Shahab-3
| Shahab-3 | |
|---|---|
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|
| Type | Strategic MRBM |
| Service history | |
| In service | 2003–present |
| Used by | Iran |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | Iran |
| Variants | A,B,C,D |
| Specifications | |
| Diameter | 1.2 m (3 ft 11 in) |
| Warhead | One (990 kg or 2,180 lb) - five cluster warheads in new models (280 kg or 620 lb) each warhead, each warhead can target different destinations. |
|
|
|
| Engine | Liquid & Solid (for models made after 2006) |
|
Operational
range |
1,930 km (1,200 mi) |
| Flight altitude | 400 km |
| Speed | 2.4 km/s at altitude 10-30 km in final stage which is about mach 7 |
|
Guidance
system |
inertial |
The Shahab-3 (Persian: Ŝahāb 3; shahâb means "meteor") is a medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM) developed by Iran and based on the North Korean Nodong-1. The Shahab-3 has a range of 1,280 kilometres (800 mi); a MRBM variant can now reach 1,930 kilometres (1,200 mi). It was tested from 1998 to 2003 and added to the military arsenal on July 7, 2003, with an official unveiling by Khamenei on July 20.
The forerunners to this missile include the Shahab-1 and Shahab-2. The then-Iranian Defense Minister Admiral Shamkhani has denied that Iran plans to develop a Shahab-4. Some successors to the Shahab have longer range and are also more maneuverable.
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.
The Shahab-3B differs from the basic production variant. It has improvements to its guidance system and warhead, a few small changes on the missile body, and a new re-entry vehicle whose terminal guidance system and rocket-nozzle steering method are completely different from the Shahab-3A's spin-stabilized re-entry vehicle.
The new re-entry vehicle uses a triconic aeroshell geometry (or "baby bottle" design) which improves the overall lift to drag ratio for the re-entry vehicle. This allows greater range maneuverability which can result in better precision. The triconic design also reduces the overall size of the warhead from an estimated 1 metric ton (2,200 lb) to 700 kg (1,500 lb).
The rocket-nozzle control system allows the missile to change its trajectory several times during re-entry and even terminal phase, effectively preventing interceptor guidance via trajectory prediction by early warning radar—a method nearly all long range ABM systems use. As a high-speed ballistic missile and pre-mission fueling capability, the Shahab-3 has an extremely short launch/impact time ratio. This means that the INS/gyroscope guidance would also remain relatively accurate until impact (important, given the fact that the gyroscopes tend to lose accuracy with longer flights). The CEP is estimated to be at 30–50 metres (98–164 ft) or less. However, the accuracy of the missile is largely speculative and cannot be confidently predicted for wartime situations.
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Wikipedia