In your second massive attack in less than 6 monthsIran launched hundreds of medium-range ballistic missiles toward Israel on Tuesday afternoon. The Netanyahu Defense Forces (IDF) estimate that around 200 reached its airspace, a figure that does not take into account the number of projectiles that may have been shot down as they passed through Jordan or those recovered by the forces. allies from the Mediterranean Sea. among which Spain is not found because it lacks deployment in the region.
“We are on high alert, both defensively and offensively,” said IDF Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari. “We will defend the citizens of the State of Israel,” he continued before declaring: They will act “at the place and time” decided by the Defense Forces..
As Netanyahu’s cabinet decides next steps, the only thing that is clear at the moment is Israel’s weapons competence, both on offense and defense. Technological advances made in recent years have enabled the development of effective anti-aircraft domes as well as long-range missiles with nuclear capability of the country.
Jericho missile family
Of all weapons, The Jericho family of missiles is the most efficient among those currently in use. within the Israeli Defense Forces. The first model in the saga, known as the Jericho I, began development in the early 1960s with the help of the French company Dassault, which provided Tel Aviv with the platform for its MD missile -620, as indicated in the press release. Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
From 1965 to 1968, approximately 16 test launches were conducted to validate the weapon’s technology, of which 10 were successful. Later, in the 1970s, Israel manufactured approximately 50 examples of the Jericho I and became the first first platform compatible with the nuclear arsenal in which the country was already working.
Launch of the Jericho II missile
The Jericho I then entered service in 1973 and remained in service until the 1990s. The specifications it then had placed it in the category of short-range ballistic missiles. range with an operational range of 500 kilometers and 450 kilograms of warhead. The latter could be either a powerful explosive or a 20 kiloton nuclear warhead.
Practically in parallel and taking into account the low autonomy capacity of the Jericho I, the engineers of Israel began work on what is known as Jericho II in 1977.. As explained in the CSISThe development of the Jericho II was motivated by the United States’ refusal to respond to Israel’s request to acquire the Pershing II intermediate-range ballistic missile.
This second model entered service in 1989 and, until 2001, 8 test launches were carried out. It is also known that South Africa participated in the development of the system, authorizing some launches from its territory, although these were officially tests for the African country’s space program.
In terms of specifications, the Jericho II falls into the category of two-stage, intermediate-range ballistic missiles with a mobile launcher. It is powered by solid fuel and It has a range of 1,500 kilometers; enough distance to reach Iranian territory, which I could not do in Jericho.
The payload consists of 1,500 kilograms of high explosive material replaceable by a nuclear warhead of up to 1 megaton. The Jericho II measures 15 meters long by 1.35 meters in diameter and weighs 22 tonnes at launch. This missile model is still active.
Likewise, some reports indicate that Development of Jericho II also serves to place payloads into orbitmainly as part of the Shavit space launcher program, of Israeli national production. According to scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, a Shavit “could carry a nuclear warhead a minimum of 5,300 kilometers”, provided it is deployed from the missile, while the US Department of Defense estimates a potential range of 7,200 km.
The most powerful
The Jericho III program, also internally called YA-4, is an Israeli development intended pursue its family of medium-range ballistic missiles. With Jericho II technology largely outdated at the start of