Profile
- Type
- Anti-ship cruise missile
- Conflict side
- Houthi-aligned forces
- Origin
- Yemen / Iran
- Service note
- First publicly revealed in 2023
Munitions
Quds-Z-0 anti-ship cruise missile
The Quds-Z-0 is a Houthi anti-ship cruise missile unveiled in 2023 as an anti-shipping derivative of the Iranian Paveh/Quds land-attack family. Open-source analysis describes it as EO/IR-guided, likely produced in Iran or Yemen with Iranian technical support, and fielded in Yemen Civil War maritime-strike displays.
- Conflict side
- Houthi-aligned forces
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Service History
- In service
- Shown by Houthi forces in 2023 as part of their anti-shipping arsenal.
- Used by
- Houthi-aligned forces
- Wars
- Yemen Civil War
Production History
- Designer
- Iranian Paveh-family design adapted by Houthi forces
- Designed
- 2023
- Produced
- 2023-present
Specifications
- Range
- At least 800 km
- Guidance
- Electro-optical / infrared seeker
- Target set
- Land and naval targets
- Family
- Paveh/Quds-series anti-ship derivative
Conflict Usage
- Yemen Civil War
- Side: Houthi-aligned forcesRole: Maritime anti-ship strike
Yemen Civil War: fielded by Houthi-aligned forces as an anti-ship cruise missile in the September 21, 2023 Sanaa parade.
Quds-Z-0 anti-ship cruise missile Images
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Related Weapon Systems
Al-Mandab-1 anti-ship cruise missileAnti-ship cruise missileAl-Mandab-1 is the Houthi designation for a Chinese C-801-family anti-ship cruise missile. Open-source reporting ties it to pre-war Yemeni stocks and shows Houthi forces fielding it during the Yemen Civil War, while the exact C-801 or C-802 variant remains uncertain.
Al-Mandab-2 anti-ship cruise missileAnti-ship cruise missileAl-Mandab-2 is the Houthi designation for a long-range anti-ship cruise missile used in the Yemen Civil War against Red Sea shipping. UN reporting described it as a seven-meter, 300-kilometer system with micro-turbojet propulsion and noted strong external similarities to the C-802 and Iran's Ghader/Ghadir family.
C-802 anti-ship missileAnti-ship cruise missileThe C-802 is a Chinese export anti-ship cruise missile built by CASIC's Third Academy. In Yemen Civil War reporting, it is the class believed to have been used by Houthi-aligned forces in the October 2016 Red Sea attacks on HSV-2 Swift and USS Mason.
Sayyad anti-ship cruise missileAnti-ship cruise missileThe Sayyad is a Houthi-fielded anti-ship cruise missile first displayed in Sana'a in 2023 and linked by analysts to Iran's Paveh/Project 351 cruise-missile lineage. In the Yemen Civil War, it added a long-range naval strike option to the Houthi arsenal and was reported in the Red Sea campaign.
Ghader anti-ship cruise missileAnti-ship cruise missileThe Ghader, also reported as Qader, is Iran's 200-kilometre C-802-derived anti-ship cruise missile. In the Yemen Civil War, Houthi forces' anti-shipping arsenal included Iranian-supplied Nour and Ghadar missiles used to threaten Red Sea shipping..jpg?width=480)
Iranian anti-ship missile systemsAnti-ship missile systemIranian anti-ship missile systems combine coastal-defense cruise missiles and longer-range anti-warship missiles to threaten shipping across the Strait of Hormuz and the Sea of Oman. In the United States-Iran Conflict, they form a core part of Iran's maritime-denial posture against U.S. and commercial traffic.Sources
Munition, missile, Quds Z-0Publisher: Fenix Insight | Note: Supports Quds Z-0 identification, Yemen/Iran manufacture context, and the missile's classification as a Yemeni (Houthi) anti-ship cruise missile. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Little and large missile surprises in Sanaa and TehranPublisher: International Institute for Strategic Studies | Note: Supports Yemen Civil War background and technical details: the Quds Z-0 appeared to have an electro-optical or infrared seeker and was claimed to be able to engage land and naval targets. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Houthi anti-ship missile systems: getting better all the timePublisher: International Institute for Strategic Studies | Note: Supports Yemen Civil War technical context: Quds Z-0 is an anti-ship Houthi system derived from the Quds family and estimated, from the original Quds baseline and Houthi statements, to reach at least 800 km. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Assessing the Houthi War Effort Since October 2023Publisher: Combating Terrorism Center at West Point | Note: Supports Yemen Civil War direct conflict-use: newer systems shown at Houthi parades in 2022-2023 included the Quds-Z-0 anti-shipping variant, fielded by Houthi forces in the Yemen Civil War. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Yemen’s “Southern Hezbollah” Celebrates Coup Anniversary in Deadly FashionPublisher: The Washington Institute for Near East Policy | Note: Supports Yemen Civil War direct conflict-use: Houthi fighters paraded Quds-Z-0 in Sanaa on September 21, 2023, fielded by Houthi forces during the Yemen Civil War. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Sacred Defence Week parade, 2023, in Tehran (107).jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance and CC BY 4.0 licensing for a clear-license representative Paveh-family missile image used here as a close visual analogue to the Quds-Z-0 parent design. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Sacred Defence Week parade, 2023, in Tehran (020).jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance and CC BY 4.0 licensing for a second clear-license representative Paveh-family missile image. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Sacred Defence Week parade, 2023, in Tehran (221).jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance and license for a third clear-license representative Paveh-family missile image. | Accessed: 2026-06-20August 2024 National Aerospace Park tour for journalists (10).jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance and license for a fourth clear-license representative Paveh-family missile image. | Accessed: 2026-06-20