a mass of 26 tons and is capable of covering a distance of 2000-2500 km.

Iran’s authorities have repeatedly emphasized that the terms of the nuclear deal (the Joint Comprehensive Action Plan) did not apply to missile weapons. At the same time, UN Security Council resolution 2231 of 2015 calls on Iran "not to carry out any activities related to the development and creation of ballistic missiles designed in such a way that they are capable of delivering nuclear weapons." According to experts, most often in this case they mean intercontinental ballistic missiles, which Iran does not yet have.

“For the time being, Iran is only just approaching the creation of an intercontinental ballistic missile; we can judge the progress of these works on a peaceful space program. On the eve of Iran failed to bring its own satellite into orbit. When this task is completed, it will be possible to say that Tehran has also approached the creation of ICBMs, ”explained Yuri Knutov.

Nevertheless, Iran has managed to seriously advance in creating missiles of other classes in recent years, experts are sure. According to Yuri Knutov, the creation of an engine using composite materials is a real breakthrough for Iran.

“To create such equipment you need to have a developed chemical industry. Now we can say that Iran has made a breakthrough in this area. Although, of course, there is still work to do, ”the expert emphasized.

Viktor Murakhovsky agrees that Iran has made significant advances in missile technology and is rapidly developing this area of ​​the defense industry.

“So far, Iran’s rocket science is based on Soviet developments, which at one time entered the country through Egypt, Syria and the DPRK. At the same time, it is quite possible that Iran will soon approach China in this area, therefore, the talks of Iranian officials that the country is among the top five leaders in the missile-building sphere have real reasons, ”the expert summed up.