Profile
- Type
- Subsonic anti-ship cruise missile
- Conflict side
- Iran
- Origin
- Iran; derived from Chinese Hai Ying/Silkworm anti-ship missile technology
- Service note
- Full production reported from 2004; in service from 2007
Artillery
Ra'ad
Ra'ad is an Iranian subsonic anti-ship cruise missile developed from Chinese Hai Ying/Silkworm technology for coastal and naval strike missions. CSIS describes it as a 350 km-class, ground- or sea-launched weapon with a heavy high-explosive payload, inertial navigation, and a terminal seeker intended for sea-skimming attacks against surface targets.
Service History
- In service
- Reported operational service from 2007
- Used by
- Iran
- Wars
- United States-Iran Conflict
Production History
- Designer
- Iranian defense industry
- Designed
- Reported development before full production in 2004
- Built in
- Iran
- Unit cost
- Not publicly reported
- Produced
- Reported full production from January 2004
- Number built
- Not publicly reported
- Variants
- Ground-launched Ra'ad, Ship-launched Ra'ad, Saeqeh/Silkworm-family naval cruise missile display variant
- Developed from
- Chinese HY-series Hai Ying/Silkworm anti-ship missile family
Specifications
- Class
- Subsonic anti-ship cruise missile
- Range
- About 350-360 km
- Launch platforms
- Mobile ground and sea-launched platforms
- Length
- 7.36 m
- Diameter
- 0.76 m
- Launch weight
- About 3,000 kg
- Payload
- 450-500 kg high-explosive warhead
- Propulsion
- Solid-propellant booster and turbojet sustainer
- Guidance
- Inertial navigation with a terminal seeker, assessed as likely imaging infrared or active radar
Conflict Usage
- United States-Iran Conflict
- Side: IranRole: Fielded anti-ship cruise missile threat
Assessed as part of Iran's fielded cruise-missile arsenal during the 2026 U.S.-Israel war on Iran; the cited source identifies Ra'ad and Iranian anti-ship missile threats around the Strait of Hormuz, but does not report a confirmed Ra'ad launch.
Related Weapon Systems
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Abu MahdiLong-range anti-ship cruise missileAbu Mahdi is an Iranian long-range naval cruise missile associated with the Soumar/Hoveyzeh cruise-missile family and adapted for maritime strike. Iranian sources describe it as a domestically built anti-ship system for fixed or mobile launchers, while CSIS lists the Abu Mahdi variant with a reported 1,000 km range and turbojet propulsion.
BGM-109 Tomahawk Land Attack MissileShip- and submarine-launched land-attack cruise missileThe BGM-109 Tomahawk Land Attack Missile is a U.S. all-weather, long-range subsonic cruise missile used by naval forces for deep precision strikes from surface ships and submarines. Modern Block IV and Block V weapons combine low-altitude flight, GPS-aided navigation, terrain matching, and in-flight retargeting, with recent documented use against Houthi targets in the Red Sea Crisis and Iranian nuclear facilities during Operation Midnight Hammer.
Ya-AliLand-attack cruise missileYa-Ali is an Iranian medium-range land-attack cruise missile associated with the IRGC Aerospace Force. Open sources describe it as a 700 km-class turbojet weapon, with Iranian media claiming a roughly 200 kg warhead and both ground-launch and aircraft-carriage options. Its public record is sparse, and analysts distinguish Ya-Ali from the smaller Quds missiles used by the Houthis in Yemen.
HarpoonCoastal and anti-ship cruise missile systemHarpoon is a U.S.-origin all-weather anti-ship cruise missile family built around active radar terminal homing and sea-skimming flight. In the Russia-Ukraine War, Ukraine received land-based Harpoon coastal defense systems and adapted truck-launched RGM-84 missiles to threaten Russian surface ships operating near the Black Sea coast.
HoveyzehGround-launched land-attack cruise missileHoveyzeh is an Iranian ground-launched land-attack cruise missile in the Soumar/Kh-55-derived family. Unveiled in 2019 for delivery to the IRGC Aerospace Force, it is claimed to reach 1,350 km and is assessed by outside missile specialists as a long-range turbojet-powered strike weapon. In 2025 reporting on the Israel-Iran fighting, Al Jazeera cited Hoveyzeh as part of Iran's cruise-missile arsenal while discussing Iranian cruise-missile attacks against Israel.
KalibrSea-launched land-attack cruise missile familyKalibr is a Russian family of ship- and submarine-launched cruise missiles, including the 3M-14 land-attack variant known to NATO as SS-N-30A. Its long range, naval basing, and conventional or reported nuclear payload options make it a central Russian Navy strike weapon, and Russian forces have repeatedly used Kalibr missiles in the Russia-Ukraine War for deep strikes against Ukrainian targets.Sources
Ra'adPublisher: CSIS Missile Threat | Note: Supports Ra'ad identity, Chinese-origin development background, IAIO manufacturer attribution, service timeline, and core specifications. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Image Library of Iranian MissilesPublisher: Iran Watch | Note: Supports general Iranian missile image provenance context; Iran Watch states its missile images are drawn from official or semi-official Iranian media outlets. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Chitgar Naval Exhibition - Saegheh cruise missile.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance and Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licensing for a Fars News image of a Saeqeh/Silkworm-family naval cruise missile display used on the Ra'ad anti-ship missile article. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Ra'ad anti-ship missile; demonstration of Iran's naval strike capabilityPublisher: Iran Press | Note: Provides Iranian media background on the Ra'ad/Silkworm relationship, propulsion, range estimates, and naval strike role. | Accessed: 2026-06-20What are Iran's weapons as it fights the US and Israel?Publisher: Al Jazeera | Note: Supports the narrow conflict-use claim that Ra'ad was assessed as part of Iran's fielded cruise-missile arsenal during the 2026 U.S.-Israel war on Iran, without confirming a launch. | Accessed: 2026-06-20