Iran’s Ghader Anti-Ship Missile Is Designed to Destroy US Navy Carriers

by Maya Carlin, Warrior Contributor, Weapons

The U.S. Navy is the most powerful Navy on the planet today and likely of all time. However, Iran is developing new missile systems to ensure that Washington would need to stay far away from Tehran’s coast in a conflict. And that is why the Ghader missile is so important, according to this expert: The Ghader (“Able”) missile is described by Iranian officials as the most powerful and precise missile in its Navy’s arsenal. The medium-range anti-ship cruise weapon is an upgraded version of the Noor missile and was initially debuted by Iran’s Navy in 2011.

With a range of 200 kilometers, the Ghader was designed to defeat large surface combatants in the Persian Gulf. Last year, Iran launched a comprehensive set of war games encompassing all branches of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Testing and Testament to the Ghader Missile

Among the barrage of missiles fired during the exercises was the Ghader. The Commander of the IRGC’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters described the intent behind launching the anti-ship cruise missile as a method to “preserve the territorial integrity of dear Iran, as well as the position and power of the region, against the coalition of enemies, and specifically the coalition of the United States and the Zionist regime.” The development of the Ghader missile coincides with Iran’s recent uptick in its missile production.

While Iran claims the Ghader is entirely indigenously-produced, it is based on two of the regime’s older missiles, which are copies of a Chinese prototype. The Ghader is an enhanced version of the Noor and Nasr missiles. Iran’s Noor long-range anti-ship cruise missile is a reverse-engineered variant of the People’s Liberation Army’s C-802 anti-ship missile.

When Iran became China’s first importer of its own anti-ship cruise missile in 1995, the U.S. pressured the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to halt deliveries to the increasingly hostile country. At this point, Tehran had already acquired 60 C-802s and was able to successfully reverse-engineer the missile. Iran’s Nasr missile is an enhanced variant of China’s C-704 anti-ship missile.

Impressive Range