Profile
- Type
- Anti-ship cruise missile
- Conflict side
- Houthi-aligned forces
- Origin
- Yemen
- Service note
- 2022-present
Munitions
Al-Mandab-2 anti-ship cruise missile
Al-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.
- Conflict side
- Houthi-aligned forces
- Built by
- Houthi missile program
- Built in
- Yemen
Service History
- In service
- Shown publicly by the Houthis in 2022 and used in Red Sea shipping attacks during the Yemen Civil War.
- Used by
- Houthi-aligned forces
- Wars
- Yemen Civil War
Production History
- Designer
- Houthi missile program
- Designed
- 2022
- Built by
- Houthi missile program
- Built in
- Yemen
- Produced
- 2022-present
- Number built
- Not publicly disclosed
Specifications
- Length
- 7 m
- Diameter
- 0.36 m
- Range
- 300 km
- Propulsion
- Micro-turbojet engine
- Guidance
- Radar-guided terminal seeker, consistent with the C-802 family
Conflict Usage
- Yemen Civil War
- Side: Houthi-aligned forcesRole: Maritime anti-ship strike
Yemen Civil War: used by Houthi-aligned forces in the 11 December 2023 attack on the tanker Strinda; CTC says the only anti-ship cruise missile known to have been used by the Houthis was the Al-Mandab-2 (C-802).
Al-Mandab-2 anti-ship cruise missile Images
Related Weapon Systems
Al-Mandab-1 anti-ship cruise missileAnti-ship cruise missileAl-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.
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
UN Panel of Experts on Yemen 2023Publisher: United Nations Security Council | Note: Supports Yemen Civil War background and specs; the panel reported Houthi-affiliated media claiming Al-Mandab 2 was 100% made in Yemen and described its length, range, micro-turbojet propulsion, and similarities to C-802/Ghader/Ghadir missiles. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Assessing the Houthi War Effort Since October 2023Publisher: Combating Terrorism Center at West Point | Note: Yemen Civil War: used by Houthi-aligned forces in the 11 December 2023 Strinda attack; CTC says the only anti-ship cruise missile known to have been used by the Houthis was the Al-Mandab-2 (C-802). | Accessed: 2026-06-20CENTCOM Statement on missile attack in the Bab-el-MandebPublisher: U.S. Central Command | Note: Yemen Civil War: the STRINDA was attacked by an anti-ship cruise missile launched from a Houthi-controlled area of Yemen. | Accessed: 2026-06-20USS Carney engages Houthi missiles 2.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance and public-domain licensing context for the primary conflict image. | Accessed: 2026-06-20USS Carney engages Houthi missiles.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance and public-domain licensing context for the secondary gallery image. | Accessed: 2026-06-20