In addition to the development of ballistic missiles in Iran, much attention is paid to anti-ship missile systems. On the basis of the Fateh-110 operational-tactical complex missile, the Khalij Fars ballistic anti-ship missile was created, first presented in 2011. Initially, the anti-ship missile system was launched from the same launchers as the Fateh-110 OTR. Later, during an exhibition of military equipment in Baharestan Square in Tehran, a towed launcher for three missiles was demonstrated.
The declared range of destruction of the anti-ship complex Khalij Fars is 300 km. The speed of a rocket carrying a 650 kg warhead exceeds 3M at the bottom of the trajectory. On American cruisers and destroyers, such targets are only capable of intercepting the SM-3 or SM-6 anti-aircraft missiles used as part of the Aegis system.
Khalij Fars anti-ship missiles test footage
The ballistic anti-ship missile, whose name translates as "Persian Gulf", is controlled by an inertial system for the main part of the flight. On the final descending branch of the trajectory, guidance is carried out by an infrared seeker that responds to the heat signature of the ship or using a television radio command guidance system. Foreign observers point out that these guidance systems are highly susceptible to organized interference and can be effective mainly against slow civilian ships. It is expected that in the near future Iranian ballistic anti-ship missiles can be equipped with an active radar seeker.
Khalij Fars missile warhead
During the exercises of the Iranian Navy and Coastal Defense Forces, Khalij Fars missiles repeatedly hit training targets. It is reported that in the latest versions, the hitting accuracy has been brought to 8.5 meters. In addition to Iran, only China has ballistic anti-ship missiles. However, it is not correct to compare Chinese and Iranian missiles, since the Chinese ballistic anti-ship missile DF-21D is much heavier and has a launch range of about 2000 km.
Almost all Iranian anti-ship missiles have Chinese roots. During the Iran-Iraq war, Iran acquired C-201 coastal complexes with HY-2 missiles. The HY-2 anti-ship missile was actually a copy of the Soviet P-15M. But due to the increased fuel tanks, which led to an increase in weight and dimensions, it could only be used on the shore. Anti-ship missiles, which received the designation "Silkuorm" in the West (English Silk Warm - Silkworm), were actively used in the course of hostilities. In the late 1980s, Iran launched the production of HY-2G missiles.
HY-2G
The missile modification HY-2A was equipped with an infrared seeker, and the HY-2B and HY-2G were equipped with monopulse radar seeker, and the HY-2C was equipped with a television guidance system. On the HY-2G modification, thanks to the use of an improved radio altimeter and a programmable controller, it was possible to use a variable flight profile, which made interception difficult. The probability of hitting a target in the event of its capture by a radar seeker in the absence of organized interference and fire resistance was estimated at 0.9. The launch range is within 100 km. Despite the fact that the rocket carries a heavy armor-piercing high-explosive warhead weighing 513 kg, due to the subsonic flight speed and low noise immunity of the active radar seeker, its effectiveness in modern conditions is not great. In addition, while refueling the rocket, the crew is forced to work in protective suits and insulating gas masks.
This drawback was eliminated in the HY-41 (C-201W) modification, in which a compact WS-11 turbojet engine was used instead of a liquid-propellant engine. This turbojet engine is a clone of the American Teledyne-Ryan CAE J69-T-41A, which was installed on the AQM-34 reconnaissance UAVs during the Vietnam War. Before Vietnamese-Chinese relations were spoiled, several not too damaged American drones were sent to the PRC. The HY-4 anti-ship missile, put into service in 1983, is a combination of guidance and control systems from the HY-2G anti-ship missile with a WS-11 turbojet engine. The rocket is launched using a detachable solid propellant booster. The range of destruction of sea targets is 300 km.
RCC Raad
It is quite expected that Iran, following the HY-2G, received HY-41 missiles. In 2004, a similar Iranian-made Raad rocket on a tracked self-propelled launcher was presented to the public. Externally, the new rocket differs from the HY-2G in the air intake and in a different shape of the tail unit and the arrangement of the wings. Despite the fact that the service and operational characteristics of the rocket and the range have significantly improved, in terms of flight speed and noise immunity, it does not exceed the outdated HY-2G. In this regard, the number of built anti-ship missiles "Raad" is relatively small. It was reported that in Iran for the "Raad" developed a new anti-jamming seeker, capable of searching for a target in the sector +/- 85 degrees. The launch of the missile into the attack area is carried out according to the signals of the satellite navigation system.
