Munitions

C-802/Noor anti-ship cruise missile

Also known as
  • Noor
  • YJ-82

The C-802/Noor is a Chinese-origin anti-ship cruise missile family built around the C-802 export design and Iran's Noor derivative. Open references also call it YJ-82, and the family spread into Chinese export, Iranian, and Pakistani service before reappearing in 2014 Yemen Civil War reporting against Red Sea shipping.

C-802/Noor anti-ship cruise missile, Anti-ship cruise missile, Munitions
Image source: C-802 anti ship missile.JPG

Role in Conflicts

Profile / Specs

Specifications

Length
6.39 m
Diameter
0.36 m
Weight
715 kg
Warhead
165 kg high-explosive
Speed
Mach 0.8 to 0.9
Range
About 120 km
Guidance
Inertial navigation with active radar homing terminal guidance
Propulsion
French TRI 60-2 turbojet with solid booster
Designation Notes

Open-source references use several names for the same C-802 family, and Iran's Noor version became the best-known derivative.

TopicValueSource-backed note
Export designationYJ-82GlobalSecurity identifies the C-802 as the YJ-82 export family.
Iranian nameNoorRUSI says Iran reverse-engineered the C-802 into Noor.
Export footprintIran, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Thailand, MyanmarNTI's chronology lists those countries among the C-802 export customers.
Combat recordLebanon 2006; Yemen 2016NTI and RUSI tie the family to Hezbollah's 2006 strike and Houthi-linked use in Yemen.

These names and export paths are treated as one missile family for catalog search and reading convenience.

Variants
  • C-802A
  • YJ-83
Launch Platforms

The missile is documented on Chinese and Pakistani frigate fits, which makes the family easier to read as a naval export weapon rather than a one-off Houthi source.

LauncherLauncher typeLaunch evidence
Type 054A / Jiangkai II-class frigate, Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy multi-role frigate class, Naval SystemsType 054A / Jiangkai II-class frigateFrigate launcher

GlobalSecurity describes the Type 054A as equipped with two eight-cell C-802 launchers, linking the class directly to the missile family.

Sources: Jiangkai Type 054 Frigate

Type 053H3 / Jiangwei II-class frigate, Chinese guided-missile frigate class, Naval SystemsType 053H3 / Jiangwei II-class frigateFrigate launcher

Wikimedia Commons captions C-802 launcher images on the Pakistan Navy's Zulfiquar and Saif frigates, and the catalog's Type 053H3 family includes the Pakistan Navy F-22P / Zulfiquar-class variant.

Sources: C-802 anti ship missile.JPG, PNS Saif - C-802 4-cell Cannister Front View.jpg, PNS Saif - C-802 8-cell Cannister.jpg

Haijing 2202, China Coast Guard patrol cutter, Naval SystemsHaijing 2202Coast guard cutter launcher

The former Type 053H2G hull was refitted into Haijing 2202, and the class page ties that hull family to the missile fit associated with YJ-83 / C-802 in open references.

Sources: Weaponsystems.net: Type-053H2G class, YJ-83 - Weaponsystems.net

Timeline

C-802/Noor anti-ship cruise missile Key Events

  1. C-802 sale to Iran is publicly confirmed

    NTI's chronology records U.S. confirmation that China had sold ship-based C-802 anti-ship missiles to Iran, showing how the export line fed the later Noor derivative.

    Sources: NTI China Missile Chronology

  2. Hezbollah fires a C-802 at INS Hanit

    NTI records Hezbollah's radar-guided C-802 strike against the Israeli Navy ship INS Hanit during the 2006 Lebanon conflict.

    Sources: NTI China Missile Chronology

  3. Indonesia buys the missile for a patrol ship

    NTI notes Indonesia bought the C-802 for PT PAL's coastal patrol ship, illustrating the family's wider export market beyond the Middle East.

    Sources: NTI China Missile Chronology

  4. Red Sea attacks revive the family in Yemen reporting

    USNI reported that USS Mason appeared to come under attack off Yemen, while RUSI links Houthi anti-ship cruise missiles in the conflict to the C-802 and Noor lineage.

    Sources: USS Mason 'Appears to Have Come Under Attack', Securing the Red Sea: How Can Houthi Maritime Strikes be Countered?

