Iran claimed that the Israeli strike overnight between Sunday and Monday was carried out using ballistic missiles that can be launched from aircraft, a capability reportedly held by only a handful of militaries.
Israel has never admitted to using such missiles, but according to past foreign reports it possesses more than one type of air-launched ballistic missile. These include “Anchor” developed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, originally designed as a target missile to simulate surface-to-surface missiles and used in several tests of the “Arrow” system; “Rampage” produced by Elbit Systems and Israel Aerospace Industries; and “Rocks” developed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, which is reportedly based on “Anchor”.
Iran claimed that the Israeli strike was carried out using ballistic missiles that can be launched from aircraft
Unlike cruise missiles, ballistic missiles are considered a more difficult target for dense air defense systems. Cruise missiles are slower, although they can change trajectory. Ballistic missiles are typically launched from known locations and generally follow a fixed, non-adjustable flight path. Fast and precise ballistic missiles launched from aircraft, unlike ground-launched ones, can overcome these challenges or at least complicate detection of the launch point.
It was previously reported that the “Rampage” missile can be launched from a fighter jet at a distance of about 150 kilometers, making it harder for enemy detection and interception systems. “The main advantage of an [air-launched ballistic missiles] over an [air-launched cruise missiles] is speed to penetrate defenses,” Jeffrey Lewis, director of the East Asia Nonproliferation Program at the James Martin Centre for Nonproliferation Studies at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in California, told Reuters in November 2024. “The downside — accuracy — looks to have been largely solved.”
As part of Operation Summit of Fire about a year ago, it was claimed that Israel used these missiles in an attack on a facility hosting Hamas leadership meetings in Qatar while they were discussing a hostage deal. The The Wall Street Journal reported at the time that the strike was carried out by 12 Israeli Air Force aircraft, eight F-15s and four F-35s, which launched ballistic missiles into space over Saudi Arabia, hitting a villa in Doha.
Unique in their kind
Ground-launched ballistic missiles are widely used by many militaries around the world and also by militant groups such as the Houthis in Yemen. The same is true for cruise missiles. However, air-launched ballistic missiles are unique and according to past reports are held by only a few countries, including Russia, China and Israel.
Air-launched ballistic missiles are carried by aircraft, allowing them to be fired from different points. “They can come from any direction and make defense against them more difficult,” said engineer Uzi Rubin, a former head of Israel’s Missile Defense Organization.
The United States has previously tested such a hypersonic ballistic missile, the AGM-183 ARRW, but the project was defunded last year and effectively canceled. Because the U.S. already maintains a large arsenal of cruise missiles and other long-range weapons, Washington has shown limited interest in developing air-launched ballistic missiles. A U.S. Air Force official previously told Reuters that these missiles are not used in Air Force operations.
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Unlike cruise missiles, ballistic missiles are considered a more difficult target for dense air defense systems
A senior defense industry official told Reuters that because air-launched ballistic missiles combine guidance systems, warheads and rocket engines, many countries with precision weapons capability can develop them. “It is a smart way to combine components and technologies and turn them into a new weapon that gives far greater capabilities and therefore more options at a reasonable cost,” the official said.
The Pentagon leak
About two years ago, before the escalation of hostilities with Iran, leaked U.S. The Pentagon documents reportedly mentioned that Israel had “worked on” air-launched ballistic missiles, including “Golden Horizon,” previously unreported inside or outside Israel, and “Rocks” developed by Rafael.
“Rocks” was unveiled by Rafael in 2019 and, according to reports, is based on the “Anchor” missile. The air-to-surface missile is described on Rafael’s website as being launched from significant stand-off ranges, well outside the coverage of enemy air defense systems, and traveling at supersonic speeds toward its target.
According to the company’s website, this reduces the exposure of the launching aircraft to enemy threats and improves the chances of a successful strike. It can be used against high-value targets, stationary or moving, even in environments where the enemy employs countermeasures and electronic warfare.
“Rocks,” according to Rafael, has been “proven in combat,” which may indicate operational use. The company also states the missile can destroy targets both above ground and underground.