An Article in Russian
"Iran's anti-ship missile - an underestimated threat"
https://invoen.ru/vvt/protivokorabelnaya-raketa-irana/
Some points:
.....Navies of the NATO countries, who considered themselves a dominant force in the global ocean, are increasingly feeling their own vulnerability. The development of rocket technology is changing the balance of power. A study conducted by the Bundeswehr engineers showed that Iranian anti-ship missile can pose a serious threat to the Western Navy......
.....Iran has Khalij Fars anti-ship missile for several years now. According to official Iranian press releases, the model was tested against ships at sea, but at much shorter distances. However, this is quite enough to threaten shipping in the Strait of Hormuz or along the Iranian coast of the Persian Gulf....
....Since the specific capabilities of Khalij Fars were not clear, in 2016-2017 Bundeswehr Navy conducted a special study of this missile....
....The research initiative came from the High Command of the German Navy, executor of the work were the missile systems and technology department of the Federal Office for Arms and Information Technology of the Bundeswehr (BAAINBw). The goal was to use the tools of the department to assess the potential threat from Khalij Fars missile based on available public information....
....In theory, the missile starts at an angle and flies along a ballistic trajectory to a range of up to 250 km. On takeoff, the rocket develops a maximum speed of 5 Machs. When approaching the target, the missile's speed is about 1,500 m / s (3–4.5 Mach). At this hypersonic speed, Khalij Fars is trying to detect the target ship using its optical seeker. However, this is only possible during the day and with a relatively cloudless sky. After the target ship is detected and identified, the missile reaches and destroys it. It is noted that the missile flies up to the target at an angle critically complex for modern missile defense systems.....
....Khalij Fars, after finding the target, must maneuver and adjust the flight path in its direction.---
Researchers were interested in:
1) Is it always possible with relatively small front control surfaces (according to the “duck” scheme);
2) how much as a result of such a maneuver increases the load on the missile's elements.
To answer these questions, physical simulations of motion with six degrees of freedom (6-DoF) were used based on a computer model. The technical specifications necessary for this were collected from open sources and based on the estimates of experienced rocket engineers.
In particular, the fuel used in this missile and the mass distribution of the missile were taken into account. With respect to the GOS, it was assumed that a video camera of the 2008 development level was used.
The computer simulator “ISim” was used directly for research. The BAAINBw missile technology department in the past created an extensive library of models. Such a base made it possible to prepare the first simulation of the Khalij Fars anti-ship missile flight in just three months.
Support for research using streaming simulation was also provided by specialists in numerical methods in aerospace engineering from the University of the Bundeswehr in Munich.
....Results of simulation:
Anti-ship missile Khalij Fars will perform the necessary maneuvers and hit a standing ship with high accuracy. With a high probability, the missile will not collapse when performing the maneuvers necessary to hit a visible target located several kilometers from the starting position. Moreover, according to the simulation results, the average hit error will be only a few meters.....
....According to the simulation data, the hit error during the attack of a moving ship will be slightly larger. However, it remains so small that even a frigate is highly likely to be hit. To avoid the hit of the missile by changing the course of the ship also will not succeed. Khalij Fars has sufficient maneuverability to compensate for all possible movements of the vessel during its flight time (about 5 minutes).
....The disadvantage of Khalij Fars is its optical seeker, which provides combat use only during the day and in low cloud environment. However, this is not a problem for the Persian Gulf, where the sky is cloudless almost all year round....
.....As noted by German naval experts, the results of the study indicate that naval vessels that do not have strategic platforms like aircraft carriers or landing ships should think through their reaction to the threat of anti-ship ballistic missiles....
....Based on the tactical and technical characteristics of Khalij Fars, the Bundeswehr’s Navy does not currently have protection against such weapons.
