Ra'ad ( fa, رعد, lit=lightning) is an

Iranian Iranian may refer to: * Iran, a sovereign state * Iranian peoples, the speakers of the Iranian languages. The term Iranic peoples is also used for this term to distinguish the pan ethnic term from Iranian, used for the people of Iran * Iranian lan ...

designed and built

subsonic Subsonic may refer to: Motion through a medium * Any speed lower than the speed of sound within a sound-propagating medium * Subsonic aircraft, a flying machine that flies at air speeds lower than the speed of sound * Subsonic ammunition, a type o ...

anti-ship cruise missile An anti-ship missile (AShM) is a guided missile that is designed for use against ships and large boats. Most anti-ship missiles are of the sea skimming variety, and many use a combination of inertial guidance and active radar homing. A good ...

. The missile is a

reverse engineered Reverse engineering (also known as backwards engineering or back engineering) is a process or method through which one attempts to understand through deductive reasoning how a previously made device, process, system, or piece of software accompli ...

and upgraded variant of China's Silkworm anti-ship missile. The missile was developed by the state-run Iran Aviation Industries Organization (IAIO). Iran reportedly began full production of the Ra’ad in January 2004 and went into service in 2007. The missile is equipped for ground and ship-launched platforms.

Development

During the Iran-Iraq War, China supplied Iran with numerous types of missile which included two variants of the

Silkworm The domestic silk moth (''Bombyx mori''), is an insect from the moth family Bombycidae. It is the closest relative of '' Bombyx mandarina'', the wild silk moth. The silkworm is the larva or caterpillar of a silk moth. It is an economically ...

anti-ship missile, the

HY-2 The SY (), and HY () series were early anti-ship cruise missiles (ASCM) developed by the People's Republic of China from the Soviet P-15 Termit missile. They entered service in the late 1960s and remained the main ASCMs deployed by the People's L ...

and

HY-4 The SY (), and HY () series were early anti-ship missile, anti-ship cruise missiles (ASCM) developed by the People's Republic of China from the Soviet Union, Soviet P-15 Termit missile. They entered service in the late 1960s and remained the main ...

. Prior to the post-war period, Iran's military was heavily dependent on foreign weaponry supplied mainly by the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

and the

United States of America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territor ...

. In order to achieve independence and reduce foreign expenditure in the arms sphere, Iran engaged in a campaign of reverse engineering and producing any weaponry it possessed. The Ra'ad was one of the weapons which Iran reverse engineered. The Silkworm variant which the Ra'ad is based on exactly is unknown and disputed. However, some sources state that it is based on the HY-2 and others stating that it is based on the HY-4. It is unknown when the development stage began but it is known that the full production of the missile began in January 2004. The Ra’ad was successfully test fired on 7 February 2007. This was confirmed by then Deputy Air Force Commander Ali Fadavi who said: “We have successfully test fired a cruise missile called SSN4, or Raad, hitting targets 300 kilometres away in the Sea of Oman and northern Indian Ocean.”

Features

The Ra'ad is an anti-ship

cruise missile A cruise missile is a guided missile used against terrestrial or naval targets that remains in the atmosphere and flies the major portion of its flight path at approximately constant speed. Cruise missiles are designed to deliver a large warhea ...

that is capable of being launched from both surface and sea platforms. The engine of the Ra'ad utilizes a solid-propellant booster with a

turbojet The turbojet is an airbreathing jet engine which is typically used in aircraft. It consists of a gas turbine with a propelling nozzle. The gas turbine has an air inlet which includes inlet guide vanes, a compressor, a combustion chamber, ...

engine and employs an

inertial navigation system An inertial navigation system (INS) is a navigation device that uses motion sensors ( accelerometers), rotation sensors (gyroscopes) and a computer to continuously calculate by dead reckoning the position, the orientation, and the velocity (d ...

and

terminal guidance In the field of weaponry, terminal guidance refers to any guidance system that is primarily or solely active during the "terminal phase", just before the weapon impacts its target. The term is generally used in reference to missile guidance systems, ...

, the exact type of terminal guidance is unknown but ''IHS Jane's Weapons'' states that it is "likely infared imaging or an active radar system." The missile also has sea-skimming capabilities, with the ability to fly at low-altitudes to evade radar detection and missile defences.

Operators

*- The missile was tested in a naval exercise in April 2010, flying 300 km. The Ra'ad is currently in active service and is primarily deployed along the Persian Gulf and on various naval vessels.

References

External links

CSIS Missile Threat - Ra'ad
Anti-ship missiles of Iran Anti-ship cruise missiles Cruise missiles of Iran Anti-ship missiles Surface-to-surface missiles of Iran Anti-ship cruise missiles of Iran {{Iran-mil-stub

Development

Features

Operators

See also

References

External links