U.S. Media: Iran's "Best Missiles" Headache for U.S. Military

Reference News Network reported on July 28 According to a report on the website of the Wall Street Journal on July 25, the "Castle Destroyer" ballistic missile is the mainstay of Tehran's arsenal. It is a cheap, mobile, and precise weapon with a range of at least 900 miles (1 mile is approximately 1.6 kilometers - editor's note). Recently, Iran has been using it for composite strike operations, proving itself to be a highly adaptable opponent to the United States.

U.S. officials say that since the resumption of hostilities this month, Iran has been launching "Castle Destroyer" missiles at U.S. military bases. They state that these missiles are combining different flight paths, maneuvers, and speeds in an attempt to confuse U.S. defense systems.

One U.S. official said that throughout the war, the U.S. and its allies have shot down most of the "Castle Destroyer" missiles, but some have breached the defense systems.

Reports indicate that Iran's older missiles require a long time to fuel before launch, while military analysts say that the "Castle Destroyer" missile can remain fueled and be quickly loaded onto trucks or other vehicles for launch, in order to evade U.S. and Israeli aircraft attempting to destroy Iranian missile launchers.

According to analysts and officials, some variants of the missile are equipped with a small engine at the front that carries an explosive warhead and separates in the final phase of flight, allowing it to adjust its trajectory while approaching the target at speeds of up to 6,000 miles per hour.

Military analysts who have studied the "Castle Destroyer" missile say that it can change its trajectory more than other ballistic missiles, making it harder to detect and destroy.

U.S. officials say that in addition to using satellite-guided "Castle Destroyer" missiles for attacks, Iran has also been launching high-speed attack drones and less advanced missiles at the same targets, continuously adjusting its tactics.

Officials say that since the ceasefire broke down, Iran has repeatedly targeted residential areas of U.S. forces at bases across the Middle East. They state that Iran has also focused on the radars that support the entire regional air defense system, a strategy that puts U.S. troops at greater risk.

Reports indicate that Joseph Votel, a former commander of U.S. Central Command, said: "I think this tells us that Iran is learning and looking for ways to attack us. This military has good drone capabilities and has been developing missiles for a long time, with a lot of expertise in this area."

According to estimates from the U.S. and Israel, before the outbreak of the war, Iran had about 2,500 ballistic missiles, including the "Castle Destroyer." Independent missile expert Fabian Hintz said that Iran may be assembling more missiles using components stored in underground bases, but the production facilities for missile engines have been destroyed.

Reports indicate that Nicole Graievski, an expert on Iranian strategy at the Paris Institute of Political Studies, said: "Iranians have found during the war that the 'Castle Destroyer' missile is great because it has a very low production cost, a flexible launch system, and is quite effective."

Iran has not disclosed the cost of the "Castle Destroyer" missile, but analysts say that this missile is much cheaper than the interceptors used by the U.S. and Israel to shoot them down—each interceptor missile costs between $2 million and $15 million.

Hintz said that Iran seems to have improved its missile attack tactics, possibly by studying previous launches to determine how to maximize the chances of breaching defenses.

Hintz said, "Iran has seen what types of maneuvering tactics are most effective at breaching missile defense systems."

He said, "Every combat use provides some data, which is very useful for the Iranians." (Translated by Yang Xinpeng)