Shahab-3

Shahab-3
TypeStrategic MRBM
Service history
In service2003–present
Used by Iran
Production history
Manufacturer Iran
VariantsA,B,C,D
Specifications
Diameter1.2 m (3 ft 11 in)
WarheadOne (1,200 kg or 2,600 lb) at 1,000-2,000 km[1]– five cluster munition warheads in new models (280 kg or 620 lb each), each warhead can target different destinations.
EngineLiquid propellant rocket[2]
Operational
range
1,000 km (620 mi)[1]-2,000 km (1,200 mi) [3] (Shahab-3 ER)[4]
Flight altitude400 km[5]
Maximum speed 2.4 km/s at altitude of 10–30 km in final stage which is about Mach 7[6]
Guidance
system
inertial navigation system
Accuracy2,500 m Circular error probable[1]
Launch
platform
Vehicle

The Shahab-3 (Persian: شهاب ۳, romanized: Šahâb 3; meaning "Meteor-3") is a family of liquid-fueled ballistic missiles developed by Iran, under the IRGC, and based upon the North Korean Nodong-1/A and Nodong-B missiles.[7][8][9] The Shahab-3 family has a range of 800-1,000 kilometres (620 mi). It was tested from 1998 to 2003 and added to the military arsenal on 7 July 2003, with an official unveiling by Ayatollah Khamenei on July 20. It has an estimated accuracy of about 2,500m CEP.[10] According to the IAEA, Iran in the early 2000s may have explored various fuzing, arming and firing systems to make the Shahab-3 more capable of reliably delivering a nuclear warhead.[1]

The forerunners to this missile include the Shahab-1 and Shahab-2. Iran's Defense Ministry has alternately denied plans to develop a Shahab-4 and admitted that a Shahab-4 program is in development, having claimed it both to be a MRBM and an SLV.[11] Some successors to the Shahab have longer range and are more maneuverable.[12][13][10]

Operating under the Sanam Industrial Group (Department 140), which is part of the Defense Industries Organization of Iran, the Shahid Hemmat Industrial Group (SHIG), led the development of the Shahab missile.[14]

In 2019, the US Defense Intelligence Agency described the Shahab 3 as "the mainstay of Iran’s MRBM force".[15] In June 2017, the US Air Force National Air and Space Intelligence Center estimated that fewer than 50 launchers were operationally deployed.[16]

Shahab-3 missiles are considered obsolete and are being progressively changed for their more recent upgrades of Shahab family missiles, such as the Ghadr-110H and Emad missile. The US government says that the Shahab-3 is "generally" less accurate than the Fateh-110.[15]

  1. ^ a b c d "Shahab-3". Missile Threat.
  2. ^ Shahab-3/ Zelzal-3 fas.org
  3. ^ Ballistic and cruise missile threat nasic.af.mil
  4. ^ "The Global Range of Iran's Ballistic Missile Program - Uzi Rubin".
  5. ^ Toukan, Abdullah; Anthony H. Cordesman. "GCC – Iran: Operational Analysis of Air, SAM and TBM Forces" (PDF). Center for Strategic & International Studies. Retrieved 27 February 2014.
  6. ^ Wright, David C.; Timur Kadyshev (1994). "An Analysis of the North Korean Nadong Missile" (PDF). Science & Global Security. 4 (2). Gordon and Breach Science Publishers S.A.: 129–160. Bibcode:1994S&GS....4..129W. doi:10.1080/08929889408426397. Retrieved 27 February 2014.
  7. ^ U.S. Department of Defense (2001). Proliferation: Threat and Response (PDF). DIANE Publishing. p. 38. ISBN 1-4289-8085-7.
  8. ^ The North-Korean/Iranian Nodong-Shahab missile family b14643.de
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference :2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ a b "Ghadr-1". Missile Threat. Retrieved 27 February 2014.
  11. ^ "Federation of American Scientists :: Shahab-3 / Zelzal-3". 2013-02-03. Archived from the original on 2013-02-03. Retrieved 2024-04-14.
  12. ^ "Iranian President Defies West At Military Parade". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 22 September 2007. Retrieved 27 February 2014.
  13. ^ "Iran Shows Home-Made Warfare Equipment at Military Parade". Fars News Agency. 22 September 2007. Archived from the original on 2014-02-27. Retrieved 27 February 2014.
  14. ^ Gertz, William (1997-05-22). "Russia disregards pledge to curb Iranian missile output; Tehran, Moscow sign pacts for additional support". The Washington Times.
  15. ^ a b Iran Military Power dia.mil
  16. ^ Ballistic and Cruise Missile Threat (Report). Defense Intelligence Ballistic Missile Analysis Committee. June 2017. p. 25. NASIC-1031-0985-17. Retrieved 16 July 2017.