Turbojet-engine developments currently pursued by both Iran and the United Arab Emirates should give each country improved stand-off capabilities, Douglas Barrie writes.
Amid simmering tensions and ongoing conflicts in the Middle East, Iran and the United Arab Emirates are presently pursuing small turbojet-engine developments intended for guided-weapons applications. The weapons involved in each case differ and, unsurprisingly, the motors themselves come from different sources, but they should enhance each country’s stand-off capabilities.
The thrust of Iran’s cruise-missile developments
Iran has begun to publicise an engine produced by the Farzanegan Propulsion Systems Design Bureau, the TJ-HP1 turbojet, which would appear suited to small- to medium-sized cruise missiles. Iran is pursuing a number of land-attack cruise missile (LACM) projects, but some of the larger longer-range systems may be being hampered by the challenges of developing or acquiring turbofan-engine technology. Turbojet engines are less fuel efficient than turbofans of a similar size, meaning that a cruise missile fitted with the latter will have a considerably longer range than if it were fitted with the former.
Iran’s cruise-missile capabilities were in the spotlight recently following the attacks on Aramco oil facilities in Saudi Arabia in September. While the Yemeni Ansar Allah insurgent group has claimed responsibility for the attacks and the cruise-missile design, it is far more likely that the weapons, including the Quds-1 missile, were Iranian in origin. A wind-tunnel model of a missile closely resembling the Quds-1 was shown on a news clip about the Imam Hossein University in Tehran in 2018. Wreckage of the Quds-1 displayed by Saudi Arabia included a turbojet engine similar to the Czech-designed TJ100. An official from PBS, the Czech company that manufactures the TJ100, at the time denied that the firm had ever supplied the engine to Iran.
Irrespective of how, or indeed whether, a PBS engine was the propulsion source for the Quds-1, this route is in any case now likely closed for Tehran. The TJ-HP1 may be a domestic replacement if the engine in the Quds-1 was originally imported. The TJ-HP1 turbojet is, on paper at least, in a similar class to the TJ100, if a little more powerful.
As well as what is referred to as the Quds-1, the names Meshkat, Soumar and Hoviezeh are also associated with Iranian LACM projects. The last two, at least, use an airframe based on the Soviet/Russian Kh-55 (AS-15 Kent). The difference between them is that the Soumar engine housing looks like that of a turbofan, while the Hoviezeh housing resembles that of a turbojet. Soumar, however, was first shown in 2015, while the Hoveizeh was only unveiled in 2019. It is not known whether the Soumar has entered production, and the emergence now of what would appear to be a turbojet variant could indicate that there have been propulsion issues with the turbofan.
The UAE’s glide path
The UAE, meanwhile, is looking to extend the range of its Al Tariq glide bomb by fitting a small turbojet engine, and likely disposing of the wing-kit. The glide-bomb variant of the Al Tariq has a range in excess of 100km. Fitting it with a turbojet would more than double that range. The Al Tariq is based on South Africa’s Umbani glide-bomb kit.
A mock-up of the engine installation was shown on the stand of the UAE’s new EDGE defence-industrial consortium at the Dubai Air Show, held on 17–21 November 2019. The configuration uses a flush rather than a scoop inlet, which is aerodynamically neater, if less efficient in propulsion terms.
The Al Tariq family of weapons has featured prominently as one of the main capabilities used by the UAE Air Force (UAEAF) in taking part in the Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen. Semi-active-laser and imaging-infrared seeker options are available. The weapon is integrated on the UAEAF’s Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 60 Fighting Falcon aircraft. Introducing a powered variant would provide the aircraft with an improved stand-off capability, given the extended range of the weapon in comparison to the unpowered version. As well as enhancing the air force’s strike potential, this development should also further the UAE’s ambition to develop its guided-weapons sector as part of a broader initiative to grow its defence-industrial base and reduce reliance on foreign acquisition.
This analysis originally featured on the IISS Military Balance+, the online database that provides indispensable information and analysis for users in government, the armed forces, the private sector, academia, the media and more. Customise, view, compare and download data instantly, anywhere, anytime. The Military Balance+ includes data on missiles by type in armed forces worldwide.
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