The IDF revealed on September 23 that Hezbollah is using Russian-made DR-3 cruise missiles. The IDF exposed one of these missiles, which was hidden inside a building in southern Lebanon, specifically adapted for its storage and launch.
The mentioned cruise missile was likely smuggled from Syria to Hezbollah. It has a strike range of 200 kilometers, a wingspan of two meters, and a warhead weighing 300 kilograms. The missile is capable of reaching any location in central Israel when launched from southern Lebanon. This exposure provides a concrete example of the substantial threat posed by Hezbollah’s military entrenchment within civilian infrastructure in Lebanon, using human shield tactics.
This is part of a long-standing trend where Hezbollah places advanced weaponry inside civilian homes in Lebanon, exploiting the local population as human shields and turning civilian areas into potential battlefields. Over the past two decades, Hezbollah has been storing missiles, launchers, and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) inside civilian homes, investing engineering resources to adapt the houses for their new, additional purpose. The missile uncovered in southern Lebanon was prepared for launch and hidden behind a wall that had been broken inside the house.
In fact, the DR-3 missile is a significant strike tool that does not require a runway or complex infrastructure for operation, making it an attractive weapon for Hezbollah and other proxies.
This cruise missile was originally converted from a reconnaissance UAV by Russia and turned into an armed weapon. The Russian conversion was done due to a shortage of attack tools that Russia experienced.
The main advantage of the DR-3 missile is its relative primitiveness alongside its significant impact capability. It does not require a runway or complex launch infrastructure, and its rocket engine enables it to ascend to high altitudes and long distances quickly. Although it is a primitive system with an analog computer, modern digital systems that can be added to it make it more effective.
Regarding navigation, the traditional inertial navigation system can be replaced with advanced satellite navigation systems using commercial satellite receivers and antennas. By combining inertial navigation with satellite data reception, these weapons can operate with high accuracy. However, GPS jamming techniques, such as signal blocking or sending false signals (spoofing), provide a possible defense measure against such threats – but they cannot stop navigation based on internal computing (inertial).
On this type of weapon, cameras and sensors can also be mounted for scanning the area, allowing it to search for targets.
This weapon was previously shot down by the Air Force over Syrian skies.
The Shiite axis, led by the Iranians, has a variety of cruise missiles, some of which were used alongside UAVs in previous attacks, such as the strike on ARAMCO facilities in Saudi Arabia on September 14, 2019, when the Iranians fired cruise missiles from the Quds family.
Additionally, the Iranian “Karrar” family also represents a version of a UAV that was essentially converted into a small and compact cruise missile.
