Kheibar Shekan

Kheibar Shekan
TypeMedium-range ballistic missile
Place of originIran
Service history
Used byIslamic Republic of Iran
WarsWar on ISIL[1][2]
2024 Iran–Israel conflict
Twelve-Day War
2026 Iran war
Production history
ManufacturerIRGCASF
Produced2022
Specifications
PropellantSolid fuel engine

Kheibar Shekan (Persian: خیبرشکن; also transliterated Kheybar Shekan or Kheibarshekan) is an Iranian solid-fuel medium-range ballistic missile operated by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Aerospace Force. It is part of the Fateh-110 missile family and was unveiled in February 2022.[3] The missile is propelled by solid fuel and its warhead is maneuverable in terminal phase with the objective of evading air defenses. The range is 1450 km, or about 900 mi.[4][5]

Kheibar Sheken missiles have been used throughout the 2026 Iran war.[6] American newspaper WSJ described the Kheibar Shekan as "cheap, accurate and lethal," as the "workhorse" of Iran's ballistic missile forces, and as "Iran's best missile."[4]

Name

"Kheibar" refers to a fort near Medina, Khaybar, which was populated by Arabian Jews and was in 628 A.D. conquered by Muslims led by the prophet Muhammad.[7] "Shekan" means "shatterer" or "destroyer". More idiomatically, the name can be translated as "fortress breaker."[8]

Specifications

The Kheibar Shekan missile uses solid fuel and, according to Iran, weighs less than similar missiles; Iran did not disclose the type it was being compared against.[3] It is considered part of the Fateh-110 family of missiles.[3] It was unveiled in February 2022 at a ceremony attended by Iranian military commanders on the 43rd anniversary of the Iranian Revolution.[9]

Dimensions

Kheibar Shekan in 2023

The dimensions of the Kheibar Shekan missile have not been not disclosed.[10] Two Iranian news websites estimated the dimensions as ~10.5 meters long, 80 centimeters in diameter, and 4500 kg weight.[11][10] Its warhead is high explosive type and its body is made of composite materials same as Raad-500 missile.[11]

One of the advantages of the Kheibar Shekan missile is its smaller dimensions compared to similar models; therefore, more of them can be stored in the limited space of underground missile bases.[12]

Warhead

The relatively large dimensions of the Kheibar Shekan's re-entry vehicle increase the maneuverability after re-entering the atmosphere and allow for more sophisticated and faster maneuvers to attempt to defeat missile defenses.[13] The velocity of the warhead at the moment of impact is reportedly estimated at Mach 2-3.[11]

At unveiling in 2022, the warhead weight was not disclosed.[3] Islamic World News, an Iran-aligned media outlet, estimated a warhead weight of 500 kg while qualifying that this was an estimate and that the weight was not officially disclosed.[10] IISS reported a warhead weight of 550kg in 2025.[14] In 2026, the WSJ reported a payload of 990-1300 lbs (~450-600 kg).[4]

The reentry vehicle's configuration is of the tri-conic type, which maintains the warhead's stability during re-entry. According to Iranian state media sources, by making engineering compromises and increasing the drag force, the missile has achieved more maneuverability.[11][15] In 2024, the Kheibar Shekan was described as the most advanced Iranian missile with the range to strike Israel.[16]

According to the WSJ, some Kheybar Shekan variants have a warhead-bearing nose section with a small engine that can adjust trajectory during the terminal phase of flight.[4] Iran had earlier claimed such a maneuvering capability at the missile's introduction in 2022.[17]

Launch vehicle

According to IRNA, the Kheibar Shekan missile can use a wide range of launchers.[18] The launcher used for the missile is mounted on a 10-wheel commercial chassis that can also be camouflaged as a commercial vehicle.[11][19][20]

Casting of missile motors takes place at Iran's Shahroud missile facility in Semnan Province.[21]

Military use

Iran has believed to have supplied the missile to the Houthis.[22] In a military parade in Yemen on 21 September 2022, the Houthis unveiled a missile called "Hatim" which bore visual similarities to the Kheibar Shekan.[23]

The first use in combat was on 15 January 2024, when the IRGC used four Kheibar Shekan missiles to strike a reported Islamic State target in Idlib governorate in northwestern Syria.[24][25] The missiles were fired from a location near Darkhoveyn in southern Khuzestan, about 1250 km away.[24] Tehran emphasized that this was their longest ever missile strike;[26] The New York Times said that both the range and accuracy were notable.[27]

On 1 October 2024, Iran launched 181 ballistic missiles at Israel in response to Israel's assassination of Hassan Nasrallah and IRGC Commander Abbas Nilforoushan on 27 September. Kheibar Shekan missiles were among those reportedly used in the attack.[28] In response, on 26 October 2024, Israel struck military targets inside of Iran, including multiple facilities used to manufacture and store the solid propellant fuel for Kheibar Shekan missiles.[29]

