Very-long-range anti-ship missile enters service with Iranian navy

The Talaiyeh long-range anti-ship missile is seen next to its launcher during the ceremony at Konarak naval base. (defapress.ir)

The Islamic Republic of Iran Navy (IRIN) held a ceremony on 24 December to induct new equipment that included an anti-ship missile called the Talaiyeh, which is said to have a range of more than 1,000 km.

Iranian media coverage showed a Talaiyeh on display next to a mobile launcher at the naval base in Konarak, the headquarters of the IRIN's third region. It appeared to be the same type of missile as the one unveiled in August 2020, the Abu Mahdi, which is presumed to be the anti-ship variant of the long-range land-attack cruise missiles Iran has developed from the Soviet Kh-55s it is known to have obtained.

The Abu Mahdi was officially inducted into service by both the IRIN and the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps Navy (IRGCN) in July 2023, when several were displayed during a ceremony.

A poster displayed next to the Talaiyeh during the Konarak event appeared to say the missile has a cruise speed of Mach 0.78 and a range of 1,000 km when flying at an altitude of 2,000 m. IRIN Commander Rear Admiral Shahram Irani was quoted as saying the missile can be retargeted during flight.

The IRIN also announced that it had received its first Nasir anti-ship missiles. Unveiled in April 2017, when the first batch was handed over to the IRGCN, the Nasir looks similar to the Nasr, which is a copy of the Chinese C-704, but has both a booster and a turbojet engine instead of a single solid-fuel motor, increasing its range to a claimed 90 km.