A report by Conflict Armament Research, an organisation specialising in tracking weapons and their supply chains in conflict zones, said Yemen’s Houthi group was seeking to manufacture an advanced medium-range ballistic missile locally using components supplied from China. The report estimated that the potential missile could have a range of about 1,200 miles, or roughly 1,900 kilometres.
The organisation said the Houthis had imported from a Chinese supplier a set of components needed to produce a version of Iran’s precision-guided Khyber Shekan missile, described as one of Iran’s most powerful missiles. The type of parts seized indicates that they are linked to solid-fuel rocket engines, the missile’s structure and its in-flight stabilisation systems.
The Khyber Shekan missile was first unveiled in Tehran in 2022. It is a mobile, low-cost and highly accurate weapon. According to The Wall Street Journal, Iran used the missile against US bases during its war with the United States last spring.
According to analysts and officials, the Khyber Shekan is capable of manoeuvring to evade air-defence systems, making it more effective than other Iranian missiles. In some versions, the missile’s warhead-carrying nose separates during the final stage of flight and then uses a small engine to adjust its course as it approaches the target, at speeds of up to 6,000 miles per hour.
Chinese components and two shipments intercepted by Yemeni authorities
The organisation’s report was based on information provided by Yemeni authorities in July last year, after they intercepted two shipments during the previous year carrying missile-related equipment concealed among other goods. The seized items included metal components made specifically for missiles, including engine and main-body parts, as well as fins used to stabilise the missile during flight.
The two shipments also contained components for a solid-fuel rocket engine from the Khyber Shekan missile series. Yemeni authorities also seized testing tools and equipment and raw materials, including insulating materials used to protect missile parts from the extreme temperatures generated during ballistic flight.
Fabian Hinz, a senior analyst at Conflict Armament Research, said: “When you see imports like these, there is a possibility that they are already manufacturing these missiles or are trying to do so.” He explained that Houthi military facilities are heavily camouflaged, making it difficult to determine how far the group has progressed in the production process.
Mohammed al-Basha, founder of the Washington-based risk consultancy Basha Report, said the Houthis had become more self-reliant and capable of producing their own weapons after years of dependence on Iran and its Lebanese ally, Hezbollah. He said Tehran had been sending missiles to the group for reassembly and use.
They have developed local manufacturing capabilities, including the use of artificial intelligence in software for drones and missiles. They have also diversified their supply chains, accumulated operational expertise and established links with regional smuggling networks and international procurement networks
Experts foresee growth in the Houthis’ local manufacturing
Henry Thompson, a former member of the United Nations sanctions committee on Yemen, said there was evidence that the Houthis had been importing components for solid-fuel ballistic missiles from China for at least two years.
Michael Knights, director of research at strategic consultancy Horizon Engage, said the presence of Chinese components inside Houthi ballistic missiles indicated that Beijing “lacks either the will or the ability to control the end destination of its dual-use technologies”.
Diversifying arms sources despite international restrictions
The findings come as the United States lists the Houthis as a terrorist organisation, while the group is subject to a UN arms embargo. Despite this, the Houthis have expanded their ties with China and other suppliers in recent years as part of efforts to diversify the sources of equipment and components used in their weapons programmes.
Reports by the United Nations and data from arms experts have indicated that Chinese companies have become the largest source of goods seized while being shipped to the Houthis. The data also showed that most suppliers of drone parts sanctioned by the United States for dealing with the group are based in China.
China, for its part, maintains that it complies with the UN ban on selling arms to the Houthis. Last year, the United States accused a Chinese company of helping the group carry out attacks targeting US ships in the Red Sea.
