Quds cruise missile

Last updated
Quds land-attack cruise missile
Place of origin Yemen
Service history
In serviceJuly 2019 [1]
Used by Houthis
Production history
Manufacturer Iran, Houthis
Specifications
EngineToloue 10 or 13 type
Guidance
system
 TERCOM navigation system

The Quds are a family of Iranian cruise missiles, primarily used to attack land based targets. [2]

Contents

Quds-1

Quds-1, designated '351' by the US Government, [3] is a land-attack cruise missile used by Houthi movement in Yemen. [4] [5] [6] The Houthis claim that they have developed it themselves, but some sources disagree. [7]

Design

According to missile expert Fabian Hinz it could be a copy of the Iranian Soumar missile or the Russian Kh-55. However, the size of the missile is smaller than the Iranian one, and its range is much shorter due to having less room aboard for fuel, and due to being a ground-launched rather than an air-launched cruise missile. He added that there are differences between the Soumar missile and the Quds-1 missile like "the entire booster design, the wing position, the Quds 1's fixed wings, the shape of the nose cone, the shape of the aft fuselage, the position of the stabilizers and the shape of the engine cover and exhaust". According to Fabian Hinz the range of Quds-1 is "significantly" smaller than the Iranian Soumar. [8] [9]

The primary engine is an unlicensed copy of the TJ-100 turbojet produced by PBS Velká Bíteš in Czechia. [10] [11]

A "Quds cruise missile" was amongst the long-range unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) the Houthis displayed to the media in July 2019. Jane's Defence Weekly described it as shorter with differently shaped wings and fins, engine mounted on top rather than inside, and a smaller rocket launch booster compared to the Iranian Ya Ali. The fins looked similar to the missile used in the Abha International Airport attack the previous month. [6]

Quds-2

The Quds-2 cruise missile is also used by Yemen, and is supposed to be a more advanced version of the Quds-1, with higher speed, and range. [2]

In June 2024, it was discovered that Iran-backed militias in Iraq possessed Quds-2 cruise missiles. This came to light when Iraqi police in Babil found and photographed a Quds-2 cruise missile that had failed to launch. [12] [13]

Quds-3

In 2022, the Quds-3 cruise missile was displayed at a Houthi military parade in Sanaa, Yemen. [14] Speculation [ by whom? ] suggests that the Houthis may have used the Quds-3 against Israel during the Red Sea Crisis, as it is the only missile they possess capable of reaching Eilat. [12]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PAAMS</span> Joint programme for an integrated anti-air warfare system

The Principal Anti-Air Missile System (PAAMS) is a joint programme developed by France, Italy, and the United Kingdom for an integrated anti-aircraft warfare system. The prime contractor is EUROPAAMS, a joint venture between Eurosam (66%) and UKAMS (33%). In the United Kingdom, PAAMS has been given the designation Sea Viper.

USS <i>Laboon</i> American guided-missile destroyer

USS Laboon (DDG-58) is an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer in the United States Navy. She is named for Father John Francis Laboon (1921–1988), a captain in the Chaplain Corps of the United States Navy, who was awarded the Silver Star during World War II while serving on the submarine USS Peto.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">R-27 (air-to-air missile)</span> Soviet air-to-air missile

The Vympel R-27 is a family of air-to-air missiles developed by the Soviet Union during the late Cold War-era. It remains in service with the Russian Aerospace Forces, air forces of the Commonwealth of Independent States and air forces of many other countries as the standard medium-range air-to-air missile despite the development of the more advanced R-77.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ghadr-110</span> Medium-range ballistic missile

The Ghadr-110 or Qadr-110, is a medium-range ballistic missile designed and developed by Iran. The missile has a range of 1,800 km to 2,000 km. The Iranian Armed Forces first displayed the missile to the public at an annual military parade to mark the Iran–Iraq War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HESA Ababil</span> Iranian unmanned aerial vehicle

The HESA Ababil is an Iranian family of single-engine multirole tactical unmanned aerial vehicles manufactured by Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industrial Company (HESA). The Ababil comes in four main lines, the Ababil-2 ,3, 4 and 5, of which the Ababil-2 has a number of variants. It is considered a long-range, low-technology drone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Houthi movement</span> Islamist political and military organization in Yemen

