Naval Weapons
Pentagon report says Iran is fielding anti-ship ballistic missiles
Jeremy Binnie, London and Daniel Wasserbly, Washington, DC - IHS Jane's Defence Weekly
08 September 2014
A
Khalij Fars is seen in front of a Fateh-110 during the missile delivery
ceremony held on 5 March. Source: Iranian Ministry of Defence
Iran's
Khalij Fars anti-ship ballistic missile (AShBM) - a weapon that could
shift the military balance in the Gulf region - is being delivered to
operational units, according to the US Department of Defense's annual
report to Congress on the Islamic Republic's military capabilities.
"Tehran
is quietly fielding increasingly lethal symmetric and asymmetric weapon
systems, including more advanced naval mines, small but capable
submarines, coastal defence cruise missile batteries, attack craft, and
anti-ship ballistic missiles," the report's declassified executive
summary said.
This
is the first corroboration of Iranian claims that the AShBM is in
service. US officials declined to comment further on the report, which
was submitted to Congress in January.
The
Khalij Fars is a version of the Fateh-110 tactical ballistic missile
with an electro-optical (EO) seeker that enables it to home in on a
ship's infrared signature in its terminal phase. The Iranian media has
reported that the missile has the same 300 km range and 650 kg warhead
as the more recent versions of the Fateh-110.
Vice
Admiral James Syring, the director of the US Missile Defense Agency,
submitted a statement to a Congressional subcommittee in June saying:
"This ballistic missile has a range of 300 km, which means it is capable
of threatening maritime activity throughout the Persian Gulf and Strait
of Hormuz." Vice Adm Syring confirmed the AShBM had been flight tested,
but did not comment on whether it was operational.
The
Khalij Fars would be harder to intercept than Iran's conventional
anti-ship missiles due to its significantly higher velocity (said to be
Mach 3) and parabolic trajectory.
The
missile was first unveiled in February 2011, when Iran released footage
apparently showing it hitting a stationary ship. A second test was
announced in July 2012, when Iranian television showed footage that
appeared to have been filmed by the missile's seeker as it homed in on a
floating platform that was moving.
While
the Iranian media has reported since the February 2011 unveiling that
the missile was being mass produced, it was not until 5 March 2014 that
the Ministry of Defence held a ceremony in which multiple Khalij Fars
were officially delivered to the military.
The
eight Khalij Fars that featured in the ceremony had the tip of their
noses covered by a protective cap, making it impossible to see the EO
seeker that distinguishes them from the Fateh-110.
Analysts
have previously been sceptical of Iran's AShBM programme. A paper
published by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)
on 14 August said: "Experts feel … Iran has little or no operational
capability to use the Khalij Fars … or any ballistic missile or
long-range rocket in the anti-ship [role]."
The
CSIS report said Iran did not have an effective way to acquire and
track over-the-horizon targets so that the missile's guidance system
could be programmed and then updated during flight to ensure its seeker
could find the target in its terminal phase.
It
nevertheless said: "Iran potentially could alter the regional naval
balance if it ever did reach such a level of sophistication in guidance,
range, reliability, and operational accuracy."
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