Last update - 00:00 06/11/2006
Iran and missiles / Bigger and farther
By Ze'ev Schiff
Iran has recently achieved significant advances in surface-to-surface missile technologies. In addition to the Shehab-type missiles, which use liquid fuels, Tehran is rapidly developing a new solid-state fuel, ballistic missile with a range of approximately 2,000 kilometers.
The Revolutionary Guard has recently wrapped up a large-scale military exercise. The guard is the organization responsible for Iran's missile arsenal, and is made up of three brigade-sized units.
The nuclear program is the responsibility of the Revolutionary Guard - not the military.
During the weekend, the Iranians broadcast videotaped segments in which officers of the guard participated in the launching of a salvo of missiles.
Close analysis of the video, also shown on Israeli television, suggests that most of the launches involve relatively short-range rockets - Shehab-1 and Shehab-2. The launching of a Shehab-3 ballistic missile is also evident in the film.
The range of the Shehab-3 covers Israel, Turkey and Arab states. Earlier reports estimated the range of this missile at 1,300 kilometers, but it appears that its range has been extended to 1,500 kilometers, and perhaps as far as 2,000 kilometers.
The new development relies on a twin-staged missile, using solid-state fuels in place of the liquid fuel utilized in the Shehab-3. Solid-state fuels enable the quicker launching of the ballistic missile, safer storage, and relatively shorter exposure to air attack as it is being prepared for launch.
The designation of the new missile is not yet known.
European intelligence services have focused their attention on Iranian missile developments, because as the range of these ballistic missiles grows, it covers some of the NATO countries.
It is also known that Iran acquired from North Korea a type of missile that is a development of a Russian seaborne missile. The missiles, designated B.M 5 and transported on mobile platforms, are believed to have a range
of 2,500 kilometers or more. Iran purchased 18 such missiles.
The Iranians have taken into account the vulnerability of their missiles to air strikes and are therefore investing large sums in protecting them.
Most Iranian missiles are aimed against Israel, but also against targets in the Persian Gulf, including Saudi Arabia, and westward, toward Turkey and beyond.
In addition to the investment in ballistic missiles, Iran is also trying to develop cruise missiles, satellite capabilities and the U.S. has charged that Tehran is developing a warhead for a nuclear bomb, a project designated "Project 111."