Iran recently tested its homegrown Fath 360 satellite-guided ballistic missile during military drills. The Fath 360 is similar to the US High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) used in Ukraine.
According to the Fars news agency, Iran tested the Fath 360 short-range surface-to-surface missile and the armaments it was paired with last week during the Eghtedar 1401 military exercise in Nasrabad, Isfahan.
In terms of both architecture and operation, is Fath 360 similar to HIMARS?
According to Tasnim News, missiles can be launched at Mach 3 and then, once connected to satellites, launched at Mach 4 to quickly locate and destroy targets.
Fath was also covered by the Press news agency. The Fateh family of ballistic missiles was reduced to create the 360, allowing for more missiles to be mounted on trucks or launchers.
The Fath 360 missile is 4 meters long, 30 cm wide, weighs 850-1,100 kg, has a payload of 150 kg, and has a range of 80-100 kilometers.
The truck-mounted launcher for the Fath 360, which has 6, 4, or 2 launch tubes, can carry several missiles due to its relatively small size and lightweight.
Fath 360’s design shares a lot with HIMARS thanks to these elements. Experts claim that the M31 GMLRS missile, which the US has also given to HIMARS operating units in Ukraine, can be launched from a 12-launcher M270 MRLS heavy artillery or a 6-tube HIMARS heavy artillery and has a range of up to 70 kilometers at Mach 2.5.
The analysts estimate that a series of six HIMARS missiles can be launched in 25 to 30 seconds with an accuracy of 5 to 10 meters from the place of impact.
The cost of each HIMARS launcher is $5.6 million, and the cost of each M13 bullet is $168,000. The US is currently developing the GMLRS increased range ammunition, which will have a 150km range and go into production in 2023.
With 2- and 4-tube launchers, the Fath 360 will be given to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC). The IRGC ground forces will be able to fire short-range precision fire in large quantities against enemy air defenses, while the IRGC Aerospace Force launches longer-range attacks.
Utilizing small mobile rocket launchers has become popular.
The Fath 360 may herald the transition to more compact wheeled multiple launch rocket systems (MRLS). Larger, more powerful weapons that can fire 12 missiles are the Russian B-30 Smerch and the US MRLS M270. However, these systems have significant flaws despite their great power.
IN A NEWSWEEK PIECE, retired US Army General Mark Hertling claimed that the wheeled HIMARS travels faster than its ponderous crawler M270 sibling.
HIMARS, a truck-mounted rocket launcher, is easier to operate and repair than heavier systems like the M270.
The HIMARS’s smaller size makes it easier to train and allows a smaller team of gunners to fire, move, and reload swiftly.
According to Western experts, Iran might have learned about the efficiency of the HIMARS rockets that the US had given to Ukraine.
Although Ukraine only had 26 HIMARS launchers as of the beginning of September, and it is unknown how many M31 rounds were available, their forces have used HIMARS’ speed and mobility to reload swiftly while dodging the Russian counterfire.
Like the lighter Fateh and Fajr launchers, the Fath 360 is more elegant in mobile warfare in Iran and the Middle East’s mountainous, desert, and urban environments.
Additionally, the smaller size of Fath 360 in comparison to Fateh and Fajr may boost survivability while utilizing the “shot and run” strategy employed by Hezbollah and Hamas against Israel and the Houthi rebels who oppose Saudi Arabia.
The intelligence that the United States gave to Ukraine contributed to HIMARS’ efficacy in Ukraine.
The “directing” of Ukraine’s HIMARS batteries to attack Russian command positions and ammunition depots was significantly aided by US intelligence.
Although Ukraine may not be able to employ all of its HIMARS launchers across the front lines, careful deployment, precise targeting of important targets, and real-time information assistance have allowed this system to succeed strategically in combat.
Iran’s Fath 360 missile will probably use Russia’s GLONASS satellite navigation system to provide targeting information.
Military Cognizance claims that in response to Washington assassinating IRGC General Qassem Soleimani, Russia gave Iran access to GLONASS during the attack on Al Asad airbase (used by US troops in Iraq) in January 2020.
According to the source, during the attack on the Iraqi base, Iran launched 19 missiles from its territory, 17 of which found their target.
