Iran Will Acquire Chinese Supersonic Anti-Ship Missile “CM-302”
According to Reuters, Iran is on the verge of signing a contract with China to purchase the CM-302 supersonic anti-ship cruise missile—the export version of the YJ-12B.
Negotiations, which reportedly began at least two years ago, accelerated following last year’s conflict with Israel, and senior Iranian military officials have traveled to China as discussions advanced.
These supersonic missiles, designed to fly low and fast to evade shipborne defenses, have an estimated range of about 290 kilometers in its export configuration and carries a 250-kilogram warhead. Powered by a liquid-fueled ramjet engine, it can reach speeds between Mach 2 and Mach 4, depending on its flight profile.
A former Israeli intelligence officer and senior Iran analyst at the Institute for National Security Studies, told Reuters: “These missiles are extremely difficult to intercept. If Iran acquires these anti-ship missiles, it would completely change the situation.”
Analysts emphasized that deploying these missiles will pose a severe threat to the US and other hostile naval forces in the region, given their speed and flight profile.
Comment