In a statement on Monday, the Yemeni Navy confirmed its entry into Saiyad’s active service.
The Sayyad missiles said they have the range up to 800 km, advanced capabilities to hit moving targets with high accuracy, and the ability to avoid enemy radar systems.
The new missiles will be launched from any point within Yemen’s territory to target enemy naval vessels all the way up to the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean.
The long range of missiles enhances the Yemeni military’s maritime deterrence capabilities in the face of hostile US, British and Israeli activities in the region.
Prior to this test, the Sayyad Cruise missile was first exhibited in September 2023 at an impressive military parade at Al Sabine Square in Sanaa’s capital.
At the time, cruise missiles were said to use solid fuel boosters and were designed to hit both stationary and moving targets with medium range and high destructive capabilities.
What are the specifications of the Saiyad missile?
The Saiyad Cruise missile is a new addition to Yemen’s naval arsenal and was announced as part of an ongoing military campaign against the Israeli regime and the enemy fleet of the Red Sea.
The Yemeni military has been accelerating its weapons development since 2015.
In 2023, spokesmen and media reports for the Yemeni military referenced a range of about 800-1,000 kilometers, sufficient to cover 80% of the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, the Arabian Sea and part of the Indian Ocean.
This range does not cover occupied Palestinian territory, but is sufficient for the enemy fleet, mostly operating hundreds of kilometers from Yemen.
The missiles are equipped with satellite navigation and, in some cases, inertial guidance, but the technical navigation details and the origin of this technology are unknown.
This will allow the capabilities demonstrated during the recent Red Sea strikes on Israel-linked commercial transport to allow for precise strikes on both land and oceanic targets.
The length of the cruise missile is 6.8 meters and 0.5 meters in diameter, and its payload is estimated to be 200-300 kilograms of traditional explosives, sufficient to damage military facilities, naval or merchant ships.
The Sayyad, like other Yemeni cruise missiles, will be released by a mobile ground-based launcher, but as suggested in an official statement this summer, a variant launched at sea is in development.
Fired from a maritime platform also means an increase in operational scope compared to Yemeni soil, covering the entire Red Sea, much of the Indian Ocean and part of the Mediterranean Sea.
The cruise missile utilizes a solid fuel rocket booster, features a turbojet mounted on the frame, with subsonic cruising speeds estimated at Mach 0.7-0.9, consistent with other similar cruise missiles.
It is designed to fly at very low altitudes just above sea level, making it difficult to detect with radar systems. This low altitude reduces the time available for intercept.
Of the Iranian cruise missiles, the most similar models to Yemen’s Saiyad are the Qader-380 (or QADR-380) convoy missiles and the Pavév-to-surface cruise missiles.
Very similar in design, the Qader-380 boasts a range of over 1,000 km, is resistant to electronic clogging and can be fired by a single operator within five minutes.
It uses a truck mounted ramp launch system. The system deploys missiles on fully expanded wings, rather than the traditional folded tube launch configuration found in many other Iranian naval missiles.
How will Saiyad strengthen Yemeni Arsenal?
Yemen’s cruise missile programme emerged during the war that fell into the Saudi Arabia. This was driven by the desire of the Ansarla Resistance movement for modernization and self-sufficiency. Before the war imposed, Yemeni military forces relied solely on Soviet-era systems and lacked advanced cruise capabilities.
The Early Cruise Missile Attack (2015-2018) targeted enemy border message boards with limited success with rudimentary guidance. However, the introduction of QUDS-1 cruise missiles marked a turning point in Yemen’s military capabilities.
The first Yemen cruise missile was the QUDS-1, which was introduced in 2017. It is used to attack enemy oil facilities and Red Sea transport ships, ranging from 700 to 1,000 km.
Subsonic missiles have a warhead of 150-200 kg and rely on GPS or inertial guidance systems for their targets.
The Samad Cruise Missile series, which includes the San Mado-2 and San Mado-3 variants introduced between 2018 and 2019, was used in early strikes against enemy military bases and facilities, ranging from 300 to 600 km. These missiles have a relatively simple design.
Saada and Sana’a underground plants produce these missiles, with an estimated dozens of production, and as of 2025, Yemen is believed to own 100-150 cruise missiles.
The Sayyad Naval Cruise missile is a major addition to Yemen’s existing cruise arsenal, anti-ships, ballistic missiles and drones. Compared to existing cruise missiles, the Sayyad is low-flying and has longer range.
Navy cruise missiles offer more range, accuracy and payload capacity than most Kamikaze drones, but are more difficult to intercept than ballistic missiles due to their flight profile that is perfect for the lowlands and terrain.
Kamikaze drones are also low-flying and long-range, but most often carry warheads weighing tens of kilograms and cannot cause catastrophic damage, but powerful Sayyad warheads can even cause serious damage or sink enemy ships.
Yemeni Arsenal’s traditional anti-ship missiles also have powerful warheads. However, its range is 3-5 times shorter than the Saiyad Cruise missile.
Source: presstv
MNA/