Jericho is a general designation given to the Israeli ballistic missiles. The name is taken from the first development contract signed between Israel and Dassault in 1963, with the codename as a reference to the Biblical city of Jericho. Like much connected to the nuclear weapons program of Israel, exact details are difficult to find[citation needed]
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Jericho I
Jericho I was first publicly identified as an operational short-range ballistic missile system in late 1971. It was 13.4 m long, 0.8 m in diameter, weighing 6.5 tons. It had a range of 500 km and a CEP of 1,000 m, and it could carry a payload estimated at 400 kg. It was intended to carry a nuclear warhead.[1][2] However, due to Israel's ambiguity over its nuclear weapons program, the missile is classified as a ballistic missile. Initial development was in conjunction with France, Dassault provided various missile systems from 1963 and a type designated MD-620 was test fired in 1965. But French co-operation was halted by an arms embargo from January 1968, though 12 missiles had been delivered from France.[2] Work was continued by IAI at the Beit Zachariah facility and the program cost almost $1 billion up to 1980. Despite some initial problems with its guidance systems, it is believed that around 100 missiles of this type were produced.
In 1969 Israel agreed with the U.S. that Jericho missiles would not be used as "strategic missiles", with nuclear warheads, until at least 1972.[3] The Jericho I is now considerd obsolete and was taken out of service during the 1990s.
Jericho II
The Jericho II is a solid fuel, two-stage medium-range ballistic missile system. There was a series of test launches into the Mediterranean from 1987 to 1992, the longest at around 1,300 km, mostly from the facility at Palmachim, south of Tel Aviv. This missile could carry a 1000 kg payload to a range of 2,800 km.[2]
The Jericho 2 is 14.0 m long and 1.56 m wide, with a reported launch weight of 26,000 kg (although an alternative launch weight of 21,935 kg has been suggested). It has a 1,000 kg payload, capable of carrying a considerable amount of high explosives or a 1 MT yield nuclear warhead. It uses a two-stage solid propellant engine with a separating warhead. The missile can be launched from a silo, a railroad flat truck, or a mobile vehicle. This gives it the ability to be hidden, moved quickly, or kept in a hardened silo, ensuring survival against any attack[3].
It has been proposed that the Jericho IIB forms the basis of the three-stage, 23 ton Shavit NEXT satellite launcher (similar to the South African RSA-3), first launched in 1988 from Palmachim. From the performance of Shavit it has been estimated that as a ballistic missile it has a maximum range of about 7,600 km with a 500 kg payload [4].
Jericho III
It is estimated that the Jericho III entered service by 2008.
The Jericho III is believed to have a three-stage solid propellant and a payload of 1,000 to 1,300 kg. It is possible for the missile to be equipped with a single 750 kg nuclear warhead or two or three low yield MIRV warheads. It has an estimated launch weight of 30,000 kg and a length of 15.5 m with a width of 1.56 m. It likely is similar to an upgraded Shavit space launch vehicle. It probably has longer first and second-stage motors. It is estimated that it has a range of 4,800 to 11,500 km [5] (2,982 to 7,180 miles), and probably significantly greater with a smaller payload of 350 kg (the size of one smaller Israeli nuclear warhead). It is believed that the Jericho 3 is inertial guided with a radar guided warhead and silo-based with mobile vehicle and railcar capabilities.
According to an official report which was submitted to the American congress in 2004 [4], it may be that with a payload of 1000 kg the Jericho 3 gives Israel nuclear strike capabilities within the entire Middle East, Africa, Europe, Asia and almost all parts of North America, as well as within large parts of South America and North Oceania. The range of the Jericho 3 also provides an extremely high impact speed for nearby targets, enabling it to avoid any ballistic missile defenses that may develop in the immediate region[6].
On 17 January 2008 Israel test fired a multi-stage ballistic missile believed to be of the Jericho III type reportedly capable of carrying "Special warheads".[5]
See also
External links
- Israel Missile Update - 2005
- Jericho 3 the main Israel balistic missile-2006
- Feasibility of Third World Advanced Ballistic and Cruise Missile Threat
- Feasibility of Third World Advanced Ballistic and Cruise Missile Threat (Graphics)
References
- ^ (PDF) Prospects for Further Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, Special National Intelligence Assessment, CIA, 23 August 1974, SNIE 4-1-74, http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB240/snie.pdf, retrieved 2008-01-20
- ^ a b Henry A. Kissinger (16 July 1969), "Israeli Nuclear Program", Memorandum for the President (The White House), http://nixon.archives.gov/virtuallibrary/documents/mr/071969_israel.pdf, retrieved 2009-07-26
- ^ Henry A. Kissinger (7 October 1969), "Discussions with the Israelis on nuclear matters", Memorandum for the President (The White House), http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB189/IN-22.pdf, retrieved 2006-07-02
- ^ [1]
- ^ Yuval Azoulay, Missile test 'will improve deterrence', Haaretz, Friday, January 17, 2008
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