Kheibar Shekan was also used in combat in the 2026 Iran war.[30] According to a Wall Street Journal report, Iran has used the missile in complex attacks involving different flight paths, manoeuvres, and speeds intended to confuse air defence systems. Iran's tactics and deployment of Kheibar Shekan missiles had evolved through the war, reported the WSJ, and some of the missiles successfully evaded US defenses.[4]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "حمله به تروریست‌ها از فاصله ۱۲۰۰ کیلومتری پیام واضح ایران به اسرائیل بود". ایرنا. January 16, 2024.
  2. ↑ ایران, عصر (October 26, 1402). "جزئیات حمله موشکی سپاه از زبان سردار حاجی زاده". fa.
  3. 1 2 3 4 https://www.janes.com/defence-intelligence-insights/defence-news/weapons/iran-unveils-kheibar-shekan-ballistic-missile
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Cloud, David; Holliday, Shelby (2026-07-25). "Cheap, Accurate and Lethal: Iran's Best Missile Is Getting More Dangerous". Wall Street Journal.
  5. ↑ "مذاکره در اتریش و رونمایی موشک در ایران؛ تفسیر رسانه‌های اسرائیل از نام "خیبرشکن"" [Negotiations in Austria and the unveiling of missiles in Iran; Israeli media interprets the name "Kheibar Shekan"] (in Persian). 9 February 2022. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
  6. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_tqzzWYdKc
  7. ↑ https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/article-695958
  8. ↑ https://m.economictimes.com/news/international/us/iran-fires-kheibar-shekan-missile-for-the-first-time-at-israel-shows-trump-us-airstrikes-on-its-nuclear-sites-not-effective/articleshow/122004563.cms
  9. ↑ "سپاه پاسداران از 'موشک بالستیک با برد ۱۴۵۰ کیلومتر' رونمایی کرد" [The Revolutionary Guards unveiled a 'ballistic missile with a range of 1450 km']. BBC News فارسی (in Persian). Retrieved 21 February 2022.
  10. 1 2 3 "دانش نظامی: موشک راهبردی خیبر شکن – تحولات جهان اسلام" (in Persian). Retrieved 2026-06-28.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 "جدیدترین موشک ایرانی را بیشتر بشناسید" [Learn more about the latest Iranian missile] (in Persian). Retrieved 21 February 2022.
  12. ↑ "«خیبرشکن» جدیدترین موشک ایران چه ویژگی‌هایی دارد؟ برد موشک‌های سوخت جامد تاکتیکی به اسرائیل رسید" [What are the features of Iran's latest "Khyber Breaker" missile? - The range of tactical solid fuel missiles reached Israel] (in Persian). Retrieved 21 February 2022.
  13. ↑ ""خیبرشکن" برای عبور از سامانه‌های پدافندی طراحی شده است" ["Kheibar Shekan" is designed to pass through defense systems] (in Persian). Retrieved 21 February 2022.
  14. ↑ https://www.iiss.org/online-analysis/online-analysis/2025/06/israels-attack-and-the-limits-of-irans-missile-strategy/
  15. ↑ ""خیبرشکن" جدیدترین موشک ایران را بیشتر بشناسید - ساعدنیوز" [Learn more about Iran's latest "Kheibar Shekan" missile - Saadnews] (in Persian). 13 February 2022. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
  16. ↑ https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-01-17/iran-strikes-showcase-high-tech-khaibar-shekan-missile-designed-to-hit-israel
  17. ↑ https://www.iiss.org/online-analysis/military-balance/2023/07/removing-the-hype-from-irans-hypersonic-conqueror/
  18. ↑ www.irna.ir https://www.irna.ir/news/84648509/%D8%AE%DB%8C%D8%A8%D8%B1%D8%B4%DA%A9%D9%86-%D8%AC%D8%AF%DB%8C%D8%AF%D8%AA%D8%B1%DB%8C%D9%86-%D9%85%D9%88%D8%B4%DA%A9-%D8%A7%DB%8C%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86-%DA%86%D9%87-%D9%88%DB%8C%DA%98%DA%AF%DB%8C-%D9%87%D8%A7%DB%8C%DB%8C-%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%AF-%D8%A8%D8%B1%D8%AF-%D9%85%D9%88%D8%B4%DA%A9-%D9%87%D8%A7%DB%8C. Retrieved 2026-06-28. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  19. ↑ "تمام خاک اسرائیل و همه پایگاه های آمریکا در منطقه در تیررس موشک های قدرتمند ایران! - نیوزین" [All Israeli territory and all US bases in the region are within range of Iran's powerful missiles! - Newsin] (in Persian). 13 February 2022. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
  20. ↑ "تمام خاک اسرائیل و همه پایگاه های آمریکا در منطقه در تیررس موشک های قدرتمند ایران!" [All Israeli territory and all US bases in the region are within range of Iran's powerful missiles!] (in Persian). Retrieved 21 February 2022.
  21. ↑ https://understandingwar.org/research/middle-east/iran-update-evening-special-report-march-11-2026/
  22. ↑ https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-01-17/iran-strikes-showcase-high-tech-khaibar-shekan-missile-designed-to-hit-israel
  23. ↑ https://www.janes.com/defence-intelligence-insights/defence-news/weapons/yemeni-rebels-unveil-new-missiles-in-largest-parade-to-date
  24. 1 2 https://www.iranwatch.org/our-publications/articles-reports/bombardment-revisiting-irans-january-2024-missile-strikes-syria-iraq-pakistan
  25. ↑ https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/1/15/irans-revolutionary-guard-attack-anti-iranian-groups-in-iraqs-erbil
  26. ↑ https://understandingwar.org/research/middle-east/iran-update-january-16-2024/
  27. ↑ https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/18/world/middleeast/iran-missile-program.html. Both the range and the apparent accuracy seized the attention of national security officials in Europe and Israel, as well as outside experts who track Iran's technological advances. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  28. ↑ Summer Said; Benoit Faucon (3 November 2024). "Iran Tells Region 'Strong and Complex' Attack Coming on Israel". wsj.com. Wall Street Journal.
  29. ↑ Kasapoğlu, Can (2024-10-30). "Assessing the Political and Military Scope of Israel's Strikes on Iran". MENA Defense Intelligence Digest. Washington D.C.: Hudson Institute.
  30. ↑ "'100 Targets Hit': IRGC Unleashes Missiles On Israel After Larijani Assassination". The Times of India.
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