North Korea Fires Taepo-Dong 2, Five Short- and Medium-Range Missiles
July 5, 2006 :: Washington Times :: News
North Korea yesterday test-launched a long-range Taep’o-dong 2 ballistic missile, which broke up 42 seconds into its flight, and five short- to medium-range missiles, including one that landed near Russian territory. According to the Pentagon, the missiles were launched from “multiple locations” and there is a possibility that North Korea will conduct more test launches over the next few days. The Taep’o-dong 2, which is believed to have a range of approximately 15,000 km (9,300 m), broke apart 42 seconds after its launch for reasons as of yet unknown. The five shorter range Nodong and Scud missiles all landed in the Sea of Japan. All six launches were detected and tracked by the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). No actions were taken by the U.S. military in response. The White House referred to the missile launches as “a clear provocation,” and said that North Korea’s decision to escalate its standoff with the international community will bring it further alienation. (Article, Link)
» More stories on: North Korea, Testing - Foreign
» Missile details: NHK-1/2, Scud B variant, Tien Ma 1
North Korea Said Readying Taep’o-dong 2 for Test Launch
June 19, 2006 :: New York Times :: News
North Korea has completed fueling a Taep’o-dong 2 long-range ballistic missile, greatly increasing the probability that it will go ahead with its first major test launch in eight years. On Sunday, U.S. officials reported that satellite photographs of a launch site on North Korea’s eastern coast suggested that liquid-fuel tanks had been fitted to the missile. Fueling is a late step in the preparations for a liquid-fueled missile launch. U.S. officials and analysts regard the move as a leading indicator of North Korea’s intentions. Reports also indicate that booster rockets have been loaded onto the launch pad.
North Korea has not conducted a major test launch since August 1998, when it fired a Taep’o-dong 1 missile over Japan. In 1999, North Korea agreed to a moratorium on long-range missile testing, which it has maintained, although in the past year there were indications that North Korea had declared itself no longer bound by that moratorium. Yet five weeks ago, U.S. officials received satellite images indicating that North Korea was preparing to test the three-stage Taep’o-dong 2. The first stage is believed to be a cluster of No-dong missiles, which are single-stage, shorter-range rockets; the second stage is likely a No-dong missile; the third would probably be solid-fueled. U.S. officials believe that North Korea has enough plutonium for at least half a dozen nuclear weapons and has already produced a small but growing nuclear arsenal.
If North Korea launches the Taep’o-dong 2, with a range possibly sufficient to reach the continental U.S., the consequences could be tremendous. The New York Times comments that the result could be “a political chain reaction in Japan, the United States, and China,” the three nations that have been trying to re-engage North Korea in stalled talks about its nuclear weapons program. The U.S. and Japan might step up financing and efforts for ballistic missile defenses, and Japanese politicians might even push to reconsider their nation’s nuclear weapons policy. (Article, Link)
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» Missile details: Tien Ma 1
India Tests Prithvi-1 Missile
June 11, 2006 :: Forbes :: News
India successfully test-launched its Prithvi-1 short-range ballistic missile today. According to Indian defense sources, the launch took place at the Chandipur-on-Sea test site in the eastern coastal state of Orissa. First tested in 1988, the Prithvi-1 has a range of 150 km and can carry conventional or low-yield nuclear warheads. It is believed to be designed for battlefield use against troops or armored formations. Two other variants, the Prithvi-2 and the Prithvi-3, have ranges of 250 and 350 km respectively. (Article, Link)
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» Missile details: Poseidon C-3
Iran Fires Shahab-3 Missile
May 24, 2006 :: News
Iran test launched a Shahab-3 intermediate-range ballistic missile on Tuesday night. The launch took place just hours before U.S. President George W. Bush met with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to discuss the Iranian threat.
Reports describe the test as only “partly successful,” and most likely did not indicate an advance in the missile’s capabilities. (Article, Link)
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» Missile details: Shahab-6
Pakistan Tests Hatf-6 for Second Time in Two Weeks
May 10, 2006 :: UPI :: News
Pakistan tested its Hatf-6 (Shaheen-2) intermediate-range ballistic on May 6 for the second time in two weeks. The Hatf-6 is a two-stage solid fuel missile with a range of over 2,000 km and is capable of carrying nuclear or conventional weapons. According to a Pakistani military spokesman, Saturday’s test was carried out to confirm the missile’s ability to fulfill additional technical parameters beyond those achieved in previous tests. The test came two days after Pakistan and India concluded a three-day session of negotiations in Islamabad to discuss confidence-building measures. However, the two nations failed to reach an agreement on reducing the risk of accidental or unauthorized use of nuclear weapons. The previous test of the Haft-6 took place and April 29. (Article, Link)
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» Missile details: Hatf 6
Pakistan Tests Hatf-6 Missile
April 30, 2006 :: BBC :: News
On Saturday, Pakistan test-launched its Hatf-6 (Shaheen-2) long-range ballistic missile from an undisclosed location. The Hatf-6 is Pakistan’s longest-range ballistic missile, capable of traveling 2,000 km. It includes a two-stage solid-fuel missile capable of carrying nuclear or conventional warheads. The test was witnessed by Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, who stated afterwards that “we will continue to pursue vigorously our security and energy needs from all sources including nuclear.” (Article, Link)
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» Missile details: Hatf 6
Russia Tests New Reentry Vehicle Said Designed to Penetrate U.S. Defenses
April 23, 2006 :: Pravda :: News
Russia test-launched a new warhead designed to penetrate U.S. missile defenses on Saturday. The warhead was launched aboard a K65M-R missile from the Kapustin Yar testing ground in the southern Astrakhan region. The K65M (R-14) is a launcher used to deliver satellites to orbit. Itar-Tass quotes Colonel-General Nikolai Solovtsov, commander of Russia’s Strategic Rocket Forces, who noted that the test involved optic and radar measurement systems that reproduce U.S. missile defense systems. Kommersant reported that the test was made with the K65-M launcher as opposed to a newer Topol-M for cost reasons, and that only one Topol-M per year would be test launched, for operating purposes.
