The Financial Times reports Russia has secretly assisted Iran in developing
advanced supersonic cruise missiles, describing it as one of the most
significant known transfers of strategic military technology from Russia to
Iran. The multi-year covert program, code-named C430L, assembled some of
Russia’s most experienced missile experts to help Iran build a new class of
weapon capable of threatening US aircraft carriers and other regional warships.
Investigators say the project began in 2023 and continued after the US and
Israel launched a war on Iran. Cited evidence includes leaked Russian
communications, travel records and analysis of military patents. The program’s
primary aim is to help Iran develop a ramjet/scramjet air‑breathing propulsion
system capable of sustained flight at multiple times the speed of sound; weapons
experts say the technology is almost certainly intended for anti-ship and
land-attack cruise missiles.
