Artillery

Qaher-1 ballistic missile

Also known as
  • Qaher-1
  • Qaher 1
  • Qaher-I
  • Qahir-1
  • Qahir 1
  • قاهر-1
  • قاهر 1
  • Conqueror

Qaher-1 is the early Houthi-aligned conversion of Yemeni S-75/SA-2 V-755 surface-to-air missile stocks into an unguided land-attack rocket. Fielded in late 2015 during the 2014 Yemen Civil War, it gave the movement a locally modified cross-border strike option against Saudi border-region bases, airports, and infrastructure before the longer-range Qaher-M2 appeared.

Qaher-1 ballistic missile, Short-range ballistic missile, Artillery
Image source: SA-2 Guideline-S-75 Dvina-IMG 6381.JPG

Role in Conflicts

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
Yemen
Type
Short-range ballistic missile
Service note
2015-present
Designer
Missile Research and Development Center (MRDC)
Designed
2015
Produced
2015-present
Number built
Not publicly disclosed
Developed from
Yemeni V-755 missiles from S-75/SA-2 surface-to-air missile stocks
Developed into
Qaher-M2 ballistic missile

Specifications

Base Missile
Re-engineered from Yemeni V-755 missiles associated with S-75/SA-2 air-defense stocks.
Conversion
Converted by the Houthi MRDC into unguided land-attack rockets.
Guidance
Unguided free-flight land-attack rocket in open-source reporting.
Reported Range
Up to 250 km.
Reported Payload
About 200 kg.
Conversion Lineage

Qaher-1 is best understood as a wartime conversion of inherited air-defense missile stocks, not as a newly designed ballistic missile family. CSIS traces the missile to Yemeni V-755 missiles from the S-75/SA-2 system, while the UN Panel of Experts described Qaher-1 as an improvised S-75 Dvina free-flight rocket used during the Yemen war.

Source missile

Yemeni V-755 missiles associated with S-75/SA-2 surface-to-air missile stocks.

Sources: The Missile War in Yemen; UN Panel of Experts on Yemen 2018.

Conversion role

Unguided land-attack rocket for cross-border strikes against Saudi targets.

Sources: The Missile War in Yemen; Countering Iran's Missile Proliferation in Yemen.

Imagery limit

The gallery uses an S-75/SA-2 lineage image and Iranian Tondar-69 analogue images; no clean open-license confirmed Qaher-1 photograph was identified.

Sources: SA-2 Guideline-S-75 Dvina-IMG 6381.JPG; Great Prophet IV (26).jpg; Great Prophet IV (31).jpg.

Variants

The Qaher line was a Houthi conversion family based on Yemeni S-75/SA-2 missile stocks. Qaher-1 was the late-2015 conversion; Qaher-M2 was the longer-range follow-on reported in 2017.

VariantConfigurationDesignation notes
Qaher-M2 ballistic missile, Short-range ballistic missile, ArtilleryQaher-M2 ballistic missileImproved Qaher-family follow-on

Qaher-M2 followed Qaher-1 in March 2017 with reported 400 km range and a heavier 350 kg warhead, compared with Qaher-1's reported 250 km range and 200 kg payload.

Sources: The Missile War in Yemen, Countering Iran's Missile Proliferation in Yemen

Timeline

Qaher-1 ballistic missile Key Events

  1. Missile Research and Development Center formed

    The Houthis established a new missile force and a missile research division that converted V-755 stocks into Qaher-1 rockets.

    Sources: The Missile War in Yemen

  2. First public use

    The Houthis revealed and first fired the Qaher-1 in December 2015.

    Sources: The Missile War in Yemen

  3. Qaher-M2 follow-on reported

    CSIS describes Qaher-M2 as the improved Qaher-family variant first fired in March 2017, with reported 400 km range and a 350 kg warhead.

    Sources: The Missile War in Yemen

  4. Last confirmed Qaher-1 firing in UN reporting

    The UN Panel of Experts reported that Qaher-1 free-flight rocket attacks continued in 2017 until a last confirmed firing on March 27.

