Almas: Iran’s Indigenous Missile Facing Off Against Abrams and Merkava
WANA (Jun 11) – The “Almas” anti-armor missile, a domestically developed achievement of the Islamic Republic of Iran, has emerged as a strategic weapon against modern tanks such as the American Abrams and the Israeli Merkava. With high-precision strike capabilities and compatibility with drones and helicopters, Almas has introduced a serious challenge to enemy armored units on the battlefield.
In recent years, Iran—despite sanctions—has actively pursued defense self-sufficiency by leveraging indigenous knowledge. This effort has led to major advancements across various military fields, including air defense, radar systems, electronic warfare, ballistic missiles, drones, and locally built fighter jets. Among these areas, anti-armor missile development has seen notable progress, with the “Almas” missile family standing as a key example.
From Almas-1 to Almas-3: A Generational Evolution
The Almas missile was first spotted in April 2020, alongside the delivery of new drones to Iran’s military. It was later formally unveiled in January 2021 during an army drone exercise, where the Ababil-3 UAV successfully launched the missile.
Almas-1, the first in the series, measures 1.1 meters in length, 13 cm in diameter, and weighs around 15 kg. With a range of 4 kilometers, it is equipped with infrared or electro-optical guidance systems and a two-stage thermobaric warhead, capable of penetrating up to 600 mm of armor.
Almas-2 retains the same dimensions but features upgraded performance. Its effective range increases to 8 kilometers, and its armor penetration reaches nearly one meter. It maintains high targeting precision and can be launched from both ground and aerial platforms.
Almas-3, the most advanced version, is larger—measuring 1.6 meters in length, 17 cm in diameter, and weighing around 34 kg. Its range extends to 10–12 kilometers. While its penetration power is similar to the second generation, it offers significant improvements in targeting accuracy, guidance performance, and night vision capabilities.
All variants of the Almas missile are equipped with day/night vision systems and independent guidance technologies (IIR or electro-optical).
Three generations of Almas missiles side by side / WANA News Agency
Why Is Almas a Threat to Abrams and Merkava?
One of the key tactical advantages of the Almas missile is its top-attack design—striking targets from above after identifying them. This mode of attack targets tanks’ most vulnerable points: the top armor and turret. Since active defense systems on Abrams and Merkava tanks are primarily optimized for horizontal threats, top-down strikes significantly increase the likelihood of a successful hit.
In addition, Almas missiles feature a fire-and-forget capability, meaning they do not require continuous guidance from the operator after launch. This dramatically increases the safety and survivability of launch crews in combat scenarios.
One Missile Family, Multiple Platforms
The Almas missile has been developed in both ground-launched and aerial variants. Ground-launched versions have been featured in army and IRGC exercises, while the airborne models have been deployed on combat drones and Cobra helicopters. During the “Eqtedar 1402” military drill, the drone-launched version of Almas was officially tested.
The Almas family is also integrated with automatic fire control systems, allowing for accurate targeting at various ranges depending on the launch platform.
