On Tuesday, Iran’s national broadcaster published footage and images of a newly built underground arms manufacturing facility operated by the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC).

The video opens with the arrival of Major General Abdollahi, Commander of the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, and Brigadier General Majid Mousavi, Commander of the IRGC Aerospace Force. They are guided through the underground missile site and also meet the military personnel stationed there.

The scene is reminiscent of earlier footage showing Martyr Mohammad Bagheri, the former Iranian Armed Forces Chief of Staff, and Martyr Amir Ali Hajizadeh, the late commander of the IRGC Aerospace Force, visiting underground missile bases together.

The Bald Eagles are making a reappearance as senior military officials inspect stockpiles of ground-based missiles. The footage contains several interesting details.

The missile city is likely located in western Iran. The underground facility appears to house a number of short- and medium-range cruise missiles. This directly contradicts enemy claims that they had destroyed the IRGC’s missile bases in the western part of the country.

The sheer size of the missiles, which could be Oghabs and are likely from a western installation, firmly suggests that the missile infrastructure remains in place and has only strengthened.

It should also be noted that no cuts are visible in the footage as the commanders move through the facility. The video provides a continuous overview of the newly unveiled facility’s scale and the number of missiles stored there, making it more difficult to argue that the footage was heavily edited to create the impression of an unusually large missile stockpile.

The release of these images follows an established pattern. In October 2015, Iran first released footage of one of its secret ballistic missile bases. In 2020, further footage showed ballistic missiles being transported through underground tunnels by an automated rail system.

One of the videos was released on 26 March, two months after the United States had issued an ultimatum for Iran to abandon its nuclear and missile development programmes.

The bottom line is that Iran has repeatedly responded to heightened pressure by showcasing parts of its secret weapons arsenal.

Inside the missile city

The video does not reveal much about the facility’s engineering, but several details can be gleaned from its layout. The two commanders appear to be driving a jeep through a large underground hall, with canisters, transport-erector-launchers (TELs) and missiles mounted on trucks lining both sides.

One of the engineering challenges involved is ensuring that tunnels wide enough for vehicles to pass through also provide sufficient space along the sides to accommodate large launch vehicles.

Another intriguing detail is the presence of underground launch silos or a rail-based launch system. These represent two different approaches to missile deployment.

Fixed ground-launch arrangements can reduce the time needed to bring a TEL to the surface before launch, while mobile launchers offer greater flexibility once they leave the facility.

With both systems potentially housed in the same installation, Iran appears to be maintaining two types of launch capability within its missile complex.

Identifying the missiles on display

Before identifying the missiles, two points should be made. First, the official video does not name any of the individual systems. Second, the identifications below are the author’s own assessments, based on how the missiles appear in the footage.

The video shows missiles from several generations, including the Shahab, Khorramshahr, Qadr, Jihad, Emad and Fattah systems, as well as the Paveh ground-launched cruise missile. Several other missiles remain unidentified, while images of some systems have been deliberately blurred.

Much of the installation appears to be devoted to Fattah-1 medium-range missiles. Iran describes the Fattah-1 as a “hypersonic missile”, whose warhead uses a small rocket motor to assist with guidance during the final phase of flight. The design is generally understood to be a manoeuvrable re-entry vehicle (MaRV).

There is an important distinction between a manoeuvrable re-entry vehicle and a true hypersonic glide vehicle. A missile equipped with a manoeuvrable warhead generally follows a ballistic trajectory, with the warhead steering during the final phase of flight.

A hypersonic glide vehicle, by contrast, follows a different trajectory and can change its flight path within the atmosphere after the boost phase. Technical details of the Fattah-1’s actual operation are not publicly available, so the footage alone does not make it possible to determine which configuration is deployed at the facility.

Another notable detail is that some manoeuvrable warheads appear to be displayed separately. One is presumed to belong to a missile with a booster, while older designs featuring conventional conical warheads appear to be associated with the Kheibar Shekan.

A different warhead also appears to be under development for the Fattah-1. Displaying these components separately from the missile bodies may suggest that the warheads themselves were among the features the footage was intended to highlight.

The presence of older designs also indicates that the facility houses more than just Iran’s latest missiles. It therefore appears to contain a diverse mix of systems from different generations.

Kheibar Shekan and Khorramshahr

The footage also shows the Kheibar Shekan missile. It belongs to the Fateh-110 family of solid-fuel, medium-range ballistic missiles and was first unveiled in 2022. It is equipped with a warhead capable of manoeuvring during the terminal phase of flight.

The missile has a range of 1,450 kilometres. It weighs approximately 4.5 tonnes and measures about 10.5 metres in length and 80 centimetres in diameter. It is said to carry a warhead weighing around 500 kilograms. Its impact velocity is believed to reach as high as Mach 5, although some estimates put it at between Mach 2 and Mach 3.

The warhead is conical in design, with a three-cone configuration intended to provide stability during re-entry. Its manoeuvrability is enabled by small aerodynamic control surfaces, which allow it to alter its course after entering the atmosphere.

However, such manoeuvres come at an aerodynamic cost: drag can reduce the warhead’s kinetic energy and velocity. In general, the greater its manoeuvrability, the more speed it is likely to lose.