But, despite all the tricks, the missiles created on the basis of the technical solutions of the Soviet P-15 anti-ship missile system, adopted for service in 1960, are, of course, outdated today and do not correspond to modern realities. For this reason, they are actively used in exercises to simulate air targets. In the past, it was reported that a cruise missile was launched on the basis of the Raad anti-ship missile designed to destroy ground targets, but no evidence of this could be found. The Iranian "Raad" on a tracked SPU very much resembles the North Korean KN-01 anti-ship complex, also created on the basis of the P-15M. Taking into account the fact that Iran and the DPRK in the past cooperated very closely in the development of ballistic missiles, it can be assumed that this Iranian modification was created with the help of North Korea.
In the early 80s, a rapprochement took place between the PRC and Western countries against the background of the confrontation with the USSR. In addition to political contacts and the development of a unified anti-Soviet position, China gained access to some modern weapons systems. Without a doubt, the creation of a new solid-propellant anti-ship missile was not without foreign help. The transition from liquid-propellant missiles, created according to the technologies of the 50s, to a fairly compact anti-ship missile with a modern radar homing system and a composite fuel engine was too striking. In the second half of the 80s, the YJ-8 (S-801) missile was adopted, which in its characteristics is close to the first versions of the Exocet anti-ship missile system. At the same time, the Chinese missile began to be supplied to the troops just 10 years after the French counterpart. In the mid-90s, about 100 export C-801K anti-ship missiles were sold to Iran, intended for use from combat aircraft. These missiles with a launch range of about 80 km were armed with F-4E fighter-bombers.
For all their advantages, solid-propellant missiles, as a rule, are inferior in launch range to missiles with ramjet and turbojet engines. Therefore, using the aerodynamic design and guidance system of the YJ-8, the YJ-82 (C-802) was created with a compact turbojet engine. The range of the new missile has more than doubled. The first C-802 anti-ship missiles came to Iran in the mid-90s along with Chinese-made missile boats. Soon, Iran began to independently assemble missiles, which received the designation Noor.
Start RCC Noor
The Nur missile launcher with a launch mass of just over 700 kg carries a 155 kg warhead. The launch range is up to 120 km, the maximum speed is 0.8 M. In the final phase, the flight altitude is 6-8 meters. The missile has a combined guidance system, an autonomous inertial missile is used on the cruising phase of the flight, and an active radar seeker is used in the final phase. Missiles of this type have become widespread in the Iranian armed forces, practically replacing the earlier, less advanced models.
ASM "Nur"
Anti-ship missiles "Nur" are used on Iranian warships and missile boats. But most of them are located on mobile launchers of coastal missile systems. Trucks with paired or stacked transport and launch containers can be quickly airlifted anywhere on the Iranian coast. In the transport position, missile systems on a cargo chassis are usually covered with an awning and are practically indistinguishable from ordinary trucks. In terms of weight and size characteristics, range and flight speed, the YJ-82 and Nur anti-ship missiles are in many ways similar to the American RGM-84 Harpoon, but how much the noise immunity and selectivity characteristics correspond to the American model is not known.
In the spring of 2015, at the exhibition of the achievements of the Iranian military-industrial complex, a Mi-171 helicopter of the IRI Navy with two suspended anti-ship missiles "Nur" was demonstrated.
In 1999, the YJ-83 (C-803) anti-ship missile was introduced in China. It differs from the YJ-82 in its increased dimensions and weight, and an increased flight range of up to 180 km (250 km in the case of application from an aircraft carrier). The new rocket is equipped with a more economical turbojet engine, a larger fuel tank and an armor-piercing high-explosive warhead weighing 185 kg.
ASM "Nur" and "Gader"
Around 2009, the Islamic Republic began assembling YJ-83 missiles. The anti-ship missile system, designated Ghader, is used mainly in mobile coastal missile systems and in the armament of the few Iranian Phantoms. Visually, the Nur and Gader missiles differ in length.
The anti-ship missiles "Nur" and "Gader" are quite modern means of fighting surface targets, and quite legitimately are the pride of the Iranian military. Surface ships and land mobile complexes equipped with these missiles are today the most combat-ready part of the coastal defense forces.
Iranian fighter-bomber F-4E with anti-ship missiles "Gader"
In September 2013, the aircraft version of the Gader anti-ship missile was also officially presented. The missiles became part of the Iranian Air Force F-4E armament. However, in the flying state in Iran today there are only three dozen heavily worn out "Phantoms" left, which, of course, do not particularly affect the balance of power in the region.
