Financial Times: Russia secretly helping Iran develop hypersonic cruise missiles

Russia and Iran have been working quietly on a missile project designed to give Tehran a new way to threaten U.S. aircraft carriers and warships in the Middle East, according to an investigation by the Financial Times. The program, known by the code name C430L, began in 2023.

The reported goal is to speed up Iran’s development of advanced hypersonic cruise missiles. The project focuses on ramjet engines, which allow missiles to fly at low altitude while reaching several times the speed of sound. Defense experts cited in the reporting said those characteristics could sharply reduce the time available for naval air-defense systems to detect and intercept them.

The investigation draws on leaked official Russian correspondence, air-travel records involving engineers and an analysis of military patents. It says the exchange of technology and military advice has continued even after the direct hostilities launched by Washington in the region.

Iran has already built and flight-tested missiles using this type of propulsion, but intelligence sources cited by the Financial Times said the weapons have not yet entered operational service. On the Russian side, the state arms exporter Rosoboronexport and precision-weapons company NPO Mashinostroyenia are involved, with the latter responsible for the technical design.

The cooperation adds another layer to the expanding military relationship between Moscow and Tehran. That relationship has previously included the supply of Shahed attack drones and licensed production of the drones in Russia for use by Russian forces in the war in Ukraine. The reported missile project would also support Iran’s long-standing objective of projecting naval power, while giving Moscow another potential source of strategic pressure against the U.S. military presence outside Europe.