Russia has secretly helped Iran develop supersonic cruise missiles that could threaten American warships in the Middle East, according to a report by an international news outlet.
The programme, codenamed C340L, began in 2023 and has continued during the United Staes (US) war against Iran. The project is aimed at helping Tehran develop a ramjet propulsion system, an engine that allows a cruise missile to travel faster than the speed of sound.
Experts cited in the report said that the transfer of military technology to Iran would have required approval at the highest levels of the Kremlin. “For the Iranians, this would give them a qualitatively new strategic weapon system that could threaten US navy vessels,” said Jim Lamson, a former CIA military analyst.
Supersonic cruise missiles can be difficult to intercept because they can fly at low altitude, using the terrain to reduce their visibility to radar. The missiles can reach speeds of up to 2,200 miles per hour.
Iran has built and tested the ramjet propulsion system, but there is no evidence that it has been deployed in the field. “This is the transfer of a highly strategically sensitive military technology from Russia that the Iranians have wanted to acquire for decades,” said Fabian Hinz, an Iranian missile expert.
“A programme like this would require political clearance from the very top in Russia,” Hinz remarked.
The programme was reportedly arranged by Rosoboronexport, Russia’s state arms exporter, which coordinated the project with NPO Mashinostroyenia, a Russian rocket company that has been under US sanctions since 2014.
By 2025, NPO Mashinostroyenia had received Iranian technical material related to the ramjet propulsion system.
Russian engineers analysed data from an Iranian test flight and sent Iranian counterparts a detailed list of questions about the system’s performance. The programme also drew on the expertise of senior missile engineers from NPO Mashinostroyenia. Some of the engineers travelled to Iran before the contract was signed in 2023.
Iran has supplied Russia with Shahed drones used in attacks on Ukrainian cities, while Russia has reportedly provided intelligence that has allowed Tehran to target American bases in the Middle East.
Russian President Vladimir Putin told Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Tuesday that Moscow was “trying to give you the help you need in this difficult period” and was “supplying you with the goods you need” during the war.
