Qiam-2 ballistic missile

Also known as

Qiam-1 mod.
Qiam-1 modified
Modified Qiam
Upgraded Qiam
Qiam-2?

Qiam-2 is an analyst designation for an upgraded Iranian Qiam short-range ballistic missile with a revised reentry section, road-mobile launch configuration, and improved accuracy. Open-source references tie the modified missile to Iran's October 2018 Al Bukamal strike in Syria and the January 2020 Ain al-Asad strike in Iraq, while noting that Qiam-2 is not an official Iranian designation.

Qiam-2 ballistic missile, Short-range ballistic missile, Artillery

Image source: Qiam-1 (09) - Wikimedia Commons

Role in Conflicts

Side: Syrian government and allies

Used by Iran during the 2011 Syrian Civil War in the October 1, 2018 missile strike toward Islamic State targets near Al Bukamal; CSIS describes up to two of the six missiles as Qiam-2, while IISS lists the system as an upgraded Qiam.

Role details

Side: Iran
Role in conflict: Retaliatory ballistic-missile strike

Used by Iran in the 2020 United States-Iran Conflict during the January 2020 Ain al-Asad strike; open-source reporting describes the missiles as modified Qiams and treats the exact Qiam-2 attribution as analyst-assigned.

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin: Iran
Built by: Aerospace Industries Organization
Type: Short-range ballistic missile
Service note: 2018-present
Designer: Aerospace Industries Organization
Designed: Late 2010s
Unit cost: Not publicly disclosed
Produced: Late 2010s-present
Number built: Not publicly disclosed

Specifications

Range: About 800 km in open-source references for the Qiam family and modified variant.
Payload: About 500 kg conventional warhead class.
Propulsion: Single-stage liquid propellant.
Basing: Road-mobile transporter-erector-launcher.
Guidance: Separating warhead with small movable fins on the reentry section and improved accuracy over earlier Qiam versions.
Accuracy: IISS lists about 100 m CEP for the Qiam-1 mod. / Qiam-2 configuration.

Variants

Qiam-2 is best treated as a Qiam-family analyst label rather than a clearly published Iranian model name.

Variant	Configuration	Designation notes
Qiam-1 / modified Qiam ballistic missile	Baseline and modified Qiam family record	CSIS describes Qiam-1 as the finless Iranian SRBM family; Iran Watch and IISS treat the modified Qiam-1, sometimes called Qiam-2 by analysts, as a later upgraded configuration. Sources: CSIS Qiam-1 Missile Threat, Iran Watch Missile Arsenal Table, IISS Open-Source Missile Analysis
Burkan-2H ballistic missile	Qiam-derived Houthi designation	CSIS and IISS describe Burkan-2H as a Qiam-1-derived missile line used by Houthi forces, making it a related Qiam-family branch rather than an Iranian Qiam-2 designation. Sources: CSIS Qiam-1 Missile Threat, IISS Open-Source Missile Analysis

Variant

Configuration

Designation notes

Qiam-1 / modified Qiam ballistic missile

Baseline and modified Qiam family record

CSIS describes Qiam-1 as the finless Iranian SRBM family; Iran Watch and IISS treat the modified Qiam-1, sometimes called Qiam-2 by analysts, as a later upgraded configuration.

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

Burkan-2H ballistic missile

Qiam-derived Houthi designation

CSIS and IISS describe Burkan-2H as a Qiam-1-derived missile line used by Houthi forces, making it a related Qiam-family branch rather than an Iranian Qiam-2 designation.

Sources: CSIS Qiam-1 Missile Threat, IISS Open-Source Missile Analysis

Timeline

Qiam-2 ballistic missile Key Events

Sep 1, 2018
Upgraded Qiam configuration reported
CSIS says Iran displayed a Qiam-2 variant with four fins at the base and four smaller moving fins on the reentry vehicle.
Sources: CSIS Qiam-1 Missile Threat
Oct 1, 2018
Strike toward Al Bukamal
CSIS says Iran launched up to two Qiam-2 missiles, along with Zolfaghar missiles, toward Islamic State targets near Al Bukamal in Syria; IISS describes the strike package as including upgraded Qiams.
Sources: CSIS Qiam-1 Missile Threat, IISS Open-Source Missile Analysis
Jan 8, 2020
Ain al-Asad strike
IISS and FRS identify modified Qiam/Qiam-2 missiles in Iran's retaliatory strike on Ain al-Asad Air Base in Iraq, with IISS listing an estimated 800 km range and about 100 m CEP for the modified Qiam.
Sources: IISS Open-Source Missile Analysis, FRS El-Asad Imagery Analysis

Designation And Documented Strikes

The public record for Qiam-2 is mostly built from external analysis, so the page treats the name as an analyst designation for an upgraded Qiam rather than as a confirmed Iranian service name.

Topic	Source-backed detail
Designation	Iran Watch says some independent analysts call the modified Qiam-1 Qiam-2, but it has not been publicly confirmed by official Iranian sources.
Visible changes	CSIS describes the displayed Qiam-2 configuration with four fins at the base and four smaller moving fins on the reentry vehicle.
2018 Syria strike	CSIS reports up to two Qiam-2 missiles in Iran's six-missile strike toward Islamic State targets near Al Bukamal; IISS describes the missiles as upgraded Qiams.
2020 Iraq strike	IISS and FRS identify modified Qiam or Qiam-2 missiles among the weapons used against Ain al-Asad Air Base after the killing of Qassem Soleimani.

Media