The Houthi movement, officially known as Ansar Allah, is a Shia Islamist political and military organization that emerged from Yemen in the 1990s. It is predominantly made up of Zaidi Shias, with their namesake leadership being drawn largely from the Houthi tribe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scud missile</span> Series of short-range ballistic missiles

A Scud missile is one of a series of tactical ballistic missiles developed by the Soviet Union during the Cold War. It was exported widely to both Second and Third World countries. The term comes from the NATO reporting name attached to the missile by Western intelligence agencies. The Russian names for the missile are the R-11, and the R-17Elbrus. The name Scud has been widely used to refer to these missiles and the wide variety of derivative variants developed in other countries based on the Soviet design.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Qiam 1</span> Iranian short-range ballistic missile

The Qiam 1 is a short-range ballistic missile designed and built by Iran. It was developed from the Iranian Shahab-2, a licensed copy of the North Korean Hwasong-6, all of which are versions of the Soviet Scud-C missile. The Qiam 1 entered service in 2010, with a range of 800 km (500 mi) and 100 m (330 ft) (CEP) accuracy.

The Axis of Resistance is a network of Iranian-backed militias and political groups in the Middle East, formed by Iran by uniting and grooming armed groups that are dedicated to confronting the influence of United States and Israel in the Middle East, and shares hostility toward the countries. The U.S. designates most of these groups as terrorist organizations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CASC Rainbow</span> Chinese unmanned aerial vehicle series

CASC Rainbow, abbreviated as CH, is a series of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) developed by the China Academy of Aerospace Aerodynamics within the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), also known as the 11th Academy of CASC or 701st Research Institute.

The Ya-Ali is an air-launched cruise missile (ALCM) built by Iran. The missile was first unveiled on 11 May 2014 when Iranian leader Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei visited the Aerospace Force of the Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution. According to Janes Defence, the missile has a jet engine inlet and possibly uses a version of the Toloue-4 turbojet or different Toloue 10 or 13 engines Iran produces for its longer-range anti-ship missiles and it is reported to have a range of 700 km. On February 7, 2015, Iran's Deputy Defense Minister Mohammad Eslami announced that the missile could previously be launched from only Mirage type fighter planes but it can now be launched from every fighter plane that Iran owns. It is named after a Shi'i religious expression beseeching imam Ali. As an ALCM, the Ya-Ali is distinct from the ground launched cruise missiles (GLCMs) in the Houthi inventory. According to Jane's Defense Weekly, the Houthis may have used a Quds 1 GLCM in the Abha International Airport attack on 12 June 2019. This airport in southwestern Saudi Arabia is less than 200 km from the Yemeni border. The Iranian Ya-Ali has a much longer range due to being imparted with much more kinetic and potential energy when released from a fighter aircraft such as the Mirage type. The Houthis have no fighter aircraft in their inventory.

The Abha International Airport attacks were cruise missile attacks carried out by the Yemeni Houthi rebels which occurred in June 2019. The attack targeted the arrivals hall of Abha International Airport in southwestern Saudi Arabia and killed one civilian and injured 47 others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abqaiq–Khurais attack</span> Drone attack on Saudi oil processing facilities

On 14 September 2019, drones were used to attack oil processing facilities at Abqaiq and Khurais (خريص) in eastern Saudi Arabia. The facilities were operated by Saudi Aramco, the country's state-owned oil company. The Houthi movement in Yemen claimed responsibility, tying it to events surrounding the Saudi intervention in the Yemeni Civil War and stating they used ten drones in the attack launched from Yemen, south of the facilities. Saudi Arabian officials said that many more drones and cruise missiles were used for the attack and originated from the north and east, and that they were of Iranian manufacture. The United States and Saudi Arabia have stated that Iran was behind the attack while France, Germany, and the United Kingdom jointly stated Iran bears responsibility for it. Iran has denied any involvement. The situation exacerbated the 2019 Persian Gulf crisis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samad (UAV)</span> Type of aircraft

The Samad is a family of long-range UAVs of unidentified origin used in the Middle East. The Samad is available in three variants: The Samad-1, the Samad-2, and the Samad-3. The Samad family of UAVs is primarily used by the Houthi movement in the Yemeni civil war, where the drone's long range is used to strike targets in Saudi Arabia, Israel and the UAE.

