2014 Yemen Civil War: Houthi forces used Badr-1 rockets for cross-border strikes into Saudi Arabia, with 2018 reporting describing launches toward Jizan, Najran, and Khamis Mushayt and 2019 reporting describing a Jizan airport salvo.
Role detailsArtillery
Badr-1 rocket
Also known as
- Badr 1
- Badr-1 ballistic missile
The Badr-1 is a Yemeni Houthi-associated solid-propellant rocket documented in the 2014 Yemen Civil War for cross-border attacks into Saudi Arabia. Open-source reporting and Houthi statements often call it a ballistic missile, but UN and CSIS material describe it more narrowly as a locally produced, unguided artillery rocket.
Role in Conflicts
Profile / Specs
Profile
- Origin
- Yemen
- Type
- Unguided artillery rocket
- Service note
- 2014 Yemen Civil War-era Houthi rocket, publicly documented by 2018
- Designer
- Houthi movement
- Designed
- 2017
- Unit cost
- Unknown
- Produced
- 2017-present
- Number built
- Unknown
- Developed into
- Badr-1P guided rocket, Badr-F guided rocket
Specifications
- Propulsion
- Solid propellant
- Guidance
- Unguided; Houthi-aligned and media sources often described it as a short-range ballistic missile
- Construction
- Locally produced rocket body built from steel tubing
- Likely baseline
- CSIS says the Badr-1 is likely based on the Syrian 302 mm Khaibar rocket
- Role
- Short-range area-fire weapon used for cross-border attacks
- Family branch
- Unguided baseline for later guided Badr-1P and Badr-F variants
- Status
- Public-source chronology differs, but use is documented from March 2018
Variants
Public sources use Badr for a Houthi rocket family that begins with the unguided Badr-1 and later adds guided Badr-1P and Badr-F/Nakkal branches.
| Variant | Configuration | Designation notes |
|---|---|---|
 | Guided follow-on | CSIS describes Badr-1P as an improved Badr-1 variant unveiled in October 2018 with guidance fins and a reported 130 km range. Sources: The Missile War in Yemen |
 | Later guided Badr-family rocket | CSIS describes Badr-F as the later Badr-family variant unveiled in April 2019 with a reported 160 km range and air-burst warhead, while the Washington Institute groups Badr-F with guided Badr follow-ons. Sources: The Missile War in Yemen, Yemen's Southern Hezbollah |
Timeline
Badr-1 rocket Key Events
Early Badr-1 cross-border use reported
FDD's Long War Journal reported Houthi-aligned claims that Badr-1 was among several projectiles fired into Saudi Arabia, with Badr reported against Jizan.
Sources: A peek inside Houthi rebels' recent missile strikes in Saudi Arabia
Najran and Jizan launches recorded
CSIS Missile Threat recorded Saudi air-defense intercepts of Houthi-launched Badr-1 missiles targeting Najran and Jizan in May 2018.
Sources: Missile Threat Yemen missile updates
Underground launcher video appears
FDD's Long War Journal described Houthi video of a Badr-1 fired from an underground launcher toward Khamis Mushayt, illustrating a concealed launch method rather than a standard above-ground launcher.
Sources: Yemen's Houthis highlight new underground missile launchers
Guided Badr-1P branch follows
CSIS says the Houthis unveiled the improved Badr-1P in October 2018, adding guidance fins and a reported 130 km range to the Badr family.
Sources: The Missile War in Yemen
Jizan airport salvo reported
Al Jazeera reported Houthi claims of a ten-missile Badr-1 salvo against Jizan airport, while the Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted several missiles.
Sources: Houthis fire 10 ballistic missiles at Saudi airport
Classification And Badr Family Notes
The Badr-1 is easiest to read as a locally produced artillery rocket that Houthi-aligned sources and some news reporting label as a ballistic missile. Later Badr-family records cover guided follow-ons separately.
| Scope | Source-backed detail | How this page handles it |
|---|---|---|
| Classification | CSIS says the Badr-1 better fits an unguided artillery rocket than a ballistic missile, and UN reporting treats it as a Badr-1 artillery rocket. | The type and tags use artillery-rocket language while preserving common ballistic-missile wording as an alias. |
| Construction | The UN panel assessed Badr-1 as locally manufactured in Yemen without requiring foreign-sourced components. | Manufacturer fields use Houthi/local-workshop wording instead of naming a conventional factory. |
| Public chronology | CSIS dates the first Badr-1 unveiling to February 2017, while IISS and March 2018 reporting describe the Badr-1 public appearance and use in 2018. | The record avoids a single exact unveiling date in the summary and anchors service evidence to documented 2018 use. |
| Family evolution | CSIS and the Washington Institute describe later Badr-1P and Badr-F rockets as guided follow-ons in the same Badr family. | Those guided systems are linked as separate variant records rather than folded into the unguided Badr-1 specification. |
Sources: The Missile War in Yemen; UN Security Council Panel of Experts on Yemen 2022 report; IISS open-source analysis of Iran's missile and UAV capabilities and proliferation; Yemen's Southern Hezbollah; A peek inside Houthi rebels' recent missile strikes in Saudi Arabia.
Media
Badr-1 rocket Images
Related Weapon Systems
Sources
The Missile War in YemenPublisher: Center for Strategic and International Studies | Note: Supports 2014 Yemen Civil War background, specifications, and variant context: the report says the Badr-1 was first unveiled in February 2017, used by Houthi militants since at least March 2018, likely based on the Syrian 302 mm Khaibar rocket, and better fits an unguided artillery rocket than a ballistic missile. | Accessed: 2026-06-29UN Security Council Panel of Experts on Yemen 2022 reportPublisher: United Nations Security Council | Note: Supports 2014 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: 2026-06-29IISS open-source analysis of Iran's missile and UAV capabilities and proliferationPublisher: International Institute for Strategic Studies | Note: Supports Badr-family background: IISS describes the Houthi Badr branch as solid-propellant missiles and rockets, treats Badr-1 as an artillery rocket publicly unveiled in March 2018, and discusses later Badr-1P and Badr-F guided variants. | Accessed: 2026-06-29Yemen's Southern HezbollahPublisher: The Washington Institute for Near East Policy | Note: Supports Badr-family background: the analysis describes Houthi artillery rockets progressing from the unguided Badr-1 to guided Badr-1P and Badr-F variants. | Accessed: 2026-06-29A peek inside Houthi rebels' recent missile strikes in Saudi ArabiaPublisher: FDD's Long War Journal | Note: Supports 2014 Yemen Civil War direct conflict-use: FDD's Long War Journal reported Houthi-aligned claims that Badr-1 was among projectiles fired by Houthi forces into Saudi Arabia and that Badr was fired at Jizan. | Accessed: 2026-06-29Missile Threat Yemen missile updatesPublisher: Center for Strategic and International Studies | Note: Supports the 2014 Yemen Civil War direct conflict-use: CSIS reported that Houthi militants in Yemen fired Badr-1 missiles toward Jizan and Najran in May 2018. | Accessed: 2026-06-29Houthis fire 10 ballistic missiles at Saudi airportPublisher: Al Jazeera | Note: Supports the 2014 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: 2026-06-29Yemen's Houthis highlight new underground missile launchersPublisher: FDD's Long War Journal | Note: Supports image provenance and additional 2014 Yemen Civil War conflict-use context: the article said a Badr-1 rocket was fired from an underground launcher in Yemen and shows the launcher emerging from the ground. | Accessed: 2026-06-29