What Are The Sejjil Missiles Iran Uses?

Iran, which has been under a trade embargo since the country’s 1979 Islamic Revolution, produces its own ballistic missiles known as the Sejjil or Sajjil. These are indegeniously produced solid-propellant, road-mobile medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM).

Sejjils, which are believed to have been developed by the Islamic Republic in 2009, are two-stage missiles built from advanced solid fuel, a marked step above Iran’s older liquid-fuel Shahab weapons.

The missiles are a result of 1990s weapons upgrade project known as project Zelzal, during which the country received assistance from countries like China to rehaul their weapons systems. The very first Sejjil test was conducted in 2008 and then in 2009 with an increased range. It is believed to have entered service around 2012.

A Sejjil missile is 18 metres long and have a diameter of 1.25 metres. They carry a warhead of about 700 kilograms and have a launch weight of 24000 kilograms.

The Sejjil are capable of carry normal explosives, and nuclear warheads. The missiles can be fired up to a range of 2000 to 2500 kilometres, which means they can reach any part of the middle east including Israel, and US bases in the region. Because the missiles use a solid propellant in both stages (launch and fire), there is no fuelling delay while firing them, making these missiles capable of being launched rapidly at Iran’s enemies. 

Because they are made with solid fuel, the Sejjil missiles can be easily transported by road, making them easier to hide and deploy. However, according to missile threats.cis.org, solid fuel also makes it road-mobile, allowing Iran to redeploy and hide the missile. However, solid-fuel rockets can be harder to guide precisely than liquid-fuel ones. 

In 2021, during its “Great Prophet 15” exercises, Iran revealed it had upgraded the original Sejjil missiles, equipping them with ‘enhanced inertial navigation and jet vane control’ making them easier to guide and hence more accurate. Analysts writing for MissileThreat.csis.org have speculated about a hypothetical Sejjil-3, a three-stage version possibly extending range to greater than 4000 kilometres but reports of this are unconfirmed. 

Iran has no other defences on ground besides its ballistic missiles—its air fleet comprises of Soviet era fighter planes that are no match for the current jets used by the United States and other NATO nations.

The Sejjil missiles are Iran’s only a deterrent against attacks, and its only defensive assets. As demonstrated on June 14, Sejjils, with their long range and solid-fuel launch readiness, can be deployed quickly to strike at any attackers. Iran’s leaders tout the Sejjil as a counter to regional adversaries, including the ability to deliver heavy payloads (including, theoretically, nuclear warheads).