Profile
- Type
- Unguided artillery rocket
- Conflict side
- Houthi-aligned forces
- Origin
- Yemen
- Service note
- Yemen Civil War-era Houthi rocket, unveiled in 2017
Artillery
Badr-1 rocket
The Badr-1 is a Yemeni Houthi-associated rocket that the group unveiled in 2017 and used in the Yemen Civil War for cross-border attacks into Saudi Arabia. Open-source reporting often calls it a ballistic missile, but the UN panel and CSIS describe it as a locally produced, unguided artillery rocket.
- Conflict side
- Houthi-aligned forces
- Built by
- Houthi movementlocal workshops
- Built in
- Yemen
Service History
- In service
- Documented in open-source reporting from March 2018 onward
- Used by
- Houthi-aligned forces
- Wars
- Yemen Civil War
Production History
- Designer
- Houthi movement
- Designed
- 2017
- Built by
- Houthi movementlocal workshops
- Built in
- Yemen
- Unit cost
- Unknown
- Produced
- 2017-present
- Number built
- Unknown
- Variants
- Badr-1P
Specifications
- Propulsion
- Solid propellant
- Guidance
- Unguided; Houthis also described it as a short-range ballistic missile
- Construction
- Locally produced rocket body built from steel tubing
- Role
- Short-range area-fire weapon used for cross-border attacks
- Status
- First unveiled in February 2017 and documented in use from March 2018
Conflict Usage
- Yemen Civil War
- Side: Houthi-aligned forcesRole: Cross-border rocket strikes
In the Yemen Civil War, Houthi forces used the Badr-1 for cross-border strikes into Saudi Arabia; reporting in 2018 and 2019 described launches against Jizan, Najran, and Jizan airport.
Badr-1 rocket Images
Related Weapon Systems
Type 63 107 mm multiple rocket launcherTowed 107 mm multiple rocket launcherThe Type 63 is a Chinese 12-tube 107 mm multiple rocket launcher built for simple, short-range area fires from a light towed carriage or vehicle mount. In the Yemen Civil War, open-source inventory work documents Houthi-aligned forces fielding the system from pre-war Yemeni Army stocks, alongside larger rockets and missiles.
Zelzal-1 rocketUnguided artillery rocketThe Zelzal-1 is an Iranian long-range unguided artillery rocket. In the Yemen Civil War, Houthi-aligned forces used it for cross-border attacks into Saudi Arabia and for the March 2017 Sirwah mosque strike in Marib Province.
Haseb/Fajr-1 107 mm rocketUnguided 107 mm artillery rocketThe Haseb, also identified as the Fajr-1, is an Iranian 107 mm unguided artillery rocket derived from the Chinese Type 63 family. In the Israel-Hamas War it appears in open-source munition documentation from Gaza, where short-range rockets and improvised launch arrangements formed part of Hamas and allied militant indirect-fire attacks on Israeli territory.
60 mm mortarLight infantry mortarThe 60 mm mortar is a portable light infantry indirect-fire weapon class used for close support with high-angle fire. Yemen Civil War sourcing identifies 20 60 mm mortar tubes in a February 2016 HMAS Darwin maritime seizure that U.S. analysis later assessed as part of Iran-origin arms caches intended for Houthi forces, so this entry records attempted supply rather than a confirmed model or observed firing in Yemen.
9K52 Luna-M artillery rocket systemArtillery rocket systemThe 9K52 Luna-M, known to NATO as FROG-7, is a Soviet wheeled short-range artillery rocket system whose unguided 9M21 rockets remained in Houthi hands during the Yemen Civil War, where they were used for close-range and cross-border strikes.
A-19 122 mm field gun122 mm towed corps gunThe A-19 is a Soviet 122 mm towed field gun developed for corps-level artillery fire, combining a long barrel, separate-loading ammunition, and an approximately 20 km range. In the Yemen Civil War archive it is included conservatively as legacy Yemeni Army artillery documented in pre-war holdings available to battlefield parties, not as a source-confirmed record of a specific firing event.Sources
The Missile War in YemenPublisher: Center for Strategic and International Studies | Note: Supports Yemen Civil War background and specifications: the report says the Badr-1 was first unveiled in February 2017, used by Houthi militants since at least March 2018, and better fits an unguided artillery rocket than a ballistic missile. | Accessed: 2026-06-20UN Security Council Panel of Experts on Yemen 2022 reportPublisher: United Nations Security Council | Note: Supports Yemen Civil War background and manufacturer context: the panel believed the Badr-1 artillery rocket was manufactured locally in Yemen without needing components sourced from abroad. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Houthis fire 10 ballistic missiles at Saudi airportPublisher: Al Jazeera | Note: Supports Yemen Civil War direct conflict-use: Al Jazeera reported that Houthi rebels fired 10 Badr-1 ballistic missiles at Jizan airport on 25 August 2019. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Yemen's Houthis highlight new underground missile launchersPublisher: FDD's Long War Journal | Note: Supports Yemen Civil War direct conflict-use and image provenance: the article said a Badr-1 ballistic missile was fired from an underground launcher in Yemen and shows the launcher emerging from the ground. | Accessed: 2026-06-20