| Toophan | |
|---|---|
 The Toophan on a tripod. | |
| Type | Anti-tank missile |
| Place of origin | Iran |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1987–present |
| Wars | Iran–Iraq War 2006 Lebanon War Syrian Civil War War in Iraq (2013–2017) Yemeni Civil War |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Hughes Missile Systems |
| Designed | Early to mid 1980s |
| Manufacturer | Aerospace Industries Organization (missiles, launchers) Iran Electronics Industries (guidance units) |
| Produced | 1985–present |
| Variants | See Variants |
| Specifications | |
| Length | varies based on variant |
| Diameter | 0.152 m |
| Maximum firing range | 3,500–3,750 m |
| Warhead | HE, HEAT, or thermobaric |
| Warhead weight | 3.6 kg |
| Maximum speed | 310 m/s (peak) 180 m/s (average) |
Guidance system | Wire-guidance. Laser guidance for some variants |
The Toophan (Persian: طوفان "typhoon", rarely Toofan) is an Iranian SACLOS anti-tank guided missile reverse-engineered from the American BGM-71 TOW missile. The Toophan 1, an unlicensed copy of the BGM-71A TOW missile, began mass production in 1988[1] and the Toophan 2, a BGM-71C ITOW variant, was publicly shown in 2000.[2]
The Toophan comes in at least 11 variants, many of which are poorly documented, including variants with laser guidance, thermobaric warheads, and tandem-warheads with increased penetration.[3] The Toophan is manufactured jointly by the Aerospace Industries Organization of Iran and Iran Electronics Industries.
It is normally deployed from ground-based tripods, but can also be mounted on fighting vehicles and helicopters.[2] Like the BGM-71 TOW missile, the Toophan is a large, rugged, powerful, and reliable anti-tank guided missile deployed by small teams against tanks, armored vehicles, buildings, and other targets. The Toophan forms the backbone of the Iranian Armed Forces' ATGM inventory and is procured in large quantities in a variety of variants.[4]
The Toophan has been exported to the governments of Iraq and Syria and to a large number of non-state actors in the Middle East, and has been used in the Iran–Iraq War, the 2006 Lebanon War and the Iraqi, Syrian, and Yemeni Civil Wars.
- ^ "Arms Deliveries to Iran and Self-Sufficiency". Defense Intelligence Agency. 24 February 1988. Archived from the original on 14 January 2018. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
- ^ a b Pike, John. "Toophan". www.globalsecurity.org. Archived from the original on 2018-06-21. Retrieved 2018-03-07.
- ^ Galen Wright (October 1, 2015). "Saudi-led Coalition seizes Iranian arms en route to Yemen – Armament Research Services". Armament Research Services. Archived from the original on July 9, 2017. Retrieved February 28, 2017.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
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