Russia aids Iran in covert supersonic cruise missile project, FT says

According to a report by the Financial Times (FT), Russia is assisting Iran in developing advanced supersonic cruise missiles through a covert programme.

The multi-year secret collaboration, described as one of the most comprehensive strategic military technology transfers between Moscow and Tehran, reportedly bears the codename “C430L”.

Based on an examination of leaked correspondence, travel records, and military patents, the report stated that the programme, which began in 2023, continued during the war waged against Iran by the US and Israel.

Under the programme, experienced Russian missile specialists were reported to have supported Iran in developing a new class of weapons capable of threatening US aircraft carriers and warships in the Middle East.

Ramjet technology aimed at breaching air defence systems

According to the report, the primary objective of the C430L programme is to assist Iran in developing a ramjet propulsion system that enables a cruise missile to fly at several times the speed of sound.

Military experts point out that the technology in question is designed for use in anti-ship and land-attack cruise missiles.

Fabian Hinz, an expert at the UK-based arms monitoring group Conflict Armament Research, emphasised that this strategic transfer, which the Iranians have sought to obtain for decades, would require approval at the highest political level in Russia.

Jim Lamson, an expert at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies and a former CIA analyst, stated that this system would provide Iran with a new strategic weapon capable of threatening US naval assets.

Supersonic cruise missiles combine high speed with low-altitude flight capabilities, narrowing the time available for advanced air defence systems to detect and intercept the missile. This represents a strategic advantage for the Tehran government along the Persian Gulf line, where the US and its regional allies possess land- and sea-based defence systems.

The report noted that while Iran had built the ramjet system and conducted flight tests, there was no concrete evidence that a Russian-backed supersonic missile had yet been deployed in the field.

State enterprises and chief engineers involved

The supersonic missile assistance programme is reportedly coordinated by Russia’s state-owned arms export company Rosoboronexport, with the project being executed alongside NPO Mashinostroyenia.

NPO Mashinostroyenia, which was placed on the US sanctions list in 2014, is known for its work on cruise missile systems launched from ships, submarines, and land platforms, as well as Russia’s nuclear forces comprising intercontinental ballistic missiles.

Leaked travel records show that senior Russian engineers and export officials travelled to Iran multiple times before a contract was signed with Iran’s Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces Logistics in November 2023.

These figures include Aleksandr Dergachev, chief designer of naval missiles at NPO Mashinostroyenia; Aleksander Chebakov, a ramjet specialist; Yuri Prokhorchuk, head of the aerodynamics department; and Vladislav Kuzmichev, head of the Defence Technologies and Space Department at Rosoboronexport.

The documents indicate that by 2025, the company had received extensive Iranian technical materials regarding the ramjet propulsion system, analysed telemetry data obtained from a flight test, and submitted detailed queries to Tehran on topics including the fuel system, combustion stability, and the air intake.

In April 2025, Rosoboronexport proposed sending a delegation of around twenty experts to Iran for technical consultations.

Military cooperation between the two countries deepens

The programme is regarded as part of a deepening military partnership between Tehran and Moscow. Iran had previously supplied Shahed-type armed unmanned aerial vehicles used by Russia in the Ukraine war and assisted in their production within Russia.

Western officials also accuse Russia of providing satellite imagery and weapon components to Iran during the ongoing hostilities with the US and Israel.

The report recalled that Russian President Vladimir Putin, during his meeting with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in Kyrgyzstan, said Moscow was “striving to provide the necessary aid and goods in this difficult period”.

Nicole Grajewski of Sciences Po University in Paris stated that the covert ramjet programme demonstrated “Russia’s effort to widen the war in Ukraine and draw the US to different fronts”, noting that Moscow no longer attached as much importance to regional red lines as it once did.

Leaked correspondence reveals that the C430L programme continued into 2026, with the parties continuing to negotiate technical reports and the next phase of the development process.