Used by Houthi-aligned forces in the 2014 Yemen Civil War for reported April and August 2019 cross-border strikes on Saudi positions in Jizan, Tiwal, and Najran.
Role detailsMunitions
Badr-F guided rocket
Also known as
- Badr F
- Nakkal
The Badr-F guided rocket is a Houthi-made precision-guided rocket in the Badr family; IISS groups Badr-F/Nakkal in the same 2019-generation branch. Saba reported the Badr-F in April 2019 with a 160 km range, an air-burst warhead that bursts about 20 meters above the target, and roughly 14,000 fragments spread across a 350-meter pattern.
Role in Conflicts
Design Notes
Saba's reveal framed Badr-F as a locally developed missile with a fragmentation-heavy airburst profile rather than a simple impact burst. IISS uses the Badr-F/Nakkal designation for the same 2019-generation precision-guided Houthi rocket and notes that it does not resemble a known Iranian design.
Airburst effect
Reported to detonate about 20 meters above the target and scatter roughly 14,000 fragments across a 350-meter pattern.
Guidance claim
The Washington Institute grouped Badr-F with guided Badr-family rockets and cited a claimed 3 m circular error probable.
Family placement
CSIS and IISS place Badr-F after Badr-1 and Badr-1P in the Houthi Badr family, with a claimed range increase to 160 km.
Sources: Army spokesman reveals new ballistic missile "Badr-F"; The Missile War in Yemen; Iran's New Approach to Missile Proliferation; Yemen's Southern Hezbollah.
Profile / Specs
Profile
- Origin
- Yemen
- Built by
- Houthi movement
- Type
- Guided artillery rocket
- Service note
- 2014 Yemen Civil War, 2019-present
- Designer
- Houthi forces
- Designed
- 2019
- Produced
- 2019-present
- Developed from
- Badr-1 rocket
Specifications
- Range
- 160 km claimed
- Propulsion
- Solid propellant
- Warhead
- Air-burst fragmentation warhead
- Fragments
- Claimed 14,000 fragments
- Accuracy
- Claimed 3 m CEP
- Burst height
- Detonates about 20 m above the target
- Fragmentation effect
- Claimed 350 m diameter area
- Lineage
- Later Badr-family guided rocket following Badr-1 and Badr-1P
Variants
Public sources treat Badr-F/Nakkal as a later guided member of the Houthi Badr rocket family, following the unguided Badr-1 and the guided Badr-1P.
| Variant | Configuration | Designation notes |
|---|---|---|
 | Unguided baseline rocket | CSIS describes the Badr-1 as the earlier Houthi Badr-family artillery rocket, while IISS places Badr-F/Nakkal in the later precision-guided branch. Sources: The Missile War in Yemen, Iran's New Approach to Missile Proliferation |
 | Earlier guided Badr-family rocket | CSIS describes Badr-1P as an October 2018 guided follow-on with a reported 130 km range; IISS then lists Badr-F/Nakkal as a 2019 precision-guided successor with a claimed 160 km range. Sources: The Missile War in Yemen, Iran's New Approach to Missile Proliferation |
Timeline
Badr-F guided rocket Key Events
Public unveiling in Sanaa
Saba reported that Houthi forces publicly unveiled Badr-F with a claimed 160 km range, a 20 m burst height, and a 14,000-fragment effect.
Sources: Army spokesman reveals new ballistic missile "Badr-F"
First reported combat use
Yemeni army media and Yemen Press Agency reported a Badr-F strike on Saudi troops and mercenaries in Jizan and west of Tiwal.
Sources: Video: New Badr-F ballistic missile strikes Saudi troops in Jizan, Army fires ballistic missile at Saudi-led mercenaries' gatherings off Tiwal
Later cross-border strike report
Yemen Press Agency later reported Badr-F use in August 2019 strikes on Saudi positions in Najran and Jizan.
Sources: Ballistic missile hits coalition mercenaries in Jizan
Media
Badr-F guided rocket Images
Related Weapon Systems
Sources
Iran's New Approach to Missile ProliferationPublisher: International Institute for Strategic Studies | Note: Supports Badr-F/Nakkal background, its place in the Houthi precision-guided Badr family, the claimed 160 km range, airburst-warhead optimization, and IISS's assessment that it does not resemble a known Iranian design. | Accessed: 2026-07-04The Missile War in YemenPublisher: Center for Strategic and International Studies | Note: Supports Badr-F background, the claimed 160 km range, 20 m burst height, 14,000-fragment air-burst effect, and the Badr family's role in the 2014 Yemen Civil War. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Yemen's Southern HezbollahPublisher: The Washington Institute for Near East Policy | Note: Supports Badr-F guidance context and the 2014 Yemen Civil War evolution of Houthi precision-strike rockets. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Army spokesman reveals new ballistic missile "Badr-F"Publisher: Saba | Note: 2014 Yemen Civil War: public unveiling of Badr-F with reported 160 km range, 20 m burst height, 14,000 fragments, and a comparison to Tochka. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Video: New Badr-F ballistic missile strikes Saudi troops in JizanPublisher: Yemen Press Agency | Note: 2014 Yemen Civil War: used by Houthi-aligned forces in the reported April 2019 strike on Saudi troops and mercenaries in Jizan and west of Tiwal. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Army fires ballistic missile at Saudi-led mercenaries' gatherings off TiwalPublisher: Saba | Note: 2014 Yemen Civil War: used by Houthi-aligned forces in the reported April 2019 strike on Saudi-led mercenary gatherings west of Tiwal. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Ballistic missile hits coalition mercenaries in JizanPublisher: Yemen Press Agency | Note: 2014 Yemen Civil War: used by Houthi-aligned forces in reported August 2019 strikes on Saudi positions in Najran and Jizan. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Xinhua Sanaa parade missile photo 1Publisher: Xinhua | Note: Supports image provenance for the Badr-family missile parade display photo used on the page. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Xinhua Sanaa parade missile photo 2Publisher: Xinhua | Note: Supports image provenance for the second Badr-family missile parade display photo used in the gallery. | Accessed: 2026-07-04