Zolfaghar (missile)

Zolfaghar
Two Zolfaghar missiles mounted on a launcher
Zolfaghar
TypeSRBM[1]
Place of originIran
Service history
In service2017–present[1]
Production history
ManufacturerIRGC AF
VariantsZolfaqar Basir
Specifications
Length10.3 m (34 ft)[1]
Diameter0.68 m (2.2 ft)[1]
PropellantSingle-stage Solid-propelled[1]
Operational
range
700 km (430 mi)[1]
Guidance
system
INS, GPS[2]
Accuracy100 m (330 ft) CEP estimated[2]

The Zolfaghar (Persian: ذوالفقار) missile is an Iranian road-mobile,[2] single-stage, solid-propelled short-range ballistic missile.[1] The Zolfaghar missile is part of the Fateh-110 SRBM family[2] and is possibly derived from the Fateh-313 missile in particular.[1] It was unveiled in 2016 and entered service in 2017.[3][1] It was first used in the 2017 Deir ez-Zor missile strike and was therefore the first ballistic missile fired by Iran in anger in 30 years.[4] It is named after Zulfiqar, the sword of Ali ibn Abi Talib.

Design

According to Iranian sources, the Zolfaghar missile has a length of 10.3 m (34 ft), a diameter of 0.68 m (2.2 ft), and a launch weight of 4,615 kg (10,174 lb) with a 590 kg (1,300 lb) warhead. The warhead is designed to separate in the missile's midcourse phase, making it more difficult to detect, track, and intercept than unibody missiles like the 9K720 Iskander.[5]

The Zolfaghar's body is made using filament-wound fiber as opposed to the metal bodies of earlier Fateh-family missiles, which reduces its weight and improves range.[6] The missile has a claimed range of 700 km, which is significantly more than earlier Fateh-family missiles.[6] According to Janes, the range is considered largely proven based on the 2017 Deir ez-Zor missile strike, where Zolfaghar missiles were used to strike targets from 600 km away.[6]

The Zolfaghar (and possibly other members of the Fateh-110 family) are believed to use commercial GNSS systems to improve accuracy.[7] According to Mehr News, the missile is designed and manufactered by Iran's state-owned Aerospace Industries Organization.[3]

According to Iranian media sources, a naval variant called the "Zolfaqar Basir" has also been developed, which the IRGC claims has a range of more than 700 km (430 mi).[8]

In February 2019 Iran unveiled a new longer range version of the Zolfaghar missile called the Dezful missile with a range of 1,000 km (620 mi); this range would classify it as an MRBM.[9]

History

It was first unveiled during a military parade aboard a vehicle decorated with an anti-Zionist banner on 25 September 2016 after which Defense Minister Hossein Dehqan claimed that the missile had a range of 700 km (430 mi).[1][2] The Iranian Ministry of Defense would later on release a video of its testing.[1]

On 17 June 2017 Iran launched six Zolfaghar missiles into Syria towards the Deir ez-Zor region on ISIS targets as a response to the attack in Tehran on 8 June 2017.[1] Sources sharply disagree about the accuracy and reliability of the Zolfaghar missiles used in this strike.[10]

Zolfaghar missiles were also used along with Qiam missiles in a strike on Islamic State in Kermanshah, Syria on 1 October 2018.[11]

On 7 March 2021, Yemeni Houthi attacked different locations in Saudi Arabia with ballistic missiles and armed drones with a Zolfaghar ballistic missile along with several Samad-3 loitering munitions targeted the Aramco oil facilities at Ras Tanura.[12][13]

Fateh-110 and Zolfaghar missiles are believed to undergo final assembly in the Kuh-e Barjamali site, which is part of Iran's Khojir Aerospace Complex southeast of Tehran.[14] The site was bombed by the US on 7 March 2026.[14]

Operators

Zolfaqar missiles on a Truck

State-operators

Reported future operators

  •  Russia – An intelligence assessment shared in October 2022 with Ukrainian and U.S. officials contended that Iran's armaments industry was preparing a first shipment of Fateh-110 and Zolfaghar missiles to Russia.[16] Western media reported the sale was confirmed by the Iranian side later in October.[15] Iran rejected the Western "media hype" over the delivery of Iranian missiles to Russia. The foreign minister said that "what they have said about the missiles is completely wrong."[17] As of April 2024 no missile sales have occurred.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "Zolfaghar". Missile Threat. Archived from the original on 2020-02-18. Retrieved 2017-06-20.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Zolfaghar". Missile Defense Afvocacy Alliance. Archived from the original on 2020-03-30.
  3. 1 2 Staff. (25 September 2016). "Iran unveils Zulfaghar long-range ballistic missile". Mehr News Agency website Retrieved 20 March 2022.
  4. ↑ "Iran Fires at Militants in Syria in First Use of Mid-range Missiles in 30 Years". Haaretz. 18 June 2017. Archived from the original on 18 June 2017. Retrieved 18 June 2017.
  5. ↑ Cordesman, Anthony H. (30 May 2019). "The Iranian Missile Threat". www.csis.org. Retrieved 2022-10-20.
  6. 1 2 3 "Proving grounds: Assessing Iranian weapon performance in Syria and Yemen" (PDF). Jane's Defence Weekly (IHS Markit). 2018. Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 August 2018.
  7. ↑ Jeremy Binnie (2 July 2017). "Iran says it hit targets in Syria with Zolfaghar ballistic missiles". London: IHS Jane's Defence Weekly. Archived from the original on 2 July 2017.
  8. ↑ "Zulfiqar Basir naval ballistic missile with ability to hit distant targets". iranpress.com. Retrieved 2024-05-12.
  9. ↑ "Report: Iran Inaugurates Medium-Range Ballistic Missile". New York Times. Associated Press. 2019-02-07. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2019-02-09. Retrieved 2019-02-08.
  10. ↑ For a clear statement of the disagreeing opinions, see "Proving grounds: Assessing Iranian weapon performance in Syria and Yemen" (PDF). Jane's Defence Weekly (IHS Markit). 2018. Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 August 2018.. The article Operation Night of Power catalogs several more contradictory opinions.
  11. ↑ https://www.iranwatch.org/our-publications/articles-reports/irans-missile-attack-against-israel
  12. ↑ "World News | Latest Top Stories". Reuters.
  13. ↑ "Ansarullah's missile and munitions launches flex Saudi responses".
  14. 1 2 https://understandingwar.org/research/middle-east/iran-update-evening-special-report-march-22-2026/
  15. 1 2 Altman, Howard (18 October 2022). "Ukraine Situation Report: Iranian Officials Admit To Selling Russia Ballistic Missiles (Updated)". thedrive.com. The Drive. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  16. ↑ "Iran plans to send missiles, drones to Russia for Ukraine war, officials say". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2022-10-16.
  17. ↑ "Update: Iranian FM acknowledges sending drones to Russia before Ukraine conflict-Xinhua". english.news.cn. Retrieved 2022-11-12.
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