Another system that can be identified among the equipment on display is the Khorramshahr missile. The Khorramshahr-4 is a medium-range ballistic missile with a single-stage solid-fuel propulsion system and a manoeuvrable, separable warhead.

A potential successor, the Khorramshahr-5, has also been mentioned. It could feature a new propulsion system and enhanced terminal manoeuvrability.

The presence of liquid-fuel missiles also has logistical implications for the underground facility. Depending on the type of propellant used, such missiles may require specialised preparation and additional equipment to ensure safe handling before launch.

No obvious refuelling equipment is visible in the footage, however, so it is not possible to determine whether or how the Khorramshahr systems are refuelled at the facility.

Paveh and the unidentified cruise missile

The Paveh ground-launched cruise missile can also be seen inside the facility. It has a range of approximately 1,650 kilometres and belongs to the Soumar family. It is equipped with a turbojet engine mounted above the main body, a distinctive feature of its configuration.

The missile is equipped with an inertial navigation system and terrain-referenced navigation, and is capable of flying at altitudes below 50 metres. Its warhead is estimated to weigh between 410 and 450 kilograms.

The Soumar family has long attracted interest because of its resemblance to the Russian Kh-55 cruise missile. Paveh is part of this series of long-range, ground-launched cruise missiles and represents Iran’s continued efforts to develop its long-range cruise missile capabilities.

Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of the video, however, is the presence of several weapons whose images have been deliberately blurred. Speculation has been growing about one particular missile that could be a new cruise missile developed by the IRGC Aerospace Force.

It may be a new variant of the Paveh, but with a different configuration: its wings appear to be positioned lower, while the engine is integrated into the main body rather than mounted externally in the more conventional position above it.

Its shape also bears some resemblance to low-observable cruise missile designs, with features likened to those of the US JASSM-ER. Suggestions that Iran may have drawn on expertise from captured American technology have also been raised. However, the footage neither confirms nor rules out any particular source or origin for the design.

Integrating an engine into the missile's body presents several engineering challenges compared with mounting it externally. The design requires a different air-intake arrangement, as well as an S-shaped intake duct to reduce the radar visibility of the compressor blades. These are demanding design requirements for aircraft and missiles intended to have a low radar signature.

The blurred images, together with similarities to other images released by Iran’s military, may indicate progress in this area of missile development. However, neither a wedge-shaped design nor an internally mounted engine is sufficient to establish that a missile has stealth capabilities.

Other factors, including radar-absorbing materials, surface treatments, wing geometry and infrared-signature management, can also affect a weapon’s detectability. The missile’s identity and development status remain unconfirmed.

Underground production and the importance of resilience

One aspect of the footage that particularly catches attention is its emphasis on underground infrastructure. Manufacturing solid-fuel rocket motors underground is a complex, highly specialised industrial process. It requires dedicated equipment and a series of carefully controlled operations, including propellant mixing, casting, curing and inspection. Appropriate machinery, ventilation, safety systems and supporting equipment are essential at every stage.

Carrying out these production activities underground creates additional engineering challenges, including ventilation, power supply, waste processing and the safe handling of energetic materials. However, the lessons Iran has drawn from attacks on exposed military and industrial sites appear to have provided a strong incentive to integrate more of its production facilities into the country’s underground infrastructure.

This is not to suggest that storing finished missiles is any less important. The significance of underground facilities extends well beyond protecting existing missile stockpiles. Safeguarding the manufacturing process is equally important. Even a country with a substantial weapons cache may struggle to maintain its ability to produce and replace those weapons following an attack.

This appears to reflect a more comprehensive strategy: protecting existing missile stocks while strengthening the infrastructure needed to sustain production.

The video also shows missiles carried in the cargo compartments of commercial trucks. Depending on their configuration, the missiles can be transported horizontally and raised into a vertical launch position when required. The Kheibar Shekan, for example, has been associated with launchers mounted on multi-axle commercial truck chassis.

This arrangement places greater emphasis on mobility and dispersal. Vehicles resembling ordinary commercial trucks may be more difficult to distinguish from civilian traffic while on the move. However, they do not necessarily offer the same level of protection or logistical support as purpose-built military transport-erector-launchers (TELs).

Their presence alongside underground launch facilities suggests that Iran is not relying exclusively on concealed fixed installations to house its missiles, but is also maintaining mobile launch capabilities and a dispersed network of launch sites.

A message amid renewed tensions

The timing of the footage adds to its significance beyond the technical details of the missiles on display. Major General Abdollahi has warned that “any further hostile action against Iran would result in a response that would reach beyond the confines of the region”.

The message is that any renewed act of aggression would not necessarily be confined to a single area and that US military bases across the region and beyond could be targeted.

The newly released footage of the missile city is therefore intended to project an image of the continued viability of Iran’s missile arsenal. It highlights the country’s efforts to preserve its underground infrastructure, maintain missile systems from several generations and retain the industrial capacity needed to sustain them.

The broader message is that, despite having faced attacks and sustained pressure, Iran’s missile program continues to develop. The facilities, the range of missiles on display and the combination of underground infrastructure and mobile launchers suggest that Tehran is not merely seeking to preserve its existing stockpile, but also to maintain the facilities and industrial capabilities required to keep the program operational.