In recent years, relying on domestic capabilities and maximum use of existing capabilities,
in a short period, new and modern missiles, including anti-ship ballistic missile,
has been unveiled, and Iran's ability in defense becomes more visible.
Iran and the development of cruise missiles.
Given the benefits presented, Iran has for the past three decades sought to
increase its capabilities in the production of cruise missiles,
especially anti-ship cruise missiles, and in the production of advanced ballistic missiles,
liquid, solid, and a combination of It, Iran is a world-renowned country,
able to establish itself as a superior power in the field of cruise missiles. An array of
anti-ship cruise missiles with various targeting systems and ranges have been developed in Iran.
During the 8-year imposed war,
many operational experiences were gained in the field of naval battles.
In this regard, the acquisition of various types of anti-ship cruise missiles that can be launched
from the coast, ships, and air were raised as one of the priorities of the country's armed forces.
Observing the performance of anti-ship missiles such as the Harpoon missile at the disposal of the
Iranian Navy and the French Exocet missile at the disposal of Iraq, as well as the use of silkworm
missiles by both sides, prompted the Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Support to design, build
and produce anti-ship missiles with various ranges that can fire from the three main categories
of launchers, namely submarines, aircraft and ground platforms, make significant investments.
Unveiling of the Persian Gulf ballistic missiles.
In a press conference on February 7, 2011, the then-Chief-Commander of IRGC,
Major-General Mohammad-Ali Ja'fari, announced the mass production of the IRGC's latest ballistic
missile against sea targets and emphasized that the enemy was not capable of tracking
and neutralizing this missile. The Persian Gulf is a missile designed
by the IRGC Aerospace Research Center and produced by the Ministry of Defense.
Persian Gulf ballistic missiles can inflict heavy blows on the enemy without air and sea support in
case of sea threats. While the IRGC tested the Persian Gulf missile, the US Naval Intelligence
Agency, in a report, declared the accuracy of this anti-ship missile below 10 meters
and wrote that the Persian Gulf missile is capable of destroying all the naval military equipment of
Iran's enemies in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of ​​Oman. According to various sources, the missile
was put into use in 2012, and so far, it has been successfully fired in several exercises.
China and Iran are the only countries that can build and operate anti-ship ballistic missiles.
China's medium-range missile Dong-Feng 21 (DF-21)
and Iran have achieved this capacity by changing the ground types of the Fateh missile.
Overview.
The Persian Gulf is an anti-ship ballistic missile, single-stage solid fuel, supersonic
with a range of 300 km, which is designed and built based on the Fateh-110 missile.
The Persian Gulf missile is mass-produced as the fourth generation of the successful,
accurate, popular, and wholly indigenous Fateh-110 missile. The missile is equipped with a 650 kg
explosive warhead that uses a combination of guidance systems that prevent its interception.
The difference between the Persian Gulf and other anti-ship cruise missiles is
that these missiles mainly operate at a subsonic speed and in horizontal flight,
but the Persian Gulf missile is fired from the surface with a supersonic speed,
and as a ballistic and vertically from a high altitude, it can target any enemy ship or vessel.
This missile also locks on the target in its final
stage, which means it has a target identification and detection system.
The 300 km range of the Persian Gulf missile covers the entire Persian
Gulf and the Sea of Oman. Its speed is about three times the speed of sound.
This missile is equipped with a 650 kg explosive warhead
that uses a combination of guidance systems and prevents interception. This is more significant
for an anti-ship ballistic missile than conventional anti-ship cruise missiles.
The rain cap is another feature of the Persian Gulf missile, which can launch
up to 3,000 explosive pieces at a variable speed between 600 and 2,000 meters per second.