Soumar

Soumar is an Iranian ground-launched land-attack cruise missile associated with the Meshkat/Soumar line and widely assessed as derived from the Soviet Kh-55. Open-source references describe it as a long-range cruise missile with a turbofan engine, a solid launch booster, and a disputed range estimate around the 2,000 km-plus class. Its later Hoveizeh and Abu Mahdi relatives show Iran's effort to field long-range cruise missiles alongside ballistic missiles and UAVs.

Yemeni Civil WarHouthi movement

Conflict side: Houthi movement
Built by: Aerospace Industries Organization
Built in: Iran

Soumar, Ground-launched land-attack cruise missile, Artillery

Profile

Type: Ground-launched land-attack cruise missile
Conflict side: Houthi movement
Origin: Iran
Service note: Displayed publicly in 2015; service status assessed as presumed or uncertain in open sources

cruise missile precision fires deep strike strike

Service History

In service: Presumed Iranian service from the 2010s; Soumar/Hoveizeh-family missile documented in Houthi launch footage in 2017
Used by: Iran, Houthi movement
Wars: Yemeni Civil War

Production History

Designer: Aerospace Industries Organization
Designed: Meshkat program announced in 2012; Soumar publicly displayed in 2015
Built by: Aerospace Industries Organization
Built in: Iran
Unit cost: Not publicly reported
Produced: 2010s-present, exact production status not publicly confirmed
Number built: Not publicly reported
Variants: Hoveizeh, Abu Mahdi
Developed from: Soviet Kh-55 air-launched cruise missile design

Specifications

Class: Ground-launched cruise missile
Role: Land-attack
Basing: Mobile ground launcher
Length: 7.24 m
Diameter: 0.514 m
Range: 2,000-3,000 km reported for Soumar; IISS lists Meshkat/Soumar as 2,000 km-plus
Warhead: Conventional; possibly nuclear-capable airframe lineage
Propulsion: Turbofan for Soumar, with solid rocket launch booster

Conflict Usage

Yemeni Civil War: Side: Houthi movementRole: Long-range attempted cruise-missile strikeprecision fires deep strike strike
IISS reports that Houthi forces launched a cruise missile toward the UAE's Barakah nuclear-power construction site in December 2017; launch footage showed a member of the Soumar/Hoveizeh family, although the missile failed to reach the target.

Related Weapon Systems

Hoveyzeh, Ground-launched land-attack cruise missile, Artillery

ArtilleryHoveyzehGround-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.

Paveh, Long-range land-attack cruise missile, Artillery

ArtilleryPavehLong-range land-attack cruise missilePaveh is an Iranian long-range land-attack cruise missile in the Project 351/Quds family, reported with a 1,650 km range and a turbojet propulsion layout. Open sources connect it to Iran's IRGC Aerospace Force missile arsenal, an April 2024 Iranian strike on Israel, Hezbollah truck-launch footage, and related Houthi Quds-4 systems used for long-range strikes toward Israel.

Ya-Ali, Land-attack cruise missile, Artillery

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Quds, Ground-launched land-attack cruise missile family, Artillery

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Abu Mahdi, Long-range anti-ship cruise missile, Artillery

ArtilleryAbu 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 Missile, Ship- and submarine-launched land-attack cruise missile, Artillery

ArtilleryBGM-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.

Sources

Soumar (Hoveyzeh, Abu Mahdi)Publisher: CSIS Missile Threat | Note: Supports Soumar identity, origin, basing, dimensions, propulsion, range estimates, service-status caveats, and variant context. | Accessed: 2026-06-20 Open-Source Analysis of Iran's Missile and UAV Capabilities and ProliferationPublisher: International Institute for Strategic Studies | Note: Supports AIO attribution, Meshkat/Soumar and Hoveizeh technical context, and the documented December 2017 Houthi launch of a Soumar/Hoveizeh-family cruise missile in the Yemeni Civil War. | Accessed: 2026-06-20 Possible Iranian Links to the Claimed Houthi Missile Launch Against the UAEPublisher: The Washington Institute for Near East Policy | Note: Supports conflict-use context for the December 2017 Houthi claimed launch toward Barakah and the source caveat that the claim was disputed and the launch apparently failed. | Accessed: 2026-06-20 Houthis Claim Cruise Missile Launched at Abu Dhabi, UAE Denies ClaimPublisher: CSIS Missile Threat | Note: Directly supports Yemeni Civil War conflict-use context for the Houthi Barakah launch claim, UAE denial, and reporting that launch videos suggested similarity to the Iranian Soumar. | Accessed: 2026-06-20 Table of Iran's Missile ArsenalPublisher: Iran Watch | Note: Supports independent reference context listing Soumar as a Kh-55-related land-attack cruise missile with turbofan propulsion and a possibly deployed status. | Accessed: 2026-06-20 Meet the Quds 1Publisher: Arms Control Wonk | Note: Supports background distinction between Soumar/Hoveizeh and the smaller Houthi Quds-1 missile, limiting the entry's conflict claim to Soumar/Hoveizeh-family evidence. | Accessed: 2026-06-20 Unveiling ceremony of Soumar cruise missile and other missiles (10)Publisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance and licensing source; Commons identifies a Mehr News Agency image from the 8 March 2015 Soumar unveiling and lists CC BY 4.0 licensing. | Accessed: 2026-06-20