Iran Unveils New Air Defense Missile Mounted on Old Truck

The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Ground Force has unveiled the Qaem-118 air defense missile, launched from trucks, during the latest phase of the “Payambar-e Azam (The Great Prophet) 19” war game in southwestern Iran.

The missile system features a truck-mounted firing unit with five launchers. It has a range of 25 kilometers and can be guided using radar, electro-optical, or thermal tracking methods. The system’s fire control radar can be linked to multiple launchers to engage more targets, as per Iranian state media.

The trucks appear to be old civilian vehicles strengthened to carry the load of the missile launchers. Old Nissan and Toyota trucks are the favourite in the Middle East and North Africa to carry heavy machine guns. However, this is one of the few modifications of these pick-up trucks used as SAM launchers.

The IRGC has been showcasing domestically developed military equipment during the drill, which began on Monday.

Western armies use truck-mounted air defense systems which are designed to carry the weight of rocket/missile launchers and endure the shock of the missile being launched.