What's new

Analysis: Iranian cruise missile unveiling raises questions about range

Zarvan

ELITE MEMBER
Joined
Apr 28, 2011
Messages
54,470
Reaction score
87
Country
Pakistan
Location
Pakistan
1631251_-_main.jpg

A screen grab from Iranian television shows the air-breathing engine mounted under the rear of the Soumar's fuselage and the solid-fuel booster attached at the back. Source: Press TV
Key Points
  • The assumption that Iran's Soumar cruise missile has a range of 2,500 km almost certainly overstates the weapon's performance
  • Iran would have to use a turbojet engine to power a long-range cruise missile that could be produced without relying on smuggling more efficient turbofans into the country
When senior Iranian officials unveiled the Soumar cruise missile on 8 March, they did not say how far the 'long-range' weapon could fly.

Nevertheless, a figure of 2,500 km rapidly emerged as this is the stated range of the Soviet Kh-55 cruise missile that the Soumar appears to be a copied from. This would ostensibly seem to be a fair assertion, given that Ukrainian officials revealed in 2005 that 12 Kh-55 missiles were illegally sold to Iran (as well as another six to China) without their nuclear warheads in 2001.

To achieve this range in a domestically produced cruise missile Iran would need an engine with a similar performance to the R95-300 turbofan used in the original Kh-55. However, it is highly unlikely that Iran is capable of producing such an engine.

While Iran claims to make its own versions of various US-designed aircraft, it has struggled to keep its jets and helicopters flying in the face of a sanctions regime that prohibits the sale of aircraft parts. In one of the most glaring examples of Iran's inability to produce aero engines, it was revealed in 2009 that 17 Rolls-Royce M250 turboshaft engines had been illegally exported to the Islamic Republic for its fleet of Bell 206 helicopters.

It is even harder to produce a small turbofan engine for a cruise missile than it a standard-sized engine due to the smaller components and higher pressures and temperatures involved. Indeed, there are only five known manufacturers that currently make small turbofans that could be used in cruise missiles: Williams International in the United States (F107 and F112); Pratt & Whitney Canada (PW600); AMNTK Soyuz (R95-300) and NPO Saturn (36MT) in Russia; and Motor Sich in Ukraine (MS400). It is unclear if China's turbofan-powered cruise missiles use domestically produced engines or ones imported from Russia or Ukraine.

It could be possible that Iran has managed to obtain a number of small turbofans through sanctions-busting activities or that it presented the missiles that it obtained from Ukraine in 2001 as a new product. Five Soumars were seen in a photograph released by the Ministry of Defence, one that had been painted white was used for the unveiling ceremony and Iranian television showed another being fired from a vehicle-mounted launcher using a solid-fuel booster rocket motor that was not needed for the air-launched Kh-55.

An alternative explanation is that the Iranians dispensed with the turbofan used on the original Kh-55 and fitted the Soumar with a far simpler and cheaper turbojet engine.

Iran has claimed it is producing the Tolou-4 (also spelt Tolu or Tolloue) turbojet engine since 1999. This has been identified as a copy of the TRI 60-2 engine made by the French company Microturbo and is presumed to power Iran's longer-range anti-ship missiles, including the Noor and Ghadir, which are versions of the Chinese C-802.

While the Chinese involvement in Iran's anti-ship missile programme raises the possibility that the Tolou-4 is made in China, Iranian television has shown footage of the engine being assembled in Iran.

It was announced during Iran's Kish Airshow in 2005 that the Tolou-5 engine was under development and would be capable of producing 4.4 kN of thrust and have a longer lifespan. Nothing more has been heard of this engine since then.

While an engine with 4 kN of thrust would be adequate for sustaining a cruise missile the size of the Soumar in flight, turbojets are significantly less efficient than turbofans. The Soumar would consequently need to carry far more fuel and a smaller warhead or use larger aerodynamic surfaces than the Kh-55 to achieve the same 2,500 km range.

As the Iranian missile's wingspan appears to be similar to that of the Kh-55 (3.1 m) and the Iranians are unlikely to have significantly reduced its payload, it can be presumed that the Soumar's range is far less than 2,500 km. This, however, is not necessarily a problem for the Iranians. Even if the Soumar only has half the range of the Kh-55 it could still reach Israel and most US bases in the region.
Analysis: Iranian cruise missile unveiling raises questions about range - IHS Jane's 360
 
This article is based on nothing but belief that Iran can't manufacture Turbofan engine.
Even if Iran can't do it,there are a lot of ways to obtain it from another countries.
But who would sell them such engines Russians I don't think so they even didn't deliver the S-300 let alone such technology. Ukraine I doubt it too unless the Ukrainian sold the know how to the Iranian years ago.
 
This article is based on nothing but belief that Iran can't manufacture Turbofan engine.
Even if Iran can't do it,there are a lot of ways to obtain it from another countries.
This is Jane's. I wouldn't expect anything else from them but doubtful comments about Iran's technical abilities.
 
But who would sell them such engines Russians I don't think so they even didn't deliver the S-300 let alone such technology. Ukraine I doubt it too unless the Ukrainian sold the know how to the Iranian years ago.
It's new cold war now, post cold war era is over, so thing are no longer same they were years ago, I can't be sure about Russia,they are now doing everything possible to weaken west.
Ukraine is also possible,it's one of the most corrupt state (even before Maydan/War it was very corrupt, imagine what is it now :D ) and it's military is/was in mess, if Iran was able to smuggle 12 missiles (with their engines) it is even easier now.
and I still cant understand why it's impossible for Iran to copy engines of Original Kh-55 alone or with Chinese help. China helped Iran in a lot of missile projects and in this case Iranians and china were working together even at earlier stage (smuggling missiles from Ukraine)
 
This article is based on nothing but belief that Iran can't manufacture Turbofan engine.
Even if Iran can't do it,there are a lot of ways to obtain it from another countries.
The article did mention that.

