According to a report from Global Times, Russian Defense Minister Shoigu recently visited Iran, and the military cooperation between the two countries has attracted strong attention from the international community. During his visit to Iran, Shoigu specifically visited the military equipment exhibition of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Aerospace Force. Iran showcased advanced weapons developed domestically, including drones, missile systems, and anti-aircraft missiles, some of which are even more advanced than those possessed by Russia.
Iran presented to Shoigu the “Witness-136” suicide drone, the “Rays” mobile anti-aircraft missile, the 358-type anti-aircraft cruise missile, the “Conqueror-110” ballistic missile, the “Hormuz Strait” anti-ship ballistic missile, and hypersonic missiles, among other weapons.
From the news photos, it appears that Russia is particularly interested in Iran’s “unique” weapons. In terms of defense industry and weapon capabilities, Iran is overall lagging behind Russia, and theoretically, Iran should be procuring drones, missiles, and anti-aircraft weapons from Russia. However, the situation has now undergone a significant change, with Russia importing weapons from Iran. The main reason is that Iran has developed many “unique” weapons, such as various suicide drones, and the relatively little-known 358-type cruise anti-aircraft missile, which has even shot down China-made “Wing Loong”-2 drones.
Iran is showcasing and promoting its “unique” weapon, the 358-type cruise anti-aircraft missile, to the visiting Russian Defense Minister Shoigu. Recently, Ukraine has been launching suicide drones targeting Russian territory, and the Russian air defense forces seem to be struggling. Traditional Russian air defense missile systems, while strong in terms of performance and technology, have a relatively low interception capability against slow-moving, low-altitude targets like suicide drones. This has allowed the Ukrainian military to repeatedly succeed and cause significant losses to Russia.
The Russian military is currently in urgent need of specialized weapons for defending against Ukrainian suicide drones. The recommended 358-type cruise anti-aircraft missile from Iran is a suitable choice.
The 358-type cruise anti-aircraft missile is a “hybrid” weapon. Its guidance system uses navigation components from small reconnaissance drones, and it is equipped with a civilian turbofan engine. The warhead is similar to that of the “Witness-136” suicide drone, and the optical guidance head is directly adapted from the drone.
The turbofan engine of the 358-type cruise anti-aircraft missile has weak propulsion, so the missile is not fast and cannot even achieve supersonic speeds. It cannot intercept high-speed fixed-wing aircraft or tactical missiles. However, it can use a small jet engine and a high aspect ratio wing to cruise and loiter in a designated area for a long time, conducting anti-drone operations. After launch, the 358-type missile can continue to cruise, executing a figure-eight pattern and searching for targets, posing a significant threat to helicopters, tiltrotor aircraft, and drones flying at low speeds.
Therefore, the 358-type cruise anti-aircraft missile is a very special and rare anti-aircraft weapon, and it is a non-mainstream anti-aircraft system developed by Iran, using the principle of small, low-speed cruise missiles to target enemy drones.
In the field of missile and guided weapon development, there is a principle that when you lower the speed and altitude requirements of a guided weapon, other performance aspects of the weapon (such as warhead power, range, and agility) can be greatly improved.
A typical example is Iran’s “Mohajer” suicide drone, which uses a model airplane gasoline engine and has a maximum speed of only 150 kilometers per hour, with a cruising speed of 120 kilometers per hour, similar to that of a car. The reduction in speed significantly increased the range of Iran’s “Mohajer” to 1,000 kilometers, and the warhead weight also increased to 50 kilograms. This allowed it to wreak havoc on the battlefield in Ukraine.
The development of the 358-type cruise anti-aircraft missile also follows the design concept of reducing speed and increasing endurance. The 358-type missile is equipped with a very small turbofan engine at the tail, with a thrust of approximately 30 kilograms. It can capture targets using an optical guidance head and can also be controlled “man in the loop.” The warhead uses a laser proximity fuze. After launch, the 358-type missile can loiter in the air for an extended period.
The 358-type cruise anti-aircraft missile has already undergone combat testing. Iran previously supplied these missiles to the Houthi forces in Yemen. In September 2021, the Houthi forces used Iranian-supplied 358-type cruise anti-aircraft missiles to shoot down a “Wing Loong”-2 reconnaissance drone belonging to the Saudi Air Force.
With strong support from Iran, the Houthi forces in Yemen have a relatively formidable air defense capability. The Houthi forces have announced their air defense achievements, claiming to have shot down a total of 65 American and Arab coalition aircraft and drones, including 6 “Wing Loong”-2 drones and 9 “Rainbow”-4 drones. These achievements are closely related to the “unique” air defense weapons provided by Iran.
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