Iran Unveils New Ballistic Missile Called “Ababil OP” At The Army-2023 Fair
The 9th international military-technical forum Army-2023, currently underway in Moscow, Russia, at Patriot Park, Alabino shooting range, and Kubinka airport, began with the participation of 1,500 Russian defense organizations and approximately 85 foreign companies and organizations from seven countries. The Aerospace Industries Organization (AIO), Defense Industry Organization (DIO), Marine Industries Organization (MIO), and Industry and Engineering Inspection (IEI), all affiliated with Iran’s Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics (MODAFL), exhibited their latest military and defense technologies at the fair.
Iran, which had a larger booth at Army-2023 this year compared to prior years, unveiled a new ballistic missile called “Ababil OP” for the first time at the military exhibition. For the first time, a new 8 canister launcher designed for the Ababil OP missile was also displayed at the booth. According to Iranian media, this new missile, which resembles the Zohair (Raad-500) missile produced by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Aerospace Forces in appearance, is 3.7 meters long, weighs 240 kilos, and has a 45-kilogram warhead. The range of this new missile, which is outfitted with an optical seeker, is 86 kilometers.
Other products on display at the Iranian Ministry of Defense stand included the Balaban guided bomb, the Qaem bomb, the Sadid-365 AGM, the Almas ATGM, the Toophan-5 ATGM, the Ghaem PGM, the Fateh-110 SRBM, the Nasir AShM, and the Nasr-1 AShM. The Iranian Ministry of Defense also displayed models of systems such as the Mojajer-6, Karrar, and Arash-2, as well as the Saba-248 helicopter, Yasin training jet, Zolfaqar missile-launching speedboat, Mowj frigate, Fateh submarine, and Sayyad air defense system. The Hunter-2 EW system, which can detect aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles from a distance of up to 200 kilometers, and the “Umbrella-4” anti-drone EW system were also on display.
Numerous weapon systems from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Aerospace Forces were also on display at the fair, including the Zohair ballistic missile, the Sepehr-813 radar, the 3rd Khordad air defense system, and the Shahed-129 and Shahed-133 unmanned aerial vehicles.