Naval Systems

Tondar / Houdong missile boat

Also known as
  • Thondor
  • Thondar
  • Tondar
  • Houdong
  • Hudong
  • Houdong-class missile boat
  • Tondar-class fast attack craft
  • Type 021 Houdong

The Tondar or Houdong missile boat is a Chinese-origin fast attack missile boat operated by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy. Public sources describe the class as a larger Type 021/Houdong-derived craft rather than the separate C-14 or China Cat boat, with about ten Iranian hulls, four C802-family anti-ship missiles, gun armament, and a Persian Gulf coastal sea-denial role.

Tondar / Houdong missile boat, Fast attack missile boat, Naval Systems
Image source: Houdong WPTGs being shipped to Iran.jpg
Profile / Specs

Specifications

Operator
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy
Reported number acquired
Ten Chinese-built Houdong WPTGs in ONI reporting
Representative length
About 38.6 m
Representative beam
About 6.8 m
Representative displacement
About 205 tons in public references
Representative speed
About 35 kt
Crew
About 28 in public references
Missile armament
Four C802-family anti-ship cruise missiles; sources describe C802/Noor and later Ghader-family fits
Gun armament
Twin 30 mm and twin 23 mm gun armament reported in public references
Sensor fit
SR-47A surface-search radar reported in model-level references
Role
Short-range anti-ship missile strike and coastal sea denial
Variants

Public sources use Tondar, Thondar, Thondor, Houdong, and Type 021 Houdong for this Iranian fast attack missile boat family. C-14 or China Cat boats are treated as a separate, smaller class and are not listed here as variants.

VariantConfigurationDesignation notes
Original Houdong / Tondar fitC802-family missile boat

ONI and Iran Watch describe Iranian Houdong/Tondar boats as Chinese-built missile boats originally associated with C802 anti-ship cruise missiles.

Sources: Iran's Naval Forces, Iran Watch anti-ship cruise missiles article

Iranian Ghader-refit representationIranian service armament fit

MVRsimulation describes the Iranian Thondar model as a Type 021 Houdong derivative with four Ghader anti-ship missile launchers and an SR-47A surface-search radar.

Sources: Thondar Class Missile Boat Featured Model

Carried Munitions
Carried itemItem typeCarriage evidence
C-802/Noor anti-ship cruise missile, Anti-ship cruise missile, MunitionsC-802/Noor anti-ship cruise missileAnti-ship cruise missile

ONI describes the Iranian Houdong boats as originally equipped with C802 missiles before later Ghader upgrades, while Iran Watch treats Noor, Ghader, and Ghadir as C802-derived anti-ship cruise missiles.

Sources: Iran's Naval Forces, Iran Watch anti-ship cruise missiles article

Ghader anti-ship cruise missile, Anti-ship cruise missile, MunitionsGhader anti-ship cruise missileAnti-ship cruise missile

Iran Watch says each Thondor/Houdong missile boat is equipped with four C802-family ASCMs, including the Iranian-made Ghader variant; ONI likewise describes later Ghader upgrades.

Sources: Iran's Naval Forces, Iran Watch anti-ship cruise missiles article

Timeline

Tondar / Houdong missile boat Key Events

  1. Chinese-built Houdong boats enter Iranian service

    ONI describes ten Chinese-built Houdong water-piercing torpedo gunboats acquired by the IRGCN in the mid-1990s and later upgraded from C802 missiles to Iranian Ghader derivatives.

    Sources: Iran's Naval Forces

  2. Houdong-class boat in Strait of Hormuz encounter

    USNI reported that an Iranian Houdong-class guided-missile boat approached USS Bataan, USS Cole, and USNS Washington Chambers during a Strait of Hormuz transit and used a spotlight and laser, documenting patrol activity rather than combat employment.

