Shahab-3
The Shahab-3 (Persian: شهاب ۳, romanized: Šahâb 3; meaning "meteor-3") is a liquid-propelled medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM) developed by Iran and based on the North Korean Nodong-1. The Shahab-3 has a range of 1,000 kilometres (620 mi); a MRBM variant can now reach 2,000 kilometres (1,200 mi) (can hit targets as far as Israel, Egypt, Romania, Bulgaria and Greece). 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. With an accuracy of about 2,500 m CEP, the Shahab-3 missile is primarily effective against large, soft targets (like military airfields). Given the Shahab-3’s payload capacity, it would likely be capable of delivering nuclear warheads. 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.
| Shahab-3 | |
|---|---|
| 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 (1,200 kg or 2,600 lb) at 1,000-2,000 km– five cluster munition warheads in new models (280 kg or 620 lb) each warhead, each warhead can target different destinations. |
| Engine | Liquid propellant rocket |
Operational range | 1,000 km (620 mi)-2,000 km (1,200 mi) (Shahab-3 ER) |
| Flight altitude | 400 km |
| Maximum speed | 2.4 km/s at altitude of 10–30 km in final stage which is about Mach 7 |
Guidance system | inertial navigation system |
| Accuracy | 2,500 m Circular error probable |
Launch platform | Vehicle |
The forerunners to this missile include the Shahab-1 and Shahab-2. In 2007, the then-Iranian Defence 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.
In 2019, the US Defense Intelligence Agency described the Shahab 3 as "the mainstay of Iran’s MRBM force". US Air Force National Air and Space Intelligence Center estimates that as of June 2017 fewer than 50 launchers were operationally deployed.
Shahab-3 missiles are considered as obsolete and are being progressively changed for their more recent upgrades of Shahab family missiles such as the Ghadr-110H and Emad missile.