The 2020 Riyadh drone and missile attack was a cruise missile and drone attack carried out by the Yemeni Houthi rebels which occurred on 23 June 2020. The attack, according to the Houthis, targeted the King Khalid Airport and the Defense Ministry headquarters in Saudi Arabia's capital of Riyadh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shahed 131</span> Iranian-made drone

The Shahed 131, or Geran-1 in Russian service, is an Iranian-made exploding drone which came to prominence in October 2022 during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It is powered by a Wankel engine model Shahed-783/788.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red Sea crisis</span> Houthi involvement in the Israel–Hamas war

The Red Sea crisis began on 19 October 2023, when the Iran-backed Houthi movement in Yemen launched missiles and armed drones at Israel, demanding an end to the invasion of the Gaza Strip. The Houthis have since seized and launched aerial attacks against dozens of merchant and naval vessels in the Red Sea, drawing hundreds of air strikes on missile sites and other targets by US and allied forces. The crisis is linked to the Israel–Hamas war, the Iran–Israel proxy conflict, the Iran–United States proxy conflict, and the Yemeni crisis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eilat Naval Base</span>

Eilat Naval Base is a major Israeli naval base situated in the Israeli coastal city of Eilat. It was established in 1949 and serves as the sole Israeli Navy Base on the coast of Red Sea.

On 20 July 2024, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched an attack on Hudaydah Port in Al Hudaydah, Yemen. The attack damaged a power generating station, an oil refinery, fuel storage facilities belonging to the Yemen Petroleum Corporation (YPC), and port cranes. Israel claimed it targeted weapon storage facilities. 14 people were killed, including 12 port employees and more than 90 were injured, many with severe burns.

References

  1. ↑ "الحوثيون يعلنون تصنيع صواريخ وطائرات مسيرة لمواجهة التحالف". www.aa.com.tr.
  2. 1 2 Wright, Timothy, Barrie, Douglas (December 5, 2020), "Cruise missiles continue to make their mark in the Middle East", International Institute for Strategic Studies, retrieved 20 January 2024
  3. ↑ Williams, Ian; Shaikh, Shaan. "The Missile War in Yemen" (PDF).
  4. ↑ Hinz, Fabian (15 September 2019). "Meet the Quds 1". Arms Control Wonk. Retrieved 20 September 2019.
  5. ↑ Kirkpatrick, David D.; Koettl, Christoph; McCann, Allison; Schmitt, Eric; Singhvi, Anjali; Wezerek, Gus (September 16, 2019). "Who Was Behind the Saudi Oil Attack? What the Evidence Shows". The New York Times.
  6. 1 2 Binnie, Jeremy (8 July 2019). "Yemeni rebels unveil cruise missile, long-range UAVs". Jane's Defence Weekly. IHS. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
  7. ↑ "Letter dated 27 January 2020 from the Panel of Experts on Yemen addressed to the President of the Security Council" (PDF).
  8. ↑ Axe, David (September 17, 2019). "Houthis Have an Arsenal of Ballistic and Cruise Missiles (Some from North Korea)". The National Interest.
  9. ↑ Seidler, Christoph (16 September 2019). "Attacks on Saudi oil facilities: the riddling of weapons experts". Spiegel Online / The Limited Times. Retrieved 20 September 2019.
  10. ↑ The UN Final report of the Panel of Experts on Yemen was released on 27th January 2020:
  11. ↑ "s/2020/70 - E - s/2020/70". undocs.org. Retrieved 2020-03-24.
  12. 1 2 Iddon, Paul (2024-03-20). "Houthis Not Only Iran-Backed Group With Cruise Missiles That Can Reach Israel". Forbes. Retrieved 2024-06-20.
  13. ↑ "Iranian-Made Quds-2 Cruise Missile Photographed in Iraq | The Washington Institute". www.washingtoninstitute.org. Retrieved 2024-06-20.
  14. ↑ Eshel, T. (2022), "Houthis a New Cruise Missile, Quds-3", Defense Update, retrieved 20 January 2024
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.