During the reign of the Shah, Iran was one of the closest allies of the United States, and the most modern weapons of Western production were supplied to this country. Including, until 1979, Iran purchased the American RGM-84A Harpoon, AGM-65 Maverick and Italian Sea Killer Mk2 missiles.
Iranian F-4D Phantom II fighter-bomber with AGM-65 Maverick missiles prepares for combat mission
For the late 70s, this was the latest weaponry. Anti-ship missiles "Harpoon" were carried by French-built missile boats of the Combattante II type. British-built frigates of the Vosper Mk.5 type were armed with Italian missiles, and the Mavericks were part of the armament of the F-4D / E Phantom II fighter-bombers.
Western-made missiles were actively used in the course of hostilities. But as stocks were used up and out of order due to lack of maintenance, China became the main supplier of rocketry. Most of the missile arsenal purchased under the Shah was practically used up by August 20, 1988, when a truce was concluded between the parties. In the early 90s, several missiles were transferred to the PRC as part of military-technical cooperation. In China, these missiles served as a source of inspiration for the creation of several short-range anti-ship missiles.
On the basis of the Italian Sea Killer missile, Chinese specialists have designed the FL-6 anti-ship missile. These relatively compact and inexpensive missiles are designed to combat the ships of the "mosquito fleet" with a displacement of up to 1,000 tons and counter landing operations in the coastal zone. Just like the Italian prototype, the launch range of the FL-6 is within 25-30 km. The missiles can be equipped with a TV or IR seeker. With a launch weight of 300 kg, the rocket carries a 60 kg warhead.
RCC "Fajr Darya"
The Chinese FL-6 received the designation Fajr Darya in Iran. These missiles are not widely used: the only known carriers of "Fajr Darya" are SH-3D "Sea king" helicopters.
In the PRC, on the basis of the AGM-65 Maverick air-to-surface missile, a light anti-ship missile YJ-7T (S-701T) was created in the late 90s. The first modification had an IR seeker, a starting weight of 117 kg, a warhead weighing 29 kg and a range of 15 km. Flight speed - 0.8M. Unlike the American prototype, the Chinese rocket has a wide range of carriers: airplanes and helicopters, light boats and automobile chassis. The launch range of the first model was limited by the low sensitivity of the thermal homing head. Subsequently, this deficiency was eliminated and the reach of the rocket was brought to 20-25 km, depending on the type of target. The same range has a modification of the YJ-7R (C-701R) with a semi-active radar seeker.
In 2008, at the Zhuhai Air Show, new modifications with a launch range of 35 km were demonstrated: the YJ-73 (C-703) with a millimeter-wave semi-active radar seeker, as well as the YJ-74 (C-704) television guidance system. The YJ-75 (S-705) anti-ship missile system with a centimeter-range radar seeker is equipped with a compact turbojet engine, which made it possible to increase the launch range to 110 km. Until the target is locked by the active radar head, the missile course is adjusted according to the signals from the satellite positioning system. It is reported that, in addition to sea, missiles can be used against ground targets.
ASM "Kovsar-3" on a light Iranian combat helicopter Shahed-285
Models YJ-7T and YJ-7R are manufactured in Iran under the names Kowsar-1 and Kowsar-3. The advantages of these missiles are their relatively low cost, compactness, as well as weight and dimensions, which make it possible to move the missiles without the use of mechanized loading equipment. They are used as part of mobile coastal complexes, are part of the armament of Iranian fighters and helicopters.
Collecting material about Iranian anti-ship missiles is complicated by the fact that in different sources the same models often appear under different names. In addition, the Iranians themselves are very fond of assigning new designations to slightly modified samples. Apparently, the new Iranian short-range anti-ship missile Zafar, presented in 2012, is a copy of the YJ-73.
Iranian short-range anti-ship missile system "Zafar"
The same family includes Nasr-1 missiles with millimeter-wave radar seeker. It seems that this anti-ship missile was specially developed in China for an Iranian order based on the French AS.15TT Aerospatiale. In China, the missile, designated TL-6, was not accepted for service and is only offered for export.
Mass production of Nasr-1 missiles in Iran began after 2010. This missile is mainly intended for arming small missile boats and for use in coastal complexes. With a launch range and flight speed comparable to the Kovsar-3, the weight of the Nasr-1 warhead has been increased to 130 kg, which poses a threat to warships with a displacement of 4,000 tons.
Launch of the Nasr-1 rocket from the Peykaap-2 small missile boat
On the basis of the Nasr-1 missile, the Nasir anti-ship missile was created. The rocket was first demonstrated in early 2017. According to Iranian data, the Nazir launch range has more than doubled compared to the Nasr-1 anti-ship missile.
