Our new article for Examiner.com looks at the implications of today’s missile test by Iran. With the successful launch of a solid-fueled Sajjil-2, Tehran has re-affirmed its plans to field advanced missiles, capable of hitting Israel and U.S. targets throughout the Middle East.
But the Sajjil-2 is more than just a new Iranian missile. It’s a first-strike weapon, designed to put a chemical, biological or nuclear warhead on an Israeli target with minimal warning. Over the past decade, Tehran has invested heavily in underground complexes for its short and medium-range missiles.
Some of those facilities–like the base at Bakhtaran–have launch portals built into the roofs of hardened bunkers, allowing missiles to be launched from inside. Such facilities are ideal for staging surprise attacks, and solid-fuel missiles support that strategy. They can be launched with minimal preparation, and the solid-fuel technology is less volatile that the liquid fuel used in older Iranian missiles.
As we note in the article. development of the Sajjil-2 reduces Israel’s warning time to a matter of minutes. Liquid-fueled systems like the Shahab-3 require longer preparation time (more than a an hour in some cases) and–preferably–outside an enclosed bunker, where a fuel leak could be disastrous.
