Profile
- Type
- Tube-launched anti-tank guided missile family
- Conflict side
- Houthi-aligned forces
- Origin
- Iran
- Service note
- Late Cold War design lineage; documented in Yemen during the 2015-present war
Infantry Weapons
Toophan anti-tank guided missile
The Toophan is an Iranian anti-tank guided missile family derived from the BGM-71 TOW, with wire-guided and later specialized variants used from tripods, vehicles, and other launch platforms. In the Yemen Civil War, open-source reporting connects Toophan/TOW missiles to Houthi-aligned forces through interdicted shipments, battlefield recovery, and U.S. statements that the Houthis used the weapon against vehicles and infrastructure.
- Conflict side
- Houthi-aligned forces
- Built in
- Iran
Service History
- In service
- Iranian production family in service from the late 1980s; Yemen-related seizures and battlefield reporting from 2015 onward
- Used by
- Houthi-aligned forces, Iranian armed forces
- Wars
- Yemen Civil War
Production History
- Designer
- Iranian reverse-engineering program based on the BGM-71 TOW design lineage
- Designed
- 1980s
- Built in
- Iran
- Produced
- Late 1980s-present
- Variants
- Toophan 1, Toophan 2, Toophan 3, Toophan 5, Qaem-related variants
Specifications
- Guidance
- Primarily SACLOS wire guidance in TOW-derived variants; some later variants use different guidance arrangements
- Launch method
- Tube-launched from ground tripods, vehicle mounts, and compatible TOW-style launch equipment
- Range
- About 3.5 km for several Toophan variants; some sources list up to roughly 3.75 km for selected versions
- Diameter
- About 150-152 mm, depending on variant
- Missile weight
- Roughly 18.5-21 kg across commonly cited variants
- Warhead
- HEAT, tandem HEAT, top-attack, or thermobaric variants depending on model
Conflict Usage
- Yemen Civil War
- Side: Houthi-aligned forcesRole: Anti-armor direct fire and battlefield interdiction
U.S. defense reporting and CSIS document Iranian-made Toophan/TOW ATGMs seized from Yemen-related arms flows and a Toophan obtained by Saudi Arabia on the battlefield, with officials saying Houthi forces used them against vehicles and infrastructure.
Toophan anti-tank guided missile Images
Related Weapon Systems
9M14 MalyutkaWire-guided anti-tank guided missileThe 9M14 Malyutka, known to NATO as the AT-3 Sagger, is a Soviet wire-guided anti-tank missile developed by Kolomna KBM and widely exported from the 1960s onward. In Yemen, open-source reporting identifies Malyutka/AT-3 missiles in Houthi-aligned stocks, giving the movement a legacy guided anti-armor weapon alongside newer ATGM types.
Dehlaviyeh anti-tank guided missileLaser-guided anti-tank guided missileThe Dehlaviyeh is an Iranian anti-tank guided missile derived from the Russian Kornet family. In the Yemen Civil War archive it is documented through maritime interdictions of Dehlaviyeh and Dehlaviyeh-2 systems moving from Iran toward Houthi-aligned forces, making it a sourced transfer and supply-chain entry rather than a confirmed battlefield firing record.
Tosan anti-tank guided missileWire-guided anti-tank guided missileThe Tosan anti-tank guided missile is an Iranian wire-guided, SACLOS anti-armor weapon derived from the Soviet/Russian 9M113 Konkurs family. In the Yemen Civil War, open-source reporting ties Tosan missiles to interdicted or recovered Iranian-origin arms supplies associated with Houthi-aligned forces, making the system part of the conflict's documented anti-armor weapons flow rather than a missile with a publicly verified firing record.
9M113 KonkursSACLOS wire-guided anti-tank guided missileThe 9M113 Konkurs, NATO reporting name AT-5 Spandrel, is a Soviet wire-guided anti-tank guided missile family built for infantry launchers and vehicle mounts such as BMP-series vehicles and the BRDM-2-based 9P148. Its SACLOS guidance, 135 mm missile body, and 4 km class engagement range kept it useful after the Cold War, including documented employment in Ukraine and Armenian/Artsakh 9P148 Konkurs losses during the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh fighting.
9M133 KornetLaser beam-riding anti-tank guided missile systemThe 9M133 Kornet is a Russian heavy anti-tank guided missile system using laser beam-riding guidance and tandem HEAT or thermobaric warheads. Developed by KBP as a portable and vehicle-integrated ATGM family, it appears in recent conflicts as a Russian-origin anti-armor weapon documented with state forces and non-state armed groups, including captured examples in Ukrainian service.
BGM-71 TOWHeavy anti-tank guided missileThe BGM-71 TOW is a U.S. heavy anti-tank guided missile built around tube launch, optical tracking, and command guidance through a wire or later radio-frequency link. Developed by Hughes and now produced and upgraded by Raytheon, it can be fired from dismounted launchers, HMMWVs, Bradley and Stryker vehicles, light armored vehicles, and helicopters, giving infantry and vehicle crews a long-range precision anti-armor weapon. In the Russia-Ukraine War, U.S. security assistance packages sent TOW missiles to Ukraine as part of the anti-armor mix used to offset Russian armored forces.Sources
Toophan Iranian Anti-Tank Guided MissilePublisher: U.S. Army ODIN Worldwide Equipment Guide | Note: Supports general Toophan background, role, origin, and technical context. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Iran shows Toophan-3 anti-tank guided weapon at Baghdad arms expoPublisher: Armament Research Services | Note: Supports Toophan family background, TOW-derived design lineage, variant context, and representative Toophan-3 specifications. | Accessed: 2026-06-20The Missile War in YemenPublisher: Center for Strategic and International Studies | Note: Supports Yemen Civil War direct-use context: Toophan/TOW ATGMs were supplied to or intercepted en route to Houthi-aligned forces, and a Toophan ATGM seized by Saudi Arabia was presented as evidence of military support to the Houthis. | Accessed: 2026-06-20DoD Shows Iranian Weapons as Proof of Tehran's Duplicitous AmbitionsPublisher: Defense Visual Information Distribution Service | Note: Supports Yemen Civil War direct-use context: U.S. officials said an Iranian-made Toophan obtained by Saudi Arabia on the battlefield was used by Houthis in Yemen against vehicles and infrastructure. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Commons Toophan missile imagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for the primary image: a public-domain U.S. Defense Department photograph of a Toophan missile at the Iranian Materiel Display. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Commons Toophan 5 imagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance and CC BY 4.0 licensing for the Toophan 5 gallery image. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Commons Toophan launchers imagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance and CC BY 4.0 licensing for the Toophan launcher gallery image. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Commons Toophan Mehr launcher imagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance and CC BY 4.0 licensing for the Toophan launcher sight gallery image. | Accessed: 2026-06-20