Iran's sophisticated missile arsenal unleashed on Israel

Iran has conducted another ballistic missile attack on Israel. We present the missile capabilities of Tehran and explain what might have struck the attacked country.

Ballistic missiles are the cornerstone of security policy for the ayatollahs. Iran has been developing this weapon for about two decades. Initially, the base consisted of post-Soviet or North Korean missiles, but over time, Tehran began producing its own.

These are very dangerous weapons because they can be intercepted by very few anti-aircraft systems, which is also very costly for the defending side. The main problem is their very high flight speed, reaching in some cases even Mach 5 (about 3,300 mph) or more. In the case of Iran, only ballistic missiles with a range exceeding 620 miles are suitable for attacking Israel.

In the attack on Israel, Iran used its ballistic missiles with a range of over 620 miles, including Shahab-3, Kheybar-Shekan, Fattah, Ghadr, and Emad. All can be launched from mobile launchers, making them difficult to detect and neutralize.

In 2020, Iran was reported to have 50 Shahab-3 missile launchers and several launchers for Ghadr and Emad missiles, but over the past four years, these numbers could have increased several times. The latest estimates include about 200 launched missiles, and such weapons occupy entire launchers. It can be assumed that Iran may not have hundreds of missiles, but it may have even a few thousand.

The basic missiles for the Iranian ballistic program were old Soviet non-guided ballistic missiles Luna-M, which, after modifications, have been produced locally under the name Zelzal. These missiles, about 29 feet long and weighing 7,700 pounds, have, over time, been equipped with advanced guidance systems based on inertial and satellite navigation, creating the Fateh family with a range of up to 310 miles.

Their latest versions have a target accuracy of about 33 feet and were the catalyst for the production of longer-range missiles. The first was the Shahab-3 missiles, about 52 feet long. They have a range of 810 miles and were introduced into service in 2003. Shahab-3 can carry warheads weighing over 1,500 pounds. Over time, improved versions of these missiles, such as Ghadr and Emad, with a range of about 1,240 miles, were developed.

Ghadr and Emad are characterized by MIRV warheads, allowing them to launch warheads attacking different targets in space. This forces the defence to use, for example, three anti-missiles for each launched missile. Just like Shahab-3, these are liquid-fueled designs. This fuel is more efficient but very corrosive, so the missiles cannot be kept ready for launch for a long time and must be fueled just before use.

For this reason, solid-fuel engines are the norm for ballistic missiles, as they can be kept ready for use for years. The downside is the shorter range of the missile in the same format and the more difficult production. However, Iran has also mastered this technology, as evidenced by the Kheybar-Shekan missile, first observed in 2022, with an estimated range of 870 miles.

It is worth noting that the remains of all the above three types of missiles have already been found in Israel or were recorded during launches in Iranian propaganda materials. Thus, Tehran decided to use even its newest missiles in the attack.