Iran Tests Sub to Surface Missile From Persian Gulf

These are the two variants that meet the description provided the media by Iran, and the two that are capable of being launched from a submarine. Of the two, the second appears most dangerous, I am still suspicious that they would test with a target only a mile away.

Iran continues their Zarbat Zolfegar, or Blow of Zolfaghar war games, and have successfully test fired a submarine to Surface Missle from the Persian Gulf. The Iranians are reporting this as a test of a “Long-Range” undersea-to-surface missile, but all references I can find denote the Thaqeb missile as a SAM, and certainly not long range.

I am suspecting it’s not the missile reported, but a new variant of sahab or kosar. The other thing that has me wondering is: Why would you test fire a long-range missile at a target a mile away, unless you are counting the submarine’s range plus the missile’s short or medium range? I am thinking Kosar or variant, but still researching.

Update: Mostly likely they fired one of the two types below, details supplied by Above Top Secret. These are the two variants that meet the description provided the media by Iran, and the two that are capable of being launched from a submarine. Of the two, the second appears most dangerous.

Codename: RAAD
Type: Surface-to-sea
Existance: Confirmed
Based on: Chinese HY-2 Anti-Ship Missile 
Images of the missile, referred to as the Raad, clearly show its design from
the Chinese Silkworm. The fuselage, however, has been lengthened, and jet
engine intake ducts have been placed forward of the rear control surfaces.
The Raad missile provides Iran with a long-range standoff-attack capability
against naval targets. Iranian press reports describe Raad as capable of
being ship-or shore-launched. The Raad is reportedly in production.
According to Aviation Week, Iranian Defense Minister Ali Shamkhani was
reported saying that Raad had a range in excess of 300 miles.

SPECIFICATIONS
Length: 7.48 m
Diameter: 0.76 m
Wingspan: 2.4 m
Weight: 2,998 kg
Warhead: 513 kg shape charged high-explosive
Propulsion: One liquid rocket engine and one solid rocket booster
Max Speed: 0.8 Mach (Iranian RAAD claim 1 Mach)
Max Range: 135-200km (Chinese HY-2) 300miles (Iranian RAAD own version)
Flight Altitude: 30-50 m
Guidance Mode: Inertial and monopulse active radar
Single Hit Probability: 70%

Codename: ??????
Existance: Unknown
Type: Surface-to-sea
Based on: Russian SS-N-26 (Yakhont) anti-ship missile.
Original Amount Purchased: Unknown
Amount domestically produced: Unknown

 
Designed by NPO Mashinostroyeniya, the Yakhont ASCM (Anti-Ship Cruise
Missile) meets all principal requirements to anti-ship missiles of the fourth
generation – low weight and dimensions (eight missiles can be placed in the
hull of a slightly modernized Amur Class sub, or it can replace four P-15
Termit [SS-N-2a Styx] anti-ship missiles), employs stealth technology, has
supersonic flight speed and a completely independent guidance system based on the fire-and-forget concept. The missile is 8.9 meters (29.1 feet) in length.
It can be launched from ships, aircraft, submarines, or even ground mobile
launchers and is fired from a unified encapsulated ampoule – shaped
transporter – launching container. Flight speed is at Mach 2.0+, using a
kerosene liquid-fuel ramjet, with a terminal run at Mach 2.5.
Range is at 300 km in a hi-lo profile or at 120 km at altitudes of 5-15
metres, in a lo-lo profile. A regular mid-course phase of the flight occurs
at 15 km. If and when launched from submarines, the vessel must be fitted
with 650mm torpedo tubes. An operational missile designed for hitting complex
sea-based and in-shore targets, a vessel armed with the Yakhount can carry
out combat operations against warships or even against carrier battle groups
.
Yakhont’s navigation system uses an inertial guidance system based on the
present target location data. At a pre-calculated flight point (around 25 – 80 km), a brief turn-on of the homing scanner occurs, resulting in exact
determination of target location. After that, the homing system turns on only
when the Yakhont leaves the radio horizon and drops its altitude to 5 – 15
metres, i.e. a few seconds before hitting the target. It carries a 250 kg (553lbs.) warhead.

The actual article from Yahoo, excerpt below:

Iran test fired a new submarine-to-surface missile during war games in the Persian Gulf on Sunday, a show of military might amid a standoff with the West over its nuclear activities. A brief video clip showed the long-range missile, called Thaqeb, or Saturn, exiting the water and hitting a target on the water’s surface within less than a mile. The test came as part of large-scale military exercises that began Aug. 19.

“The army successfully test fired a top speed long-range sub-to-surface missile off the Persian Gulf,” the navy commander, Gen. Sajjad Kouchaki, said on state-run television.

Iran routinely has held war games over the past two decades to improve its combat readiness and to test equipment including missiles, tanks and armored personnel carriers.

In an advance for Iran’s weapons industry, the Thaqeb is the country’s first sub-fired missile that leaves the water to strike its target, adding to the country’s repertoire of weapons that can hit ships in the Gulf.

Iran’s current arsenal includes several types of torpedoes — including the “Hoot,” Farsi for “whale,” which was tested for the first time in April, capable of moving at some 223 mph, up to four times faster than a normal torpedo.

Kouchaki said the Thaqeb could be fired from any vessel and could escape enemy radar. He said it was built based on domestic know-how, although outside experts say much of the country’s missile technology originated from other countries like Russia and China.

He did not give the weapon’s range. It did not appear capable of carrying a nuclear warhead.

Iran already is equipped with the Shahab-3 missile, which means “shooting star” in Farsi, and is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead. An upgraded version of the ballistic missile has a range of more than 1,200 miles and can reach Israel and U.S. forces in the Middle East.

Last year, former Defense Minister Ali Shamkhani said Tehran successfully had tested a solid fuel motor for the Shahab-3, which was considered a technological breakthrough for the country’s military.

Iran’s military test-fired a series of missiles during large-scale war games in the Persian Gulf in March and April, including a missile it claimed was not detectable by radar and can use multiple warheads to hit several targets simultaneously.

Since 1992, Iran has produced its own tanks, armored personnel carriers, missiles and a fighter plane, the government has said. It announced in early 2005 that it had begun production of torpedoes.

The new missile is either purchased, or possibly manufactured by Iran’s Aerospace Industries Organization.

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