''Though only a small portion of the weapons were seized in these at-sea interdictions, the Navy’s intercept of a total of eight new Iranian “
loitering” surface-to-air missiles, known as “358” missiles, is potentially significant.
Though
CENTCOM passed on detailing the operational capabilities of the 358 missile in a press briefing, these weapons reportedly can hunt and then kill airborne
targets such as helicopters.
Unlike other weapons the Iranians have copied, such as the Chinese
C-802 anti-ship cruise missile or the Russian
Kornet anti-tank guided missile, CENTCOM called the 358 a “
uniquely Iranian-designed missile.”
This new loitering surface-to-air missile represents a troubling development in Iran’s military arsenal. Indeed, at some point the 358 missile could expand its capabilities to include other land- and sea-based targets.
For instance, if adapted to a sea-strike mission, this new weapon could increase Iran’s existing threat to military and commercial shipping around Yemen, including in the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandeb Strait, Gulf of Aden, and Gulf of Arabia. ''
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