It could be possible that Iran has managed to obtain a number of small turbofans through sanctions-busting activities or that it presented the missiles that it obtained from Ukraine in 2001 as a new product. Five Soumars were seen in a photograph released by the Ministry of Defence, one that had been painted white was used for the unveiling ceremony and Iranian television showed another being fired from a vehicle-mounted launcher using a solid-fuel booster rocket motor that was not needed for the air-launched Kh-55.

It's ironic that the likes of Soheil, a guy that conveys his ideas through emoticons and the lone phrase "have some patience," are knocking the source.
 
The article did mention that.



It's ironic that the likes of Soheil, a guy that conveys his ideas through emoticons and the lone phrase "have some patience," are knocking the source.
The conclusion of the article is that Soumar missile can't be using turbofan engine based on belief that iran isn't capable of producing such engines.
Even if iran can't produce, there are a lot of ways to get engines, though China,Russia or Ukraine, so unless we have more information about this missile we will not know how far can it fly,how is it guided and so on.

Whats stupid?

Iran wakes up one day and says "We have build drones with smart missiles" ...and wakes up next day and says "We have build cruise missile with range of 2500km range" etc...and the world isn't allowed to question the claims as well?
Which claims ? all we know about the missile is that it's cruise missile and similar to Russian long range cruise missile family. we don't even know exact range, guidance type, engine it uses what is here to question ?
Questioning this missile is questioning one's beliefs on IRI's technological capability which will definitely result in endless flame war because neither side has anything to back their claims
 
The article did mention that.



It's ironic that the likes of Soheil, a guy that conveys his ideas through emoticons and the lone phrase "have some patience," are knocking the source.

When some members like yourself , with zero knowledge about military hardware start leaving stupid comments I have no choice !

Please elaborate ...

How they know soumar running a turbojet !?

Instead of personal attacks , try to prove your point !

Whats stupid?

Iran wakes up one day and says "We have build drones with smart missiles" ...and wakes up next day and says "We have build cruise missile with range of 2500km range" etc...and the world isn't allowed to question the claims as well?

When I asked questions about your state of the art armed drone ( Chinese CH-3 ) , I just received insults & personal attacks !

I don't see any reason to answer ...
 
Whats stupid?

Iran wakes up one day and says "We have build drones with smart missiles" ...and wakes up next day and says "We have build cruise missile with range of 2500km range" etc...and the world isn't allowed to question the claims as well?

Whilst many countries recently have realized the significant role of armed and surveilence drones in a real battlefield Iran usage of armed drones backed 80s during Iran-Iraq war and it's steady progress in this field is well known to every person who's got a little knowledge in military so nothing over a night happened you can go Syria and Iraq and see them in battlefield the same goes for our missile program , on cruise missile actually a couple years ago in 2012 Iran announced a cruise missile project by the name of Meshkat with the range of 2500 km was gonna unveield . so instead of throwing stone on Iran try to be up todate and don't blame others for your ignorance.
 
Janes are bunch of morons. These are the same people whom claimed sayyad-3 is based on s-200 missile and that the Asefeh 23mm Gatling gun is based on M197 :lol:

Frankly, posting this janes joke source lowers the quality of this section.
 
Well , I am not a military expert or a professional in engines field but I know why they chose soumar for appellation this missile
in war between iran and iraq, saddam used CW against cities in the western part of my country many innocent child women and men died in one day ,in streets houses everywhere you could found dead bodies a real slaughter !but there are only one city in my country that saddam used CW against it 2 times, it is soumar a smal city in the western part of my country it is closest iranian city to baghdad!
in my country people believe the fact that france and germany sold CW to saddam and blame them for such a behaviour so this missile named because it can be a symbol of revenge ! the minimum range of this missile is about 3000km because it is built for attacking the germany or france not israeil!
if you come with an idea that soumar is russia kh 55 with new color maybe i accept that but i never accept that the range of them is less than 2500 km
 
Whats stupid?

Iran wakes up one day and says "We have build drones with smart missiles" ...and wakes up next day and says "We have build cruise missile with range of 2500km range" etc...and the world isn't allowed to question the claims as well?

Well, I do apologize on behalf of Iranian nation and military for not sending you daily updates regarding what secret projects they are working on.

Did USA tell the world when it first started working on RQ-170? As far as I know the world only found out about the existence of such thing (or woke up and found out as you say ) when it was flying over Afghanistan and someone managed to take a photo of it.

It is not about being surprised by the news, it is about being stuck in an old mindset that since Iran they knew back in 1970s was not able to build anything significant, then 40 years later, it still shouldn't be able to do that either. A country that can build 250 MW gas turbines, can easily (at the very minimum) copy (and I don't say design and build) a jet engine that has been built by a 3rd level western industrial country like Ukraine that can't even build the military equipment it needs to fight a bunch of militias and has to beg west for equipment.

Iran was militarily under sanction since 1979. Since then it has been struggling to make the weapons it requires. I'd say 36 years is enough to build up the know how to build these kinds of equipment. So it is not exactly overnight.

Let me ask from our experts ( @Abii @Zarvan @AUz )

What is the type of this engine ?

Untitled1.jpg
Lol!

You can clearly see the bypass. Good post Soheil!
 

Latest posts

Back
Top Bottom