Qiam-1 / modified Qiam ballistic missile

Also known as

Qiam-1
Qiam 1
Qiam
Qiam-1 mod.
Modified Qiam
Modified Qiam-1
Upgraded Qiam
Uprising-1

The Qiam-1 is Iran's road-mobile, liquid-fueled short-range ballistic missile family derived from the Shahab-2, with a finless body and separable warhead that distinguish it from earlier Scud-derived missiles. Source reporting connects Qiam-type missiles to Iranian strikes in Syria against Islamic State targets and to the January 2020 Ayn al-Asad attack, while modified Qiam/Qiam-2 attribution remains analyst-dependent rather than an official Iranian model name.

Qiam-1 / modified Qiam ballistic missile, Short-range ballistic missile, Artillery

Image source: 2019 Sacred Defence Week parade (343).jpg

Role in Conflicts

Side: Syrian government and allies

Used by Iran and its allies in the 2011 Syrian Civil War for ballistic-missile strikes against Islamic State targets in eastern Syria; CSIS treats the June 2017 Qiam-1 attribution as a later assessment and identifies up to two Qiam-2 missiles in the October 2018 Al Bukamal strike.

Role details

Side: Iran

Used by Iran in the 2020 United States-Iran Conflict's January 8, 2020 retaliatory strike on Ayn al-Asad Air Base; CSIS says Qiam missile debris indicated use in the attack, IISS and FRS identify modified Qiam/Qiam-2 weapons, and MDAA reports 11 Qiam-1 missiles hit Al Asad.

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin: Iran
Built by: Aerospace Industries Organization
Type: Short-range ballistic missile
Service note: 2010s-present
Designer: Aerospace Industries Organization
Designed: 2010
Produced: 2010-present

Specifications

Class: Short-range ballistic missile
Length: 11.5 m
Diameter: 0.88 m (body), 0.60-0.66 m warhead class in open sources
Launch weight: 6,155 kg
Payload: 650-750 kg depending on source and configuration
Propulsion: Single-stage liquid propellant
Range: 700-800 km
Basing: Road-mobile transporter-erector-launcher; CSIS also describes use from underground tunnel or silo-style launch infrastructure
Guidance: Inertial and ground-based radio guidance in baseline references; modified Qiam references describe a maneuvering reentry section with small movable fins
Warhead: High explosive fragmentation or submunitions

Variants

Public sources use Qiam-1 for the baseline Iranian missile and modified Qiam or Qiam-2 for later upgraded configurations; Iran Watch notes that Qiam-2 is an analyst label rather than a publicly confirmed official Iranian designation.

Variant	Configuration	Designation notes
Qiam-2 ballistic missile	Modified Qiam / analyst-designated upgraded configuration	CSIS describes a 2018 displayed configuration with external base fins and smaller movable fins on the reentry vehicle; Iran Watch says the modified Qiam-1 has been called Qiam-2 by some independent analysts but not by official Iranian sources. Sources: CSIS Qiam-1 Missile Threat, Iran Watch Missile Arsenal Table, IISS Open-Source Missile Analysis
Burkan-2H ballistic missile	Qiam-derived Houthi missile line	CSIS describes Burkan-2H as a Qiam-1 transfer and Houthi designation associated with Yemen-based launches beginning in 2017. Sources: CSIS Qiam-1 Missile Threat

Variant

Configuration

Designation notes

Qiam-2 ballistic missile

Modified Qiam / analyst-designated upgraded configuration

CSIS describes a 2018 displayed configuration with external base fins and smaller movable fins on the reentry vehicle; Iran Watch says the modified Qiam-1 has been called Qiam-2 by some independent analysts but not by official Iranian sources.

Sources: CSIS Qiam-1 Missile Threat, Iran Watch Missile Arsenal Table, IISS Open-Source Missile Analysis

Burkan-2H ballistic missile

Qiam-derived Houthi missile line

CSIS describes Burkan-2H as a Qiam-1 transfer and Houthi designation associated with Yemen-based launches beginning in 2017.

Sources: CSIS Qiam-1 Missile Threat

Timeline

Qiam-1 / modified Qiam ballistic missile Key Events

Aug 20, 2010
First Qiam-1 flight test
CSIS says the Qiam-1 completed its first successful flight test in August 2010 before public display later that year.
Sources: CSIS Qiam-1 Missile Threat
Jun 18, 2017
Possible first operational use in Syria
CSIS says later assessments point to a Qiam-1 in Iran's June 2017 strike against Islamic State targets in eastern Deir ez-Zor, while noting uncertainty in contemporary reporting.
Sources: CSIS Qiam-1 Missile Threat
Oct 1, 2018
Al Bukamal strike uses Qiam-type missiles
CSIS and the Washington Institute identify Qiam or improved Qiam/Qiam-2 missiles in Iran's October 2018 strike toward Islamic State targets near Al Bukamal.
Sources: CSIS Qiam-1 Missile Threat, Washington Institute Second Syria Strike
Jan 8, 2020
Ayn al-Asad strike
Iran fired Qiam-family missiles during the retaliatory attack on bases housing U.S. forces in Iraq; IISS and FRS identify modified Qiam/Qiam-2 weapons in the strike and MDAA reports 11 Qiam-1 impacts at Al Asad.
Sources: IISS Open-Source Missile Analysis, FRS El-Asad Imagery Analysis, MDAA 2020 Iranian Missile Attack

Designation And Combat Use

The Qiam record is split between Iran's baseline public designation and outside analysis of later modified missiles. The table keeps those claims separate so the official name, analyst labels, and documented strikes are not collapsed into one certainty.

Topic	Source-backed detail	Catalog caution
Baseline Qiam-1	CSIS describes Qiam-1 as a finless, liquid-fueled Iranian SRBM derived from Shahab-2 and fitted with a separable warhead.	The baseline missile is the core public designation for this record.
Modified Qiam / Qiam-2	Iran Watch says the modified Qiam-1 has been called Qiam-2 by independent analysts; CSIS describes visible fin changes on a 2018 displayed configuration.	Qiam-2 should be treated as an analyst designation unless an official source is being quoted.
Syria strikes	CSIS and the Washington Institute identify Qiam or improved Qiam-family missiles in Iranian strikes against Islamic State targets in eastern Syria.	The June 2017 Qiam identification is caveated; the October 2018 strike is stronger for improved Qiam/Qiam-2 attribution.
Ayn al-Asad strike	IISS, FRS, Iran Watch, and MDAA connect Qiam or modified Qiam missiles to Iran's January 2020 attack on U.S.-used bases in Iraq.	Open-source references differ between Qiam-1, modified Qiam, and Qiam-2 wording.