In naval warfare, one of the best tools for area denial is the anti-ship missile system.
They strengthen a state’s combat and deterrent capability in a hostile maritime environment.
Like any other country, Iran is developing sophisticated anti-ship missile systems to
counter any offensive advantage posed by the sea-based capabilities of its adversaries.
Therefore, Anti-ship missiles form a credible component of any nation’s defense capabilities.
Hello everyone and welcome back to another episode of Military TV.
Today we are going to talk about “Iran’s Anti-Ship Missile Threat to Gulf Shipping”
Iran’s anti-ship missile arsenal represents a key part of its asymmetric anti-access/area denial
(or called A2/AD) strategy. An A2/AD strategy is particularly effective in the Persian Gulf,
Straits of Hormuz, and the Gulf of Oman because of the relatively confined spaces of these
bodies of water. The wide variety of platforms from which Iran can launch Anti-Ship Missiles
AShM’s presents a “360-degree threat.” In addition to the coastal, ship, and fixed-wing platforms,
Iran recently integrated AShM’s onto helicopters and aims to develop submarine-launched missiles.
Surface vessels that can fire anti-ship missiles are a crucial part of Iran’s asymmetric strategy.
Part of this strategy calls for swarms of small vessels to attack larger enemy vessels.
Although it is difficult to ascertain the current operational readiness of Iran’s surface fleet,
a 2009 report by the US Office of Naval Intelligence stated
that approximately half of the IRIN’s missile-armed surface combatants were in
“very poor material condition, limiting their readiness and operational endurance.” To make
up for this, coast-launched AShM’s can be used in conjunction with small-boat swarm attacks in
order to saturate enemy vessel defenses. AShM’s based on coastal platforms are small, mobile,
and can be disguised as civilian vehicles, making the destruction of these platforms difficult.
Iran’s AShM’s can be put into three broad categories,
short-range, mid-range, and long range.  Short-range AShM’s, like the C-801, Kowsar,
and Nasr, are generally rocket-powered and are commonly found on small fast attack craft. The
Chinese C-701 and C-704 missiles were used to develop the Kowsar and Nasr, respectively.
In September 2013, Iran claimed to have produced a helicopter launched version of the Nasr missile
and planned to produce a version that could be launched from fighter aircraft.
A picture showing a Bell 206 with a modified Nasr missile attached to
it was released alongside this statement. The C-801 was also imported from China in 1987-88
and is in Iranian service as the Tondar.  Mid-range AShM’s, which include the C-802,
Noor, and Qader, feature small air-breathing engines, making these missiles anti-ship cruise
missiles (ASCM’s). Noor and Qader are both based on the C-802, which was imported from China. These
missiles are found on Iran’s frigates, corvettes, and fixed-wing aircraft. The Qader was claimed to
have been integrated onto helicopters at the same time the same claim was made with Nasr.
While the Mi-17 was specified as the platform for the Noor, no specific helicopter was given
as the platform for the Qader. Considering that the Qader is slightly larger than the
Noor but similar in the sense that it is also a C-802 derivative, the Mi-17 is likely
the helicopter platform for the Qader.  And Long-range AShM’s, including Ra’ad
and Khalij Fars, are currently only found on land-based platforms. The Ra’ad is a modified
HY-2, while the Khalij Fars is as anti-ship ballistic missile variant of the Fateh-110
ballistic missile. All of these missiles can be launched from land and coastal platforms.
In addition, Iranian ships made heavy use of the C-700 or C-800 series anti-ship missiles Iran
bought from the People’s Republic of China (PRC) or now produces indigenously. They have replaced
most Western-supplied missiles with Chinese designs. The Iranian Navy’s missile patrol
boats include 13 operational 275-ton French-made Combattante II (Kaman-class) fast attack boats,
with four currently under construction. These boats are reported to be armed with two to
four C-802 Sardine anti-ship missiles, one 76-mm gun, and to have maximum speeds of 37.5
knots. According to Jane’s Naval Guide, nine of these are from the original French shipment during
the early 1980s, while Iran has constructed another four with comparable equipment.
The Kaman-class fast attack boats were originally armed with four US Harpoon missiles, but their
Harpoons may no longer be operational. At least five had been successfully converted to launchers
carrying two to four C-801 and C-802s.One source notes that Iran may have imported up to 100
C-801s and eight launchers in 1987- 1988 and built its arsenal to 200 by 1994. It since has developed
the ability to produce the C- 801 indigenously (under the designation “Tondar”). Another source
notes that Iran may have deployed its C-701 missiles at launching bases under construction
at Bandar Abbas, Bandar Lengeh, Bushehr, and Bandar Khomeini. It is also clear that Iran has
refitted US ships once equipped with Harpoon with the C-800 series. Iran also has sought to buy more
advanced anti-ship missiles and anti-ship missile production facilities from Russia, North Korea,
and China, and possibly has even attempted to obtain Chinese-made missile-armed frigates.
Iran regularly announces that it has deployed new anti-ship missiles or is developing them.
For example, it claims to have successfully developed over-the-horizon missile targeting
capabilities, building variants of the Fateh-110 and Shahab
with homing guidance systems for use in anti-ship warfare. This claim appears to
be borne out to some extent by the development of Khalij Farsa an upgraded Fateh-110 with a
rudimentary seeking and steering mechanism for targeting ships. While its real-world
capabilities are unknown, it would represent a valuable layer of Iran’s anti-ship “stack.”
In October 2019, Iran was reported to have joined the club of countries operating ramjet engines.
Ramjet engines are powerful “air breathing” technologies that are crucial for cruise missiles
with supersonic speeds. Iran has already developed cruise missiles and, in future,
can upgrade these missiles with ramjet power for supersonic speeds. Moreover, Iran could also use
ramjet engines for anti-ship missile capabilities in order to make them supersonic in speed.
This could clearly alter the ‘balance of power’ in Iran’s favour. Such reports nevertheless
point to Iran’s preparedness on its maritime capabilities to influence the Persian Gulf region.
In April 2020, General Salami asserted that “security of the Persian Gulf is part of
Iran’s strategic priorities.” Moreover, since the hypersonic arms race has already begun and Russia,
China, India, the United States are all developing or developed hypersonic cruise missile systems,
Iran will not want to be left behind and want to showcase its military prowess to the world.
Thanks for watching and we hope you enjoy the video.