Ever since the illegal attack initiated by the US and Israel on Iran on February 28, 2026, the Islamic Republic, as part of its “Operation True Promise 4”, has been pounding the military assets of its enemies across the Middle East in relentless waves of missile strikes.
As part of its retaliatory response, Iran has unveiled its latest missiles, which wreaked havoc across the US bases and Israel. Here is a detailed look at the key missiles deployed.
Ghadr: The Veteran Precision-Striker
The Ghadr missile family is an improved, more capable variant of the earlier Shahab-3. First introduced in 2005, it has become a workhorse of Iran’s strategic forces. Its design philosophy focuses on increasing range and precision by using lighter materials and a more aerodynamic warhead. The Ghadr is a two-stage missile, combining a liquid-fuel first stage with a solid-fuel second stage. It is produced in three variants with ranges varying from 1,350 km to 1,950 km. By using a lighter aluminum alloy airframe and reducing the warhead mass to 650 kg (from the Shahab-3’s 1,000 kg), engineers were able to extend its range significantly.
Emad: The Missile with a Maneuverable Warhead
The Emad is a liquid-fueled missile with a range of approximately 1,700 to 2,000 km and carries a 750 kg high-explosive warhead. Its defining feature is the maneuverable re-entry vehicle, which uses fins on the base of the warhead to steer and correct its trajectory during the final phase of flight. This capability serves two purposes: it dramatically increases accuracy and allows the warhead to perform evasive maneuvers to dodge interceptors.
Kheibar Shekan: The “Castle Buster”
Literally meaning “Castle Buster”, Kheibar Shekan is a solid-fuel missile with a range of approximately 1,450 km. Its key attributes are its raw speed and heavy payload. It can reach speeds of up to Mach 16 (nearly 20,000 km/h) outside the atmosphere. It carries a massive warhead, reported to be between 1,500 and 1,800 kg. It can cause enormous destruction due to the combination of its kinetic energy and large explosive charge.
Sejjil: The “Dancing Missile”
Sejjil-2 is a second generation, solid-fueled missile that can be launched in seconds. Measuring 18 meters in length and weighing over 23 tons, it can deliver a 700 kg payload to a distance of over 2,000 km. Importantly, it has the ability to bypass all existing air defenses due to its ultra-maneuverable, highly unpredictable flight path; the reason behind its nickname “the dancing missile”.
Khorramshahr: The Heavyweight with Multiple Warheads
The Khorramshahr is a large, liquid-fueled missile, measuring 17 meters in length and weighing 19.5 tons. Its range is estimated at 2,000 km, and it can reach a maximum speed of Mach 19.8. Most notably, it possesses a multiple-warhead capability. The sheer size and weight of its warhead make it a potent weapon for destroying large, hardened targets or, when equipped with a multiple-warhead system, saturating a wide area.
Fattah-1: The Hypersonic Pioneer
Unveiled in 2023, the Fattah-1 represents Iran’s entry into the hypersonic missile club, a technology previously held by only a few nations like Russia and China. This two-stage, solid-fuel missile has a range of 1,400 km. It achieves a terminal velocity of Mach 13 to 15 (16,000 to 18,500 km/h). Fattah-1 features movable nozzles that allow it to maneuver in all directions, both within and outside the atmosphere, making its trajectory highly unpredictable.
Fattah-2: The Next-Generation Glide Vehicle
The Fattah-2 is an evolution of the Fattah-1, moving from a simple ballistic trajectory to a more advanced Hypersonic Cruise Glide Vehicle (HCGV). While its first-stage booster is similar to the Fattah-1, the second stage is a gliding warhead. This design allows the warhead to separate from the rocket and glide through the atmosphere at hypersonic speeds, using aerodynamic lift to extend its range and perform complex, high-G maneuvers that are nearly impossible to predict.
Thus, even under severe sanctions imposed by the Western nations, the Islamic Republic, through its ingenuity, has built one of the most diverse and effective ballistic missile arsenals in the world.
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