“Saturday, we began official flight tests for the…arming of promising missile systems which will go into service in 2008,” Ivanov was quoted by the Itar-Tass news agency as saying when he reported to Russian President Vladimir Putin, “that is of landmark significance for us and the country.” Ivanov added that “The deviation [from target] did not exceed several hundred meters, which is a good result for the first launch. The warhead dummy arrived at the preset point at a distance of more than 2,000 kilometers at the Balkhash test field in Kazakhstan, leased by Russia.”
The warhead tested is under consideration for use on both land and sea-based missiles, presumably the Topol-M and Bulava. The trajectory on which it is tested makes use of many radars at the Sary Shagan site. (Article, Link)
» Kommersant on K65M-R test
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Iran Tests “Sonar-Evading” Underwater Missile
April 5, 2006 :: News
Iran recently tested a new “sonar-evading” underwater missile, which it claims is capable of traveling at 375 km per hour, three to four times faster than conventional torpedoes. General Ali Fadavi of the Iranian Islamic Revolution Guards Corps said that “no vessel can escape from this missile,” which is known as “Hoot,” meaning whale. As usual, Western analysts are skeptical of Iran’s claims. Radio Free Europe catalogues the various inconsistencies and contradictions that surround the alleged missile. Jason Alderwick of the International Institute for Security Studies in London studied video footage of the Hoot released by the Iranian government: “Certainly they seem to have undertaken some form of test, of some ‘missilized’ underwater projectile, but to go so far as to claim it is a credible, fully operational underwater missile I think is overstating [the matter] considerably,” he says. He points out that the best conventional torpedoes have a speed of approximately 110 km per hour: to get them to run at three or four times that speed through rocket power while remaining stealthy is unlikely. Another problem is range: launching an underwater missile at high speed through a dense substance like water means a large consumption of fuel. Although Iran did not specify the Hoot’s range, if its claims are true than the missile would only be useful when attacking ships at close range. (Article, Link)
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Iran Tests Second “Radar Avoiding Missile”
April 5, 2006 :: AP :: News
Iran announced Tuesday that it has tested a second “radar-avoiding missile” during its war games in the Persian Gulf and Sea of Oman. The new missile, known as “Kowsar,” was described by Iranian state television as a medium-range surface-to-sea missile designed to sink ships. It is allegedly equipped with remote-control and searching systems, and features a guidance system that can avoid any electronic jam. The Islamic Republic News Agency quoted Gen. Yahya Rahim Safavi, chief of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, as saying that Iran is now able to “confront any extra-regional invasion,” thus referring to the U.S. without mentioning it by name.
On March 31, Iran test-fired what it referred to as a “Fajr-3” missile, claiming that the missile could avoid radar, similar to the Kowsar. Western intelligence sources, however, have expressed their doubts as to the validity of Iran’s claims. (Link)
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Iran Claims Test of Fajr-3 Missile “Invisible” to Radar, Interceptors
April 3, 2006 :: News
Iran has test-fired what it referred to as a “Fajr-3” missile on Friday, March 31, claiming that the missile has the capability to avoid radar and hit several targets simultaneously. According to Gen. Hossein Salami, air force chief of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, the Fajr-3 was launched as large military maneuvers began in the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Sea. The test is one of several part of a series of Iranian wargames.
Some television and media reports, citing little or no evidence, have suggested that the missile tested could have a comparable range to Iran’s longer-range ballistic missile, the Shahab-3, which can travel 2,000 km. But previous intelligence reports indicate that Iran has used the designation “Fajr-3” to reference one of its many artillery rockets, one with an estimated range of only 45 km (approximately 25 miles). If this Fajr-3 is in fact the “ballistic missile” that the Revolutionary Guards test-fired, then Iran would seem to have attracted worldwide attention for a test of apparently little significance.
A number of sources dispute Iran’s technical claims for the Fajr-3, however, regardless of whether it is anything more than upgraded artillery. Ruslan Pukhov, director of the Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies in Russia, speculated that “most probably it is a clone of a Chinese missile or Chinese and old Soviet technologies combined,” which would make the missile “interceptable and predictable.” He added that “there is hardly any realistic ground” to Iran’s statement that the missile is able to strike multiple targets. Pukhov therefore believes that Iran is “fighting the U.S. on the information front.” (Article, Link)
» Defense News: Uzi Rubin doubts Iranian claims of indigenous technology
» Russian Expert Disputes Iranian claims
» Fajr-3 description from Globalsecurity.org
» NTI Description of Fajr artillery
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