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Ra'ad
Ra'ad
Type	Anti-ship cruise missile
Place of origin	Iran
Service history
In service	2007-Present
Used by	Iran
Production history
Manufacturer	Iran Aviation Industries Organization
Specifications
Mass	3000 kg
Length	7.36 metres
Diameter	0.76 metres
Warhead weight	450-550 kg
Engine	Solid-propellant booster
Propellant	Turbo-jet engine
Operational; range	360 km
Flight altitude	Sea-skimming
Launch; platform	Mobile Ground and Sea Launch-able

Ra'ad (Persian: رعد, lit. 'thunder') is an Iranian designed and built subsonic anti-ship cruise missile.^[1] The missile is a reverse engineered and upgraded variant of China's Silkworm anti-ship missile.^[1]^[2] The missile was developed by the state-run Iran Aviation Industries Organization (IAIO).^[1]^[3] Iran reportedly began full production of the Ra’ad in January 2004 and went into service in 2007.^[3] The missile is equipped for ground and ship-launched platforms.^[1]^[4]

Development

During the Iran-Iraq War, China supplied Iran with numerous types of missile which included two variants of the Silkworm anti-ship missile, the HY-2 and HY-4. Prior to the post-war period, Iran's military was heavily dependent on foreign weaponry supplied mainly by the United Kingdom and the United States of America.^[5] 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.^[2] The Ra'ad was one of the weapons which Iran reverse engineered.^[2]

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.^[1]^[2]

It is unknown when the development stage began but it is known that the full production of the missile began in January 2004.^[3]

The Ra’ad was successfully test fired on 7 February 2007.^[6] 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.”^[7]

Features

The Ra'ad is an anti-ship cruise missile 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 engine and employs an inertial navigation system and terminal guidance, 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."^[8] The missile also has sea-skimming capabilities, with the ability to fly at low-altitudes to evade radar detection and missile defences.^[7]

Operators

Iran- The missile was tested in a naval exercise in April 2010, flying 300 km.^[6] The Ra'ad is currently in active service and is primarily deployed along the Persian Gulf and on various naval vessels.^[9]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "Ra'ad". Missile Threat, Center for Strategic and International Studies. 9 August 2016. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Kopp, Carlo; Andrew, Martin (April 2012). "PLA Cruise Missiles, PLA Air – Surface Missiles". Air Power Australia: 1. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Iran Missile Milestones: 1985-2016". Iran Watch. 13 July 2016. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
^ “Ra’ad Cruise Missile,” in IHS Jane’s Air-Launched Weapons, 2012-2013, ed. Robert Hewson (United Kingdom: IHS, April 2012)
^ Karsh, Efraim (25 April 2002). The Iran–Iraq War: 1980–1988. Osprey Publishing. pp. 1–8, 12–16, 19–82. ISBN 978-1-84176-371-2
^ ^a ^b "Iranian Missile Launches: 1988-Present". CSIS Missile Threat. 17 August 2017. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
^ ^a ^b "Iran successfully test fires land-to-sea missile". DNA India. 8 February 2007. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
^ “Raad (HY-1/-2 ‘Silkworm’ variant/Pirouzi 75),” in IHS Jane’s Weapons: Strategic 2015-2016, ed. Jane’s C O’Halloran (United Kingdom: IHS, 2016), 154-155
^ "Country Profile: Iran". Nuclear Threat Initiative. July 2017. Retrieved 31 May 2019.