Profile
- Type
- Anti-ship cruise missile
- Conflict side
- Houthi-aligned forces
- Origin
- China
- Service note
- Cold War design later shown in the Yemen Civil War
Munitions
Al-Mandab-1 anti-ship cruise missile
Al-Mandab-1 is the Houthi designation for a Chinese C-801-family anti-ship cruise missile. Open-source reporting ties it to pre-war Yemeni stocks and shows Houthi forces fielding it during the Yemen Civil War, while the exact C-801 or C-802 variant remains uncertain.
- Conflict side
- Houthi-aligned forces
- Built in
- China
Service History
- In service
- Houthi media showed the missile in 2017; open-source reporting treats it as a legacy C-801-family system drawn from Yemeni stocks.
- Used by
- Houthi-aligned forces
- Wars
- Yemen Civil War
Production History
- Designer
- China Haiying Electro-Mechanical Technology Academy
- Designed
- Late 1970s
- Built in
- China
- Produced
- 1980s onward for the C-801 family
- Variants
- C-801 / YJ-8 family context, Open-source reporting also notes possible confusion with C-802-derived missiles
Specifications
- Range
- About 40-42 km
- Warhead
- 165 kg
- Launch weight
- About 815 kg
- Propulsion
- Solid-fueled, sea-skimming cruise missile
- Guidance
- Active radar homing
Conflict Usage
- Yemen Civil War
- Side: Houthi-aligned forcesRole: Coastal anti-ship strike
In the Yemen Civil War, Houthi forces fielded al-Mandab-1 in a November 2017 video depicting their antiship missiles.
Al-Mandab-1 anti-ship cruise missile Images
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Related Weapon Systems
Al-Mandab-2 anti-ship cruise missileAnti-ship cruise missileAl-Mandab-2 is the Houthi designation for a long-range anti-ship cruise missile used in the Yemen Civil War against Red Sea shipping. UN reporting described it as a seven-meter, 300-kilometer system with micro-turbojet propulsion and noted strong external similarities to the C-802 and Iran's Ghader/Ghadir family.
C-802 anti-ship missileAnti-ship cruise missileThe C-802 is a Chinese export anti-ship cruise missile built by CASIC's Third Academy. In Yemen Civil War reporting, it is the class believed to have been used by Houthi-aligned forces in the October 2016 Red Sea attacks on HSV-2 Swift and USS Mason..jpg?width=480)
Quds-Z-0 anti-ship cruise missileAnti-ship cruise missileThe Quds-Z-0 is a Houthi anti-ship cruise missile unveiled in 2023 as an anti-shipping derivative of the Iranian Paveh/Quds land-attack family. Open-source analysis describes it as EO/IR-guided, likely produced in Iran or Yemen with Iranian technical support, and fielded in Yemen Civil War maritime-strike displays.
Sayyad anti-ship cruise missileAnti-ship cruise missileThe Sayyad is a Houthi-fielded anti-ship cruise missile first displayed in Sana'a in 2023 and linked by analysts to Iran's Paveh/Project 351 cruise-missile lineage. In the Yemen Civil War, it added a long-range naval strike option to the Houthi arsenal and was reported in the Red Sea campaign.
Ghader anti-ship cruise missileAnti-ship cruise missileThe Ghader, also reported as Qader, is Iran's 200-kilometre C-802-derived anti-ship cruise missile. In the Yemen Civil War, Houthi forces' anti-shipping arsenal included Iranian-supplied Nour and Ghadar missiles used to threaten Red Sea shipping..jpg?width=480)
Iranian anti-ship missile systemsAnti-ship missile systemIranian anti-ship missile systems combine coastal-defense cruise missiles and longer-range anti-warship missiles to threaten shipping across the Strait of Hormuz and the Sea of Oman. In the United States-Iran Conflict, they form a core part of Iran's maritime-denial posture against U.S. and commercial traffic.Sources
The Missile War in YemenPublisher: Center for Strategic and International Studies | Note: Supports the Yemen Civil War conflict-use note and the al-Mandab-1 identification; in the Yemen Civil War, Houthi forces fielded al-Mandab-1 in a November 2017 video depicting their antiship missiles. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Houthis missile inventoryPublisher: Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance | Note: Supports the Houthi anti-ship missile inventory listing for Al Mandab 1 as a China/C-801 missile with a 40 km range and 165 kg warhead. | Accessed: 2026-06-20A Low-Visibility Force Multiplier: Assessing China's Cruise Missile DevelopmentsPublisher: National Defense University Press | Note: Supports the C-801 family background and Chinese manufacturer context for the missile family associated with al-Mandab-1. | Accessed: 2026-06-20YJ-8 Missile 20220203Publisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance and license for the primary C-801-family image used on this entry. | Accessed: 2026-06-20C-802 anti ship missilePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance and license for a gallery image showing a related C-802-family missile installation. | Accessed: 2026-06-20C-802 and C-705 missiles being launchedPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance and license for a gallery image showing a related C-802-family launch view. | Accessed: 2026-06-20