Profile
- Type
- Medium-range ballistic missile
- Conflict side
- Houthi-aligned forces
- Origin
- Iran
- Service note
- Unveiled in 2019; used in the Yemen Civil War from 2019 onward
Munitions
Burkan-3 ballistic missile
Burkan-3 is the Houthi name for a long-range liquid-fueled ballistic missile unveiled in August 2019. Open-source analysis links it to Iran's Qiam lineage, and Houthi forces used it in Yemen Civil War strikes that expanded their reach to Saudi Arabia's Gulf coast.
- Conflict side
- Houthi-aligned forces
- Built by
- Iranian missile program
- Built in
- Iran
Service History
- In service
- First unveiled by the Houthis in August 2019; later referred to as Zulfiqar in Houthi media.
- Used by
- Houthi-aligned forces
- Wars
- Yemen Civil War
Production History
- Designer
- Iranian missile program
- Designed
- Late 2010s
- Built by
- Iranian missile program
- Built in
- Iran
- Unit cost
- Not publicly disclosed
- Produced
- 2019-present
- Number built
- Not publicly disclosed
- Variants
- Zulfiqar
Specifications
- Range
- About 1,200 km
- Payload
- About 250 kg
- Propulsion
- Single-stage liquid-fueled rocket
- Guidance
- Short guidance section with a conical re-entry vehicle, consistent with Qiam-derived design features
- Re-entry vehicle
- Conical re-entry vehicle with a short adapter section
Conflict Usage
- Yemen Civil War
- Side: Houthi-aligned forcesRole: Long-range ballistic-missile strike
Yemen Civil War: used by Houthi forces in the March 2021 Dammam attack; Breaking Defense describes Burkan-3 as a new Houthi ballistic missile unveiled in August 2019.
Related Weapon Systems
Burkan-1 ballistic missileShort-range ballistic missileBurkan-1 is the Houthi designation for a locally upgraded Scud-family short-range ballistic missile unveiled in 2016 and used for cross-border strikes from Yemen into Saudi Arabia during the Yemen Civil War.
Hwasong-6 ballistic missileShort-range ballistic missileThe Hwasong-6 is a North Korean Scud-C-derived short-range ballistic missile with a longer range and smaller payload than earlier Scud-B types. In the Yemen Civil War, Houthi-aligned forces used Scud-C/Hwasong-6-class missiles for cross-border ballistic strikes against Saudi Arabia, making the system part of the conflict's long-range missile and air-defense record.
R-17 Scud-B ballistic missileShort-range ballistic missileThe R-17 Elbrus, known to NATO as the SS-1C Scud-B, is a Soviet road-mobile, liquid-fueled short-range ballistic missile built for deep strikes with conventional, chemical, or nuclear payloads. Armenian forces used Scud-B missiles in strikes on Ganja during the Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict, and Houthi-aligned forces fielded inherited Yemeni R-17E/Scud-B stocks during the Yemen Civil War, illustrating the continued battlefield and political risk of older, inaccurate ballistic missiles in regional wars.
Scud-C ballistic missileShort-range liquid-fueled ballistic missileThe Scud-C is an extended-range member of the Soviet Scud ballistic-missile family, trading payload and accuracy for a roughly 550 km range. In the Yemen Civil War, Houthi-aligned forces used Scud-series missiles for cross-border strikes against Saudi targets, and CSIS reporting identifies Scud-C launches early in the 2015 missile campaign..jpg?width=480)
Qaher-1 ballistic missileShort-range ballistic missileQaher-1 is the Houthi-aligned forces' Yemeni conversion of Soviet S-75/V-755 surface-to-air missiles into a land-attack ballistic rocket during the Yemen Civil War. The system mattered because it gave the movement a locally modified, cross-border strike option against Saudi targets starting in late 2015.
Qaher-M2 ballistic missileShort-range ballistic missileQaher-M2 is a Houthi-improved short-range ballistic missile derived from the Soviet S-75/V-755 family and used in cross-border strikes from Yemen into Saudi Arabia during the Yemen Civil War. Open-source reporting describes it as a March 2017 upgrade with a longer reported range and heavier warhead than Qaher-1.Sources
Houthi 'Terror' Scuds Now Threaten Most Of Saudi ArabiaPublisher: Breaking Defense | Note: Supports Burkan-3 background, range and payload estimates, Iranian Qiam lineage, and Yemen Civil War use: the article says Houthi forces used Burkan-3 against Dammam. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Iran Solidifies Missile Support to the HouthisPublisher: Iran Watch | Note: Yemen Civil War: used by Houthi forces since 2019; the article says Burkan-3 had been in the Houthi arsenal since 2019 and that Iran built a customized Qiam variant for the group. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Burkan 2.svg - Wikimedia CommonsPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance and the CC BY-SA 4.0 licensing context for the closest rights-clear Burkan-family schematic. | Accessed: 2026-06-20