Media

C-802/Noor anti-ship cruise missile Images

C-802/Noor anti-ship cruise missile, Anti-ship cruise missile, Munitions - view 1
Source: PNS Saif - C-802 4-cell Cannister Front View.jpg
C-802/Noor anti-ship cruise missile, Anti-ship cruise missile, Munitions - view 2
Source: PNS Saif - C-802 8-cell Cannister.jpg
Related Weapon Systems
C-801 anti-ship missile, Anti-ship cruise missile, MunitionsMunitionsC-801 anti-ship missileAnti-ship cruise missileThe C-801 is the export designation of China's YJ-8 family, a solid-propellant, sea-skimming anti-ship missile built by CASIC's Third Academy. Open references place the surface-launched YJ-8/C-801 in 1987 service with a 42 km range and 165 kg warhead, while later YJ-81/C-801K and YJ-82 members carried the same short-range family into air- and submarine-launched roles. Yemen's pre-war C-801 stocks and the C-801/C-802 identification caveat make the missile relevant to Houthi anti-ship attacks in the 2014 Yemen Civil War.
Al-Mandab-2 anti-ship cruise missile, Anti-ship cruise missile, MunitionsMunitionsAl-Mandab-2 anti-ship cruise missileAnti-ship cruise missileAl-Mandab-2 is a Houthi designation for an anti-ship cruise missile displayed in 2022 and associated by UN, defense, and component-analysis sources with the C-802-derived Iranian Noor/Ghader/Ghadir family. Houthi-affiliated media claimed a seven-meter missile with a 300-kilometer range and micro-turbojet propulsion, while outside assessments differ on whether the public evidence best matches Ghader, Ghadir, or a broader C-802 derivative.

Sources

C-802 Chinese Short-Range Anti-Ship Cruise MissilePublisher: U.S. Army ODIN | Note: Supports C-802 background, manufacturer, and core specifications. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Jiangkai Type 054 FrigatePublisher: GlobalSecurity.org | Note: Supports the Type 054A frigate class overview and its C-802 anti-ship launcher fit. | Accessed: 2026-06-27C-802 Noor / Nur - Anti-ship Cruise MissilePublisher: GlobalSecurity.org | Note: Supports the C-802 family's YJ-82 alias, Iran's Noor derivative, and the family's early-1989 emergence in open-source references. | Accessed: 2026-06-27Weaponsystems.net: Type-053H2G classPublisher: WeaponSystems.net | Note: Supports the Type 053H2G class fit, including the launcher relationship to the YJ-83 / C-802 family. | Accessed: 2026-06-28YJ-83 - Weaponsystems.netPublisher: WeaponSystems.net | Note: Supports the YJ-83 designation used for the missile family linked to the Type 053H2G class launch fit. | Accessed: 2026-06-28NTI China Missile ChronologyPublisher: Nuclear Threat Initiative | Note: Supports the C-802 export chronology, including Iran sale context, overseas customers, and the 2006 Hezbollah firing of a C-802 against INS Hanit. | Accessed: 2026-06-27A Potent Vector: Assessing Chinese Cruise Missile DevelopmentsPublisher: National Defense University Press | Note: Supports C-802 background, CASIC Third Academy manufacturing context, and the exported C802/C802A family relationship. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Securing the Red Sea: How Can Houthi Maritime Strikes be Countered?Publisher: Royal United Services Institute | Note: Supports 2014 Yemen Civil War direct-use context by linking Houthi anti-ship cruise missiles used in the conflict to the C-802 and Iran's Noor derivative. | Accessed: 2026-06-22USS Mason 'Appears to Have Come Under Attack'Publisher: USNI News | Note: Supports 2014 Yemen Civil War direct-use context; USNI reported the missiles were believed to have been launched by Houthi rebels using Chinese-built C-802 anti-ship cruise missiles supplied through Tehran-linked channels. | Accessed: 2026-06-20C-802 anti ship missile.JPGPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Wikimedia Commons file page for a CC BY-SA image of C-802 launchers aboard PNS Zulfiquar. | Accessed: 2026-06-20PNS Saif - C-802 4-cell Cannister Front View.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Wikimedia Commons file page for a CC BY-SA image of a four-cell C-802 launcher on PNS Saif. | Accessed: 2026-06-20PNS Saif - C-802 8-cell Cannister.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Wikimedia Commons file page for a CC BY-SA image of the full eight-cell C-802 launcher fit on PNS Saif. | Accessed: 2026-06-20