Manufacturer catalog

Missile Research and Development Center (MRDC)

Missile Research and Development Center (MRDC) was the Houthi-aligned Yemeni missile-force research division described in open-source reporting from the Yemen war. CSIS traces the organization to a missile force established in May 2015 and credits its researchers with converting Yemeni V-755 missiles from S-75/SA-2 surface-to-air stocks into Qaher-family land-attack rockets.

2 weapons

Public reporting links MRDC to the conversion of inherited Yemeni air-defense missile stocks into short-range surface-to-surface weapons. The best documented examples are Qaher-1 and Qaher-M2, both described as SA-2/V-755-derived systems rather than clean-sheet industrial products.

The organization should be read as a wartime missile research and conversion element inside the Houthi-aligned Yemeni missile force. Houthi-run media credited the Yemeni Defense Ministry and missile force research center with local ballistic-missile development, while outside analysts and UN-linked reporting have cautioned that claims of fully autonomous Yemeni missile manufacturing are uncertain and that Iranian technical support and components shaped much of the broader Houthi missile arsenal.

Surface-to-surface missile conversionBallistic missile researchHouthi-aligned Yemeni missile forceRepurposed S-75/SA-2 missile stocks

Notable Systems

Qaher-1 ballistic missile, Short-range ballistic missile, Artillery

Qaher-1 ballistic missile

Short-range ballistic missile

CSIS describes Qaher-1 as the late-2015 Houthi designation for V-755 surface-to-air missiles converted by MRDC researchers into unguided land-attack rockets.

Sources: The Missile War in Yemen
Qaher-M2 ballistic missile, Short-range ballistic missile, Artillery

Qaher-M2 ballistic missile

Short-range ballistic missile

Qaher-M2 is the improved Qaher-family variant reported by CSIS with a 400 km range and 350 kg warhead, first fired in March 2017.

Sources: The Missile War in Yemen, Saba report on Yemeni ballistic missiles

Manufacturer History

  1. Missile research division established

    CSIS reports that the Houthis established a new missile force in May 2015 and that the force created a missile research division known as MRDC.

    Sources: The Missile War in Yemen

  2. Qaher-1 fielded

    After MRDC researchers converted V-755 surface-to-air missiles into land-attack rockets, the Houthis renamed the system Qaher-1 and fielded it in late 2015.

    Sources: The Missile War in Yemen

  3. Qaher-M2 revealed

    Houthi-run Saba reported that the Yemeni Army and Popular Committees revealed a new medium-range ballistic missile type after tests; CSIS identifies Qaher-M2 as the improved Qaher variant first fired in March 2017.

    Sources: Saba report on Yemeni ballistic missiles, The Missile War in Yemen

  4. Autonomous manufacturing assessed as uncertain

    A 2025 HCOC review assessed that full autonomous Houthi missile manufacturing capability remained unknown, while noting the reported 2015 establishment of MRDC for tasks including SAM-to-land-attack rocket conversion.

    Sources: HCOC missile-proliferation review

Website links
Saba report on Yemeni ballistic missile developmentCSIS Missile War in Yemen reportHCOC missile-proliferation review

No dedicated public MRDC website or independently verified headquarters source was identified. Houthi-run Saba is useful for official local claims, but external analyses treat those claims cautiously and describe autonomous Houthi missile manufacturing capacity as uncertain.

Manufacturer Sources

  • The Missile War in YemenPublisher: Center for Strategic and International Studies | Note: Supports MRDC formation context, conversion of around 200 V-755 SAMs into Qaher-1 rockets, Qaher-M2 as an improved variant, and reported Qaher-family range and payload figures. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • Countering Iran's Missile Proliferation in YemenPublisher: The Washington Institute for Near East Policy | Note: Supports the distinction between Houthi-controlled media claims of MRDC development work and expert skepticism about fully independent local missile development. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • HCOC missile-proliferation reviewPublisher: Hague Code of Conduct against Ballistic Missile Proliferation / Fondation pour la Recherche Strategique | Note: Supports the 2015 establishment of MRDC, its reported role converting SAMs to land-attack rockets, and the caveat that full autonomous Houthi missile manufacturing capability is unknown. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • Saba report on Yemeni ballistic missilesPublisher: Yemen News Agency (Saba) | Note: Houthi-run source for official Yemeni missile-force claims that the medium-range SAM-2-derived missile was developed by the military research and development center of the Yemeni missile force. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • The Houthi War Machine: From Guerrilla War to State CapturePublisher: Combating Terrorism Center at West Point | Note: Supports broader Houthi military-organization context and cites the missile batteries group and Missile Research and Development Center among Houthi-aligned military units. | Accessed: 2026-07-11

Produced weapons

Category

Artillery

Tube artillery, rocket artillery, and long-range ground fires.

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