The Iran-Iraq war (1980-1988) was a turning point in the development of the Iranian missile industry, and as it was difficult for Tehran to obtain military equipment during that war, it tried to develop its defense system with a group of missiles that was simpler and cheaper than developing its offensive system, and buying War fighters.

Iran began importing a number of US Scud missiles from Libya and North Korea during the war with Iraq, and developed its missile system after the war with the help of some countries such as North Korea, Russia and China, and it also took important steps towards self-sufficiency.

Iran has one of the largest and most diversified missile arsenals in the region, as it includes a variety of long-range, medium and short-range missiles. We will mention here the most famous and most important Iranian missiles to date.

Long-range missiles

Shahab 3:

It is one of Iran's oldest missiles, with a range of more than two thousand kilometers, and it is an extended version of the Shahab 1 and 2 missiles, which were built using North Korean "Nodang" missile technology.


The fuel of this missile is liquid, and it has the ability to carry a warhead whose weight ranges between 800 and 1,200 kilograms, and its range is between 1,300 and 2,100 kilometers, depending on the size of its warhead.

It weighs 16 tons, is 16 meters long and 1.3 meters in diameter.

The first version of the Shahab 3 entered official service with the Iranian army in the summer of 2003.

The "Qadr" missile is able to carry a warhead weighing 640 kilograms (communication sites)

Saucepan:

Iran possesses 3 types of "Qadr" missiles, namely "H", "F" and "S" (S). The "Qadar F" ballistic missile uses liquid fuel, which is an embodiment of Tehran's efforts to upgrade the Shahab missile. 3, a missile capable of hitting targets at a distance of two thousand kilometers with high accuracy, with a weight of 17 tons, a length of 15 meters, a diameter of 1.25 meters, and it is capable of carrying a warhead weighing 640 kilograms.

Emad:

Iran's first long-range missile, which is a surface-to-surface missile, has a range of about 1,700 kilometers, and weighs about 17.5 tons, and its warhead weighs about 750 kilograms, and the missile is 15.5 meters long with a diameter of 1.25 meters, and it also works with liquid fuel.

Sejil:

A surface-to-surface missile, it contains two solid fuel engines, and its range ranges between 2000 and 2500 km, and was tested in 2008, and it weighs about 23 tons and its warhead is about 650 kilograms, its length is about 18 meters, and its diameter is 1.25 meters.

Khorramshahr:

Its range is two thousand kilometers, and it was unveiled in 2017, and it is capable of carrying a 1.8-ton warhead, and it can also carry several warheads.

Khorramshahr operates on liquid fuel and weighs 18 tons, with a length of 13 meters and a diameter of one and a half meters.

The Khorramshahr missile can carry several warheads instead of one (communication sites)

Ashura:

Iran unveiled this missile, which received the title of the crown of the Iranian defense industry, in December 2008. The range of the missile ranges between 2000 to 2500 km, and its height ranges between 19 and 23 meters, depending on the warhead, which can contain 750 km of explosives.

Ashura is launched by a two-stage solid fuel engine, with a speed of 6 Machah (about 8 kilometers per second), according to experts, and is capable of carrying several types of warheads.

Medium and short range missiles

The Fateh family of missiles is one of the most famous medium and short-range missiles in Iran, which different generations have been produced and operated, and one of the most important features of its very low margin of error compared to other surface-to-surface missile systems.

Tehran unveiled the prototype of the Fateh missiles in 2002, which are analogues of the Shahab series of solid-fuel missiles.

Fateh 110:

A solid-fuel ballistic missile in two stages, with a length of 8.86 meters, and a range of the main model of this missile is 300 km, and weighs 3,450 tons, including half a ton for the warhead.

Among the features of the Haj Qasim missile is the ability to bypass missile defense systems (communication sites)

And in 2012, Iran unveiled the fourth generation of "Fateh 110" missiles, and the margin of error of the Fateh 110 missile is estimated at less than 10 meters, and its advantages include having a control system.


There are other missiles such as "Fateh 313", as well as "Zulfiqar", and the missile. "The Persian Gulf", and also "Hormuz 1 and Hormuz 2," as well as "Mobin" and "Dezful", in addition to the "Thunder 500" missiles, which are from the Fateh family, and with the unveiling of the "Hajj Qassem" missile, the Fateh missile family has come to include 13 missiles with different ranges and features .

Hajj Qassem:

A ballistic missile unveiled in August 2020, the missile is powered by solid fuel and is about 11 meters long and weighs 7 tons. This type of missile can carry a half-ton warhead, with a range of 1,400 kilometers.

The Hajj Qasim missile is a new generation of "Fateh 110" missile launchers, and it has the ability to evade missile defense systems.