Iranian missiles spotted on Russian ship bound for Ukraine
4:28 PM EDT, September 12, 2024
The CNN television station obtained photos of a ship in a Russian port on the Caspian Sea. American sources claim that Iranian Fath-360 ballistic missiles were transported on it. We present the capabilities of this weapon, which will likely be used during the war in Ukraine.
The company Maxar Technologies, specializing in satellite photography, identified the ship Port Olya 3 using its equipment. The photos were taken on September 4th in the port in the Astrakhan region of Russia.
Identified Russian ship
According to information available on maritime tracking websites, on August 29th, the container ship was in the Iranian port of Amirabad. Notably, shortly after leaving the port, the ship turned off its transponder, making further tracking of its route impossible.
The U.S. Department of the Treasury reported that the Russian Ministry of Defense used the ship Port Olya 3 to transport ballistic missiles from Iran. During a visit to London, the U.S. Secretary of State stated that the United States believes Russia received Iranian Fath-360 ballistic missiles, which may be used in attacks on Ukraine in the coming weeks.
"In September 2024, Russia received the first batch of Iranian short-range ballistic missiles," the U.S. Department of the Treasury reported.
Transport of ballistic missiles
CNN, citing American officials, reported that negotiations between Russia and Iran began in September of last year. The talks took place when then-Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu visited Iran to view the short-range Ababil missiles.
The Fath-360 are short-range ballistic missiles that can strike targets up to 75 miles away. Each missile is approximately 17 feet long and almost 1.3 feet in diameter, with a warhead weighing approximately 330 pounds. The Fath-360 reaches high speeds and, upon impact, can reach up to Mach 4, which is around 3,045 mph.
Ukrainian experts warn that these missiles will pose a significant problem for local air defense, not only due to their high speeds but also their high accuracy. The designers used satellite guidance systems GNSS and GLONASS as well as inertial navigation.
