"Iran Captures and Replicates Unexploded Tomahawk Missiles, Calling Them 'Professors'"

Iran’s Military Power Born from Reverse-Engineering U.S. Technology
A History of Reverse-Engineering Missiles and Advanced Fighter Jets

There is growing attention on claims that Iran is recovering unexploded U.S. munitions to enhance its own defense industry capabilities. Iran has previously developed its own missiles by reverse-engineering American technology.

Mehr News Agency, which effectively operates as a state-run media outlet in Iran, reported on May 3 (local time) that the Iranian military had captured an unexploded U.S. Tomahawk missile. The Tomahawk is the U.S. Navy's main cruise missile and is an advanced weapon capable of flying over 1,000 kilometers to strike targets with precision.

Tomahawk missile falling captured by Mehr News Agency. Screenshot from CNN homepage.

According to the outlet, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) used electronic warfare to land some Tomahawk missiles in desert areas without causing serious damage. It is reported that these unexploded munitions have been transferred to a special Iranian technical unit. The report stated, "Every Tomahawk that fell to the ground but did not explode in the past 40 days has served as an advanced textbook for Iranian engineers," adding, "The small engine technology, which enables high flight endurance, will lead to a leap in the range of Iranian drones and missiles."

The Tomahawk missile is equipped with the F107 engine developed by the U.S. company Williams International. This engine is a miniaturized version of the jet engines used in aircraft and is known to encapsulate the essence of American aerospace technology.

The IRGC reportedly also captured an unexploded U.S.-made bunker buster in Hormozgan Province on April 26. At that time, Iran’s state-run PressTV claimed that the IRGC had handed over one bunker buster bomb to its technology development department. The Iranian state-run Student News Network (SNN) emphasized, "These weapons are unsolicited gifts," and added, "Unexploded munitions are like textbooks, and every disarmed missile is like a university professor. Reverse-engineering U.S. and Israeli equipment is one of the pillars of modern Iranian national defense doctrine."

Iran’s Military Power Built by Replicating U.S. and Israeli Technologies

The moment the Iranian F-14 Tomcat fighter jet, revealed by the Israeli military last year, was destroyed. Captured from X

Iran’s military capabilities have, in fact, been developed through reverse-engineering U.S. and Israeli technologies. In the 1980s, Iran successfully reverse-engineered the ‘Hawk’ surface-to-air missile, which had been supplied by the U.S. before the Islamic Revolution, and produced its own version called the ‘Shahin’ missile.

Iran’s reverse-engineering efforts are not limited to missiles. Before the revolution, the U.S. provided Iran with both missiles and, at the time, the latest fighter jet, the F-14 Tomcat. The IRGC has been operating these jets until recently by localizing parts and carrying out its own modifications. Iran once operated as many as 80 Tomcat fighters, but it is estimated that most of them were destroyed in recent U.S.-Israeli airstrikes.

As Middle East conflicts have intensified, there have even been instances where the U.S. has reverse-engineered Iranian technologies. The LUCAS suicide drone, used by the U.S. military in airstrikes against Iran, is a product that adapts Iran’s Shahed-136 drone to American specifications.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.