Iranian ballistic missiles spotted on Russian ship bound for ukraine
The CNN television station obtained photographs of a ship in a Russian port on the Caspian Sea. American sources allege that Iranian Fath-360 ballistic missiles were transported aboard it. We present the capabilities of this weapon, which will most likely be used during the conflict in Ukraine.
The company Maxar Technologies, specialising in satellite photography, identified the ship Port Olya 3 using its equipment. The photos were taken on 4 September in the port in the Astrakhan region in Russia.
Identified Russian ship
According to information on maritime tracking websites, on 29 August, 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 Defence 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 that 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 the then Russian Defence Minister, Sergei Shoigu, visited Iran to view the short-range Ababil missiles.
The Fath-360 are short-range ballistic missiles. They can strike targets up to 120 kilometres away. Each missile of this type is approximately 5 metres long and almost 40 centimetres in diameter, with a warhead weighing approximately 150 kilograms. The Fath-360 reaches high speeds, and upon impact, it can reach up to Mach 4, which is around 4,900 kilometres per hour.
Ukrainian experts warn that these missiles will pose a significant problem for the local air defence. This is not only due to the high speeds they achieve but also because of their high accuracy. The designers used satellite guidance systems GNSS and GLONASS as well as inertial navigation.