    Sources: Iranian Navy Missile Boat Harasses Three U.S. Navy Ships

Media

Tondar / Houdong missile boat Images

Tondar / Houdong missile boat, Fast attack missile boat, Naval Systems - view 1
Source: 2022 Sacred Defence Week parade in Bandar Abbas (28).jpg
Related Weapon Systems
Iranian small attack boats, Small attack boat / fast attack craft, Naval SystemsNaval SystemsIranian small attack boatsSmall attack boat / fast attack craftIranian small attack boats are a mixed Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy fast attack craft and fast inshore attack craft force used for swarm harassment, mine laying, anti-ship missile attack, and littoral sea denial around the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz. The family covers domestically produced speedboats and named classes such as Ashura/Ashoora, Tareq, Zolfaghar/Peykaap, Thondor/Houdong, Boghammar-derived craft, and Bladerunner-derived craft rather than a single standardized design.
Iranian naval surface vessels, Naval surface vessels, Naval SystemsNaval SystemsIranian naval surface vesselsNaval surface vesselsIranian naval surface vessels in this catalog cover two overlapping fleets: the regular Islamic Republic of Iran Navy's larger frigates, corvettes, and missile boats, and the IRGC Navy's missile boats, patrol craft, fast-attack craft, small boats, and newer missile catamarans. The fleet is usually described as a Strait of Hormuz and Gulf littoral force, combining anti-ship missiles, swarm tactics, boarding pressure, mine-capable boats, and limited larger-combatant presence rather than a peer blue-water surface fleet.
Type 022 / Houbei-class missile boat, Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy catamaran missile boat class, Naval SystemsNaval SystemsType 022 / Houbei-class missile boatChinese People's Liberation Army Navy catamaran missile boat classThe Type 022 or Houbei-class is a Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy catamaran missile boat built around fast littoral anti-ship attack. Public references describe a wave-piercing, radar-signature-reduced hull carrying eight YJ-83 anti-ship missiles, a 30 mm H/PJ-13 or AK-630-derived gun, waterjet propulsion, and enough sensors for local engagements while relying on wider PLAN targeting networks for longer-range missile employment.
Peykaap / Zolfaghar missile boat, Fast attack craft / missile boat, Naval SystemsNaval SystemsPeykaap / Zolfaghar missile boatFast attack craft / missile boatThe Peykaap and Zolfaghar missile-boat family covers North Korean IPS-16-derived Iranian fast attack craft adapted for torpedo or anti-ship missile attack. Official and specialist references place Peykaap I torpedo boats, Peykaap II/Bavar missile boats, and Peykaap III/Zolfaghar missile boats inside the IRGC Navy small-craft inventory, with Kowsar/TL-10, Zafar, and Nasr/C-704-family missile fits on the missile variants. Current Strait of Hormuz reporting discusses IRGCN small-boat swarms and missile threats, but public sources reviewed for this entry did not identify a Peykaap/Zolfaghar hull in a specific 2026 engagement.
Tareq / Boghammar speedboat, Armed speedboat / fast inshore attack craft, Naval SystemsNaval SystemsTareq / Boghammar speedboatArmed speedboat / fast inshore attack craftThe Tareq or Boghammar speedboat family covers Swedish Boghammar high-speed patrol boats and Iranian-built or Iranian-modified descendants used by the IRGC Navy as lightly armed fast inshore attack craft. The type became prominent during the Tanker War phase of the 1980 Iran-Iraq War, when Revolutionary Guard crews used small armed speedboats for harassment and attacks on shipping, and later remained part of Iran's broader small-boat swarm and coastal-denial force.

Sources

Iran's Naval ForcesPublisher: Office of Naval Intelligence | Note: Supports IRGCN operation of ten Chinese-built Houdong WPTGs, original C802 armament, later Ghader upgrade context, and Persian Gulf/Strait of Hormuz patrol role. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Thondar Fast Attack Missile BoatPublisher: GlobalSecurity.org | Note: Supports public Houdong/Thondar missile-boat background and representative specifications. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Iran Watch anti-ship cruise missiles articlePublisher: Iran Watch | Note: Supports Thondor/Houdong missile-boat background and the fitted C802-family missile armament, including the Ghader variant. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Thondar Class Missile Boat Featured ModelPublisher: MVRsimulation | Note: Supports Type 021 Houdong derivative identity, Iranian launcher modification context, Ghader launchers, gun fit, and SR-47A radar reference. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy: A Small Craft OverviewPublisher: The Admiralty Trilogy | Note: Supports model-level context for Thondor/Houdong missile boats in Iran's fast-attack inventory. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Iranian Navy Missile Boat Harasses Three U.S. Navy ShipsPublisher: USNI News | Note: Supports a documented 2017 Strait of Hormuz patrol encounter involving an Iranian Houdong-class guided-missile boat; used as service context, not conflict-use evidence. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Houdong WPTGs being shipped to Iran.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance and licensing page for a public-domain U.S. Navy image of Houdong water-piercing torpedo gunboats being shipped to Iran. | Accessed: 2026-07-032022 Sacred Defence Week parade in Bandar Abbas (28).jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance and licensing page for a CC BY 4.0 Tasnim News Agency image categorized by Commons as IRIS P313-2 Shahid Gord, a Tondar-class missile boat. | Accessed: 2026-07-03