On 17 September the Wall Street Journal reported that Saudi Arabia has fired a Chinese-made Dongfeng 15 ballistic missile into Yemen.    The move marks the first-ever time that they have fired a ballistic missile in combat. 

Cellphone videos from the Ragwan area of Marib Province, about 170 kilometers from Sanaa shared on social media show the fuselage and parts of a Chinese-made Dongfeng-15, including its intact “DF-15A” designation. The DF-15A warhead is designed to separate in flight, so it’s unclear where it ultimately landed or what, presumably target it was aimed at as the Houthis are not known to have any weapons that could have intercepted it.

Experts identified the weapon as a DF-15A because the shape of the fixed fins and the drive motor matched a missile shown in footage previously released by Chinese state broadcasters.  But Saudi Arabia wasn’t known to have acquired DF-15 short-range ballistic missiles.

Saudi’s Chinese Missile Arsenal 

Saudi Arabia turned to China for ballistic missiles when it acquired the liquid-fueled DF-3A intermediate-range ballistic missile in 1988 establishing the foundations of what would become the Royal Saudi Strategic Missile Force. 

The acquisition came in the latter stages of the Iran-Iraq War, when both sides were building up ballistic missile arsenals to hit each other’s cities. 

The liquid-fuelled, single-stage intermediate-range ballistic missile was capable of reaching targets approximately 3,000 kilometers away depending on payload and configuration. 

This was followed by the procurement of the more accurate but shorter-range Chinese DF-21 from 2007, a considerably more capable and modern missile with solid-fuel propulsion. The DF-21 is a two-stage, solid-fueled, road-mobile medium-range ballistic missile which can be transported and deployed using mobile launch equipment and does not require the lengthy fueling procedures associated with liquid-propellant missiles. 

The system’s greater mobility and responsiveness therefore provide substantial advantages in survivability. The DF-21’s range is shorter than that of the DF-3, but its greater accuracy makes it considerably more useful as a conventional weapon. The system’s range is generally assessed at around 1,700 kilometers allowing targets throughout much of the region to be placed within reach from Saudi territory.

Saudi Arabia did not publicly display its ballistic missiles until 2014, when the DF-3 and DF-21 systems appeared in a military parade. The display highly unusual for Saudi Arabia was widely interpreted as a strategic message directed towards Iran.

The DF-15A SRBM is a solid-fuel, road-mobile short-range ballistic missile represents a substantially improved variant and is assessed to have a range of approximately 600 kilometers. The missile can carry a conventional payload in the region of 500–750 kilograms, providing considerably greater destructive potential than most conventional rockets used by regional armed groups. 

Unlike Iran, which has long prioritised its ballistic missile arsenal over other capabilities, Saudi Arabia has been discreet about its ballistic missile arsenal.

Why It Chose to Use the DF 15 A 

Why Saudi Arabia chose to use the DF 15 A ballistic missile in Yemen is a matter of speculation, although there are reasons. But it’s felt that Riyadh fired the missile to send a message to Houthis main backer Iran as clashes with them have escalated. 

Saudi Arabia boasts an advanced Western-equipped Air Force with sophisticated F-15SA and Eurofighter Typhoon combat aircraft. These Saudi jets are also armed with standoff missiles capable of hitting distant targets, including the Storm Shadow and AGM-84H SLAM-ER cruise missiles, with ranges of 270 kilometers. 

The Saudi Air Force is believed to have used the latter against the runway of Yemen’s Houthi-controlled Sanaa International Airport in July to block an attempt by the Houthis to establish an air link with Iran.  These weapons permit fighter jets to strike distant targets while staying safely out of range of enemy air defences.

However, Riyadh now chose to use one of its ground-based surface-to-surface missiles in Yemen. This is an indication that the recent escalation in Yemen has compelled it to signal its willingness to respond more forcefully and that it has credible missile capabilities. 

Since the July airport standoff, the Houthis have ramped up missile and drone attacks against Saudi Arabia shipping in the Red Sea and have advanced down Yemen’s Western coast against the Saudi-backed internationally recognized Yemeni government. 

The use of a Chinese missile also points towards a possible shift in Saudi Arabia's security strategy. For years, Saudi Arabia depended on the US for security support. But during the recent clashes with the Houthis, US air power assistance was apparently turned down.

This may be leading Saudi Arabia to reduce its security dependence on the US.  Hence there is symbolism in the use of a Chinese missile.  Another reason is that Saudi Arabia is signaling its close ties with China to Iran. Thereby indicating that Iran must think before taking any rash action against it.

Saudi Arabia now finds itself in a pincer with both the Strait of Hormuz and Ban Al Mandab being threatened. On top of that its East-West oil pipeline came under attack by drones launched from Iraq to its North on 11 September. The widening conflict is undoubtedly having an effect on the Saudi economy.

Conclusion 

The discovery of suspected Chinese DF-15A missile debris in Yemen has provided another potentially important indication of the breadth of Saudi Arabia’s Chinese-derived missile arsenal, with the missile type representing a different class of capability from the strategic DF-3 and medium-range DF-21. 

As per analysts this marks the first use of a ballistic missile by Riyadh in its long conflict with the Houthis and demonstrates to the Houthis and Iran that Saudi Arabia holds weapons it has never previously disclosed and has the intent to use them. 

Sacha Bruchmann of IISS  stated that “Saudi Arabia is playing a card it has not shown before to balance the strategic equation." The use of the DF-15A also demonstrates that Saudi Arabia’s ballistic missiles are not merely a strategic deterrent but can be used in extreme contingencies. 

Maj Gen Jagatbir Singh, VSM (Retired)

Major General Jagatbir Singh is an Armoured Corps Officer who commanded the First Armoured Division. He served in varied terrains and tenanted important command, staff and instructional appointments including a UN Peace Keeping Mission in Iraq and Kuwait. He co-authored ‘Armour 1971’ and edited ‘Valour and Honour’.