ASM "Nazir"
It is not entirely clear how the Iranians managed to achieve such a significant increase in range. The presented photographs show that the Nazir rocket received an additional booster stage, but the air intakes necessary for the operation of the turbojet engine are not visible.
In April 2017, the Ministry of Defense and Logistics of the Iranian Armed Forces transferred a batch of new anti-ship missiles Nazir to the naval forces of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The handover ceremony was attended by Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dekhan and Navy Commander Rear Admiral Ali Fadawi.
Anti-ship missiles, obtained and created with the help of China, were supplied from Iran to Syria and the Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah. Apparently, during the preparation of Operation Dignified Retribution in 2006, Israeli intelligence failed to reveal in time the fact that the guerrilla armed group had anti-ship missiles. On July 16, 2006, the Israeli naval corvette Hanit, which took part in the blockade of the Lebanese coast, came under a rocket attack at 0830 hours local time.
A battleship, standing 16 km from the coast, was hit by an anti-ship missile. In this case, four Israeli sailors were killed. The corvette itself and the helicopter on board were seriously damaged. Initially, it was reported that the Chinese-made C-802 anti-ship missile system got into the ship. The missile hit a crane installed in the stern of the ship. As a result of the explosion, a fire started under the helipad, extinguished by the team.
Damage aboard the corvette "Hanit"
However, if a sufficiently large 715 kg missile with a warhead weighing 165 kg hit an unarmored ship with a displacement of 1065 tons, the consequences would be much more severe. As you know, the C-802 anti-ship missile system uses a turbojet engine, and if the intended type of anti-ship missile system was used, kerosene that was not consumed in flight would inevitably cause a large-scale fire. In addition, there was no need to use a missile with a launch range of more than 120 km against the ship, which was actually in the line of sight. Most likely, the Shiite militants launched a light anti-ship missile of the YJ-7 family with a radar or television guidance system against the Israeli corvette.
During the missile attack on the corvette, the radar suppression systems and the radar for detecting air targets were turned off, which did not allow taking the necessary protective measures. After the fire was extinguished and the battle for survivability was completed, the ship remained afloat and managed to independently reach the territorial waters of Israel. Subsequently, more than $ 40 million was spent on the restoration of the corvette. By and large, the Israeli sailors were very lucky, since the missile hit not the most vulnerable part of the warship.
The fact that a light "partisan" anti-ship missile was used against the Hanit corvette was confirmed in March 2011, when the Israeli Navy stopped the cargo ship Victoria, 200 miles off the coast of Israel, sailing under the Liberian flag to Alexandria, Egypt. During the inspection activities on board the ship, a cargo of weapons weighing 50 tons was found, including the YJ-74 anti-ship missile.
YJ-74 anti-ship missiles found aboard the Victoria bulk carrier
A number of sources indicate that the Iranian Navy is still using American Harpoon anti-ship missiles. It is difficult to say how realistic this is, since more than 40 years have passed since their delivery to Iran. Even if the American anti-ship missiles were not used up in the course of hostilities, they many times overstayed the terms of guaranteed storage. It is possible that Iran was able to establish refurbishment and maintenance of missiles. At least until recently it was possible to observe the Harpoon anti-ship missile launcher on Iranian La Combattante II-class missile boats. Iranian representatives in the past stated that they managed to create their own version of the Harpoon anti-ship missile system, but so far there is no confirmation of this.
Assessing the potential of Iranian anti-ship missiles, one can note their diversity. As in the case of ballistic missiles, the Islamic Republic is simultaneously developing and adopting several models similar in their characteristics, while radically differing from each other structurally. This approach complicates the preparation of rocket calculations, and significantly increases the cost of production and operation. But the positive side is the acquisition of the necessary experience and the creation of a scientific and design school. With several types of missiles in service with different guidance systems, it is much more difficult to develop electronic countermeasures. Of course, the Iranian Navy and Air Force are not able to withstand the main potential enemy for a long time. But at the same time, numerous coastal missile systems and boats can inflict certain losses on the landing forces in the event of a landing on the Iranian coast. In the event of an armed confrontation between the United States and Iran, the movement of tankers in the Persian Gulf, through which about 20% of all oil produced in the world is transported, will most likely be paralyzed. Iran is quite capable of preventing shipping in the area for a while. The Strait of Hormuz, which is less than 40 km wide at its narrowest point, is especially vulnerable in this respect.
