Iran It has the largest arsenal of ballistic missiles in the region and, over the years, has developed different methods to hide and protect them. Since military operations began last Saturday ‘Epic Fury’ and ‘Roaring Lion’has become one of the main objectives of the Armies of USA and Israel. To ensure that they are not destroyed, Iran uses a series of strategies that rely on orography, engineering and mobilityaccording to Interesting Engineering.
‘Missile cities’
Iran has moved part of its ballistic missile infrastructure underground, excavating large complexes inside mountains under hundreds of meters of rocks. The logic is that, at that depth and with the intervening terrain, vulnerability to conventional attacks and even ammunition designed to penetrate bunkers is reduced.
These complexes, known as ‘missile cities’are organized as networks of reinforced tunnels and connected storage spaces, with differentiated areas for sensitive components such as warheads, fuel and guidance systems. Compartmentalization and access redundancy seek to maintain operability, even if some entrances are damaged, and make it difficult for a precision attack to neutralize the entire installation.
Iran is responding to external threats by releasing a new video showing one of its underground missile tunnel systems, packed with missile engines, mobile launchers, and a range of advanced weaponry. The footage prominently features the Paveh cruise missile, the Ghadr-380… pic.twitter.com/ILsdlrPtQy
— Basha باشا (@BashaReport) March 25, 2025
Naturally and artificially fortified entrances
The entrances to these underground complexes are usually left embedded in deep rockcamouflaged by the relief itself and reinforced with reinforced concrete and steel coatings. The objective is to convert a vulnerable point such as the mouth of the tunnel into a type of bunker access capable of withstanding impacts and making it difficult for an attack to ‘open’ the heart of the installation.
Inside, the design favors survival. They join blind galleries aligned with the entrance that act as traps for the shock wavediverting it towards secondary branches. Added to that are explosion-resistant doors and compartmentalized chambers designed to contain the overpressure they produce, so that the damage remains localized and does not spread throughout the complex.
Deceive the enemy
Iran combines camouflage and deception to complicate continuous surveillance of satellites and reconnaissance aircraft. The idea is that if the adversary cannot quickly distinguish what is operational and what is not, the targeting process becomes slower, more expensive, and, above all, more prone to error.
In practice, this translates into lures (from simulated launchers to light replicas in view of the enemy) designed to attract precision ammunition and disperse attention. At the same time, part of the infrastructure It ‘disguises itself’ with finishes that make it pass as civilian facilitiesor hidden with covers and barriers that reduce thermal footprint and radar detectabilityreducing the clues that usually give away a military objective. They also hide launch systems inside civilian truck trailers whose upper part is removed when a shot is to be fired.
Dispersion
Iran bets on dispersion and, above all, for the mobility to prevent its missile capabilities from becoming ‘trapped’ on a handful of fixed targets. Instead of relying on permanent platforms, it uses vehicle-mounted launchers (the TEL or Transporters Erectors Launchers) that allow the system to be distributed at different points and reduce the impact of a concentrated attack.
These mobile media wait in reinforced shelters and, in some cases, in underground garagesfrom which they can be quickly deployed to roads, runways in desert areas or remote valleys before a launch. The combination of alternative routes and the use of distractors in the environment complicates continued tracking and makes it more difficult for satellite surveillance to make these launchers a predictable target.
Physical reinforcement
Iran reinforces part of its most sensitive infrastructure with several layers of concrete and then integrates it into the landscape by burying it under the ground. The result is that, on the one hand, it adds physical protection against airstrikes and guided munitions and, on the other, it reduces the visual contrast and detectable signature, so that, observed from satellites, these structures tend to be confused with the relief.
In areas linked to the missile program, including sites near Tehran, buildings have been documented that are literally covered by concrete ‘roofs’ and a layer of soil. And when damage occurs, the response usually seeks speed and discretion by sealing access, rebuilding protective elements and installing temporary covers to recover activity and minimize what is left visible.