    Sources: UN Panel of Experts on Yemen 2018

Media

Qaher-1 ballistic missile Videos

Qaher-1 ballistic missile Images

Qaher-1 ballistic missile, Short-range ballistic missile, Artillery - view 1
Source: Great Prophet IV (26).jpg
Qaher-1 ballistic missile, Short-range ballistic missile, Artillery - view 2
Source: Great Prophet IV (31).jpg
Related Weapon Systems
Quds-1 land-attack cruise missile, Land-attack cruise missile, MunitionsMunitionsQuds-1 land-attack cruise missileLand-attack cruise missileThe Quds-1 is a Houthi land-attack cruise missile publicly displayed in Yemen in July 2019 and identified by U.S. sources as the 351 land-attack cruise missile. Open-source and UN-linked analysis describes a compact, ground-launched cruise missile powered by a TJ100-type turbojet and tied to Iranian design and supply networks despite Houthi claims of indigenous development. In the 2014 Yemen Civil War, Houthi-aligned forces used the Quds-1 for long-range strikes against Saudi airport, desalination, and oil-infrastructure targets.
S-75 Dvina / SA-2 Guideline, High-altitude surface-to-air missile system, Air DefenseAir DefenseS-75 Dvina / SA-2 GuidelineHigh-altitude surface-to-air missile systemThe S-75 Dvina, known to NATO as the SA-2 Guideline, is a Soviet command-guided surface-to-air missile system built around V-750/V-755 missiles, single-rail launchers, Spoon Rest acquisition radar, and Fan Song guidance radar. It became a defining Cold War high-altitude air-defense system in Vietnam and Arab-Israeli wars, where fixed SAM sites shaped strike planning and suppression tactics. In Yemen, surviving S-75 missile stocks reappeared less as intact air-defense batteries than as source missiles for Houthi-aligned Qaher and Muhit strike conversions.
Burkan-2H ballistic missile, Short-range ballistic missile, MunitionsMunitionsBurkan-2H ballistic missileShort-range ballistic missileThe Burkan-2H is the Houthi designation for a Qiam-1-derived short-range ballistic missile used for cross-border strikes from Yemen into Saudi Arabia during the 2014 Yemen Civil War. UN, CSIS, IISS, and rights-reporting sources connect the missile to attacks on Yanbu, King Khalid International Airport, Yamama Palace, and Riyadh-area targets, making it one of the clearest examples of Iranian missile technology appearing in the Houthi arsenal.

Sources

UN Panel of Experts on Yemen 2018Publisher: United Nations Security Council | Note: 2014 Yemen Civil War: identifies Qaher-1 as an improvised S-75 Dvina free-flight rocket and documents continued Qaher-1 firings through a last confirmed firing on March 27, 2017. | Accessed: 2026-07-03UN Panel of Experts on Yemen 2017Publisher: United Nations Security Council | Note: 2014 Yemen Civil War: supports Houthi-Saleh forces launching Qaher-1 free-flight rockets against Saudi Arabia and tabulates dated Qaher-1 launches in 2015 and 2016. | Accessed: 2026-07-03The Missile War in YemenPublisher: Center for Strategic and International Studies | Note: 2014 Yemen Civil War: converted around 200 V-755 SAMs into Qaher-1 rockets, fielded them in late 2015, first fired them in December 2015, and reported a 250 km range with a 200 kg payload. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Countering Iran's Missile Proliferation in YemenPublisher: The Washington Institute for Near East Policy | Note: 2014 Yemen Civil War: fired by Houthi-Saleh forces in cross-border strikes on Saudi targets, including Khamis Mushait, with Qaher-1 free-flight missiles launched at targets up to 250 km inside Saudi Arabia. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Great Prophet IV (26).jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance and CC BY 4.0 licensing for an Iranian Tondar-69 / SA-2-derived ballistic conversion image used as a visual analogue, not as a confirmed Qaher-1 photo. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Great Prophet IV (31).jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance and CC BY 4.0 licensing for a second Iranian Tondar-69 / SA-2-derived conversion image used as visual analogue context. | Accessed: 2026-07-03SA-2 Guideline-S-75 Dvina-IMG 6381.JPGPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance and CC BY-SA licensing for the S-75/SA-2 lineage reference image used as the primary visual because Qaher-1 was converted from that missile family. | Accessed: 2026-07-03