Profile
- Type
- Anti-ship cruise missile
- Conflict side
- Houthi-aligned forces
- Origin
- Yemen, with Iranian Paveh/Project 351 lineage
- Service note
- 2023-present; documented in the Yemen Civil War
Munitions
Sayyad anti-ship cruise missile
The 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.
- Conflict side
- Houthi-aligned forces
- Built by
- Houthi military industry
- Built in
- Yemen
Service History
- In service
- Displayed in Sana'a in September 2023 and reported in active service by the Yemeni Navy in August 2025.
- Used by
- Houthi-aligned forces
- Wars
- Yemen Civil War
Production History
- Designer
- Paveh / Project 351-inspired cruise-missile lineage
- Built by
- Houthi military industry
- Built in
- Yemen
- Variants
- Radar-homing anti-ship cruise missile
Specifications
- Range
- Up to 800 km claimed
- Length
- 6.8 m
- Diameter
- 0.5 m
- Payload
- 200-300 kg
- Propulsion
- Solid-fuel booster with turbojet cruise engine
- Guidance
- Satellite navigation with possible inertial guidance; reported radar-homing seeker
- Launch platform
- Mobile ground-based launcher
Conflict Usage
- Yemen Civil War
- Side: Houthi-aligned forcesRole: Long-range anti-ship cruise missile
Yemen Civil War: used by Houthi-aligned forces as a long-range Paveh-based anti-ship cruise missile; IISS says the Sayyad was unveiled in Sana'a in 2023 and likely employed in a failed April 2024 attempt against the MSC Orion.
Sayyad anti-ship cruise missile Images
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..jpg?width=480)
Quds-Z-0 anti-ship cruise missileAnti-ship cruise missileThe 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.
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
Explainer: How Yemen’s Sayyad missile bolsters its naval deterrence against adversariesPublisher: Press TV | Note: Supports the Sayyad's reported Yemeni manufacture in Saada and Sana'a, the active-service claim, the parade images, and the reported 800 km range, dimensions, payload, propulsion, guidance, and mobile launcher details. | Accessed: 2026-06-20The Houthis' Campaign in the Red Sea and the Gulf of AdenPublisher: International Institute for Strategic Studies | Note: Yemen Civil War: used by Houthi-aligned forces; IISS says the Houthis unveiled Sayyad in Sana'a in 2023 and that a Paveh-based anti-ship cruise missile was likely employed in a failed April 2024 attempt against the MSC Orion. | Accessed: 2026-06-20