Iran unveils Kheibar Shekan ballistic missile

Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) unveiled an even longer-range variant of its Fateh-110 family of solid-propellant ballistic missiles on 9 February.

The IRGC said the Kheibar Shekan has a range of 1,450 km: a significant increase on the Dezful that was unveiled in February 2019 and has a claimed range of 1,000 km, which was a big improvement on previous variants, but remains unconfirmed. No figure was given for the size of the new missile’s payload, as was the case with the Dezful.

The missile’s unveiling took place in an underground missile base during a visit by Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Bagheri and IRGC Aerospace Force commander Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh.

Brig Gen Hajizadeh said the weight of the new missile has been reduced by a third and it is six times quicker to launch, without identifying the type he was comparing it against. He also said the missile is highly manoeuvrable in its terminal phase and that its warhead uses an explosive that is far more powerful than TNT.