Tehran has given people around the world a first glimpse of the Hoveizeh cruise missile, allegedly a copy of the Soviet-built Kh-55 model, mounted on an Iranian fighter jet.
On Tuesday, Iran’s Tasnim news agency posted a photo on its Twitter account of a Russian-built Sukhoi 24 fighter from the Army Air Force mounted with a strategic cruise missile. The image came as Brigadier General Aziz Nasirzadeh, deputy chief of staff of the Armed Forces, visited the Shahid Doran Air Base.
The weaponry is understood to be the Hoveizeh cruise missile, part of the Soumar family of rockets. Many outside Iran believe it is derived from the Russian/Soviet Kh-55.
The missile, which was unveiled to the general public for the very first time in 2019 amid celebrations of the 40th anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, has a range of over 1,350 kilometers. The operating range of the missile allegedly means arch-rival Israel is within striking distance.
While touted as a long-range missile by Iran, its performance figures suggest it only has medium-range capability. It has previously been installed by Iran as a surface-to-surface rocket.