Russia Secretly Helps Iran Develop Hypersonic Cruise Missiles

Al-Taj News – A press report confirmed that Russia is secretly helping Iran develop hypersonic cruise missiles capable of threatening U.S. warships in the Middle East.

The Financial Times quoted experts as saying that the transfer of this military technology to Tehran could not have taken place without the approval of the Russian leadership.

The program, codenamed “C340L,” began in 2023 and continued during the U.S. war against Iran.

The program aims to help Iran develop a “ramjet propulsion” system, an engine that allows a cruise missile to fly at supersonic speeds.

Jim Lamson, a former military analyst at the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, said: “For the Iranians, this will give them a qualitatively new strategic weapons system that can threaten U.S. Navy ships.”

Supersonic cruise missiles are extremely difficult to intercept because they fly at low altitudes, hugging the ground to evade radar, at speeds of up to 2,200 miles per hour.

Although Iran has developed and tested the “ramjet propulsion” system, there is no evidence that it has been used in the field.

Iranian missile expert Fabian Hinz said: “This is a transfer of highly sensitive military technology of strategic importance from Russia, which the Iranians have sought to obtain for decades.”

He added: “A program like this requires political approval from the leadership in Russia.”

The information indicates that the Russian state-owned arms exporter Rosoboronexport coordinated the project with the Russian missile manufacturer NPO Mashinostroeniya, which has been under U.S. sanctions since 2014.

The cooperation comes in the context of a broader military partnership between the two countries, as the Iranian regime supplied Moscow with Shahed suicide drones to bomb Ukrainian cities at night, while reports indicated that Russia provided Tehran with intelligence information to help it target U.S. bases in the Middle East.