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Khorramshahr (missile)

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Khorramshahr
TypeMRBM
Place of originIran
Production history
ManufacturerDefense industry of Iran
Specifications
Mass19/5 tons
Length13 m
Diameter1.5 m
Engineliquid fuel rocket
Operational
range
2,000 km with a 1,800 kg warhead
Maximum speed 8 - 16 Mach [1]
Launch
platform
mobile

The Khorramshahr (Persian: خرمشهر), named after the city of Khorramshahr in Iran, is a medium-range ballistic missile that was tested by Iran in January 2017. With a range between 1,000 and 2,000 km, it can carry a 1,800 kg warhead[2][3][4][5][6][7][8] and is 13 m in length.[9]

Overview

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Jane's Defence Weekly and Center for Strategic and International Studies stated that it is the Iranian version of North Korea's Hwasong-10.[10][11][12] North Korea sold a version of this missile to Iran under the designation BM-25.[13] The number 25 represents the missile's range of 2,500 km.[10][14][15][16] Iran said it has decreased the missile size over the initial version, reducing the propellant mass and range.[17] Such a range covers targets in Israel, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, and NATO members Romania, Bulgaria and Greece, if fired from Western Iran.[17]

The IRGC Commander of the Aerospace Division, Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh stated that the Iranian variant "has become smaller in size and more tactical", which may explain the missile's decreased range. A second theory asserts that Iranian officials do not want to raise concern in Europe about their missile program, and are purposely underestimating the range.[18] The IISS's Michael Elleman said that Iran today likely has the capability to go beyond the original range of 1,000-2,000 kilometers with its Khorramshahr ballistic missile, though it chose to limit its range by putting a heavier warhead on it in testing.[19]

Due to the heavy payload, it has potential to carry nuclear warheads.[20] It is uncertain whether it can carry multiple nuclear warheads due to its size.[21][17]

The gas output from these rockets, range, warheads and rocket launchers are different. In the Khorramshahr missile there is some small separated gas output from the big one in the center to control the missile without wings.[22][23] The gas output model of the Khorramshahr missile is more like the Hwasong-12.[24]

Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, the commander of Aerospace Force of the IRGC, said that Khorramshahr is a missile with a multiple-warhead capability.[9]

A Khorramshahr-4 ballistic missile

The Khorramshahr-4 was unveiled on 25 May 2023. The new variant is reported to have a range of 2,000 km with a 1,500 kg warhead. It has a more advanced engine that uses hypergolic fuel, which can be stored in tanks for years, shortening the launch preparation time to 12 minutes. The new propellant requires smaller tanks, reducing the motor section to about 13 m, with the warhead adding about 4 m to the missile's length. It has an airframe made of a stronger composite material, and a mid-phase navigation system that enables it to correct its course when outside of the atmosphere, so it is not reliant on terminal guidance that can be disrupted by electronic warfare systems.[25]

History

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The Khorramshahr was first reportedly test-fired on 29 January 2017, flying about 950 km before exploding. It was tested again as of August 2020, with a small re-entry vehicle (RV) that extends its range and possibly its accuracy.[11][26]

Variants

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  • Khorramshahr-1
  • Khorramshahr-2
  • Khorramshahr-3
  • Kheibar (Khorramshahr-4)

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Khorramshahr missile yjc.ir Retrieved 25 May 2023
  2. ^ Hilary Clarke; Shirzad Bozorgmehr. "Iran tests new ballistic missile hours after showing it off". CNN. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  3. ^ "Iran tests new ballistic missile: state media". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  4. ^ "Iran tests new missile after U.S. criticizes arms program". Reuters. 23 September 2017. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  5. ^ "Iran tests new ballistic missile: state media". NBC News. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  6. ^ "Iran conducts successful test of Khorramshahr ballistic missile". UPI. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  7. ^ CNBC (23 September 2017). "Iran successfully tested a new ballistic missile, state media reports". CNBC. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  8. ^ "Iran Shows Off New Ballistic Missile At Military Parade". NPR.org. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  9. ^ a b جهان|TABNAK, سایت خبری تحلیلی تابناك|اخبار ایران و. "توضیحاتی درباره مشخصات فنی موشک خرمشهر". سایت خبری تحلیلی تابناك|اخبار ایران و جهان|TABNAK (in Persian). Retrieved 28 September 2017.
  10. ^ a b "Iran releases Khorramshahr missile test video - Jane's 360". www.janes.com. Retrieved 3 May 2018.
  11. ^ a b "Khorramshahr - Missile Threat". csis.org. Retrieved 3 May 2018.
  12. ^ Trevithick, Joseph. "Iran's New Ballistic Missile Looks a Lot Like a Modified North Korean One". The Drive. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  13. ^ "The Global Range of Iran's Ballistic Missile Program - Uzi Rubin". www.jcpa.org. Retrieved 3 May 2018.
  14. ^ Majumdar, Dave (2 February 2017). "Iran's New Missile That Has Donald Trump Steaming Mad: Born in North Korea?". The National Interest. Retrieved 18 August 2017.
  15. ^ Korea Military Balance [permanent dead link‍]
  16. ^ "Iran's Missile Test: Getting the Facts Straight on North Korea's Cooperation". 38 North. 3 February 2017. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  17. ^ a b c Hilary Clarke; Shirzad Bozorgmehr (23 September 2017). "Iran tests new ballistic missile hours after showing it off". CNN. Retrieved 25 September 2017.
  18. ^ "Khorramshahr - Missile Threat". csis.org. Retrieved 3 May 2018.
  19. ^ Gambrell, Nasser Karimi, The Associated Press, Jon (31 October 2017). "Iran's supreme leader limits range for ballistic missiles produced locally". defensenews.com. Retrieved 3 May 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  20. ^ "FAQ after allegations of another ballistic missile test by Tehran - FDD's Long War Journal". longwarjournal.org. 28 September 2017. Retrieved 3 May 2018.
  21. ^ "In defiance to Trump, Iran unveils new missile capable of striking Israel". 22 September 2017. Retrieved 25 September 2017.
  22. ^ prtrtur (26 January 2017), Hwasong 10, retrieved 28 September 2017
  23. ^ ali javid (22 September 2017), Iran Sacred Defense Week 2017 ballistic missile parade Khorramshahr IRBM موشک بالستیک خرمشهر, retrieved 28 September 2017
  24. ^ GloSecCom (16 May 2017), North Korean Hwasong-12 Missile Test, retrieved 28 September 2017
  25. ^ "Iran unveils Khorramshahr-4 ballistic missile". Janes Information Services. 25 May 2023. Archived from the original on 28 May 2023.
  26. ^ "New footage of Iran's Khorramshahr missile test released". Janes.com. 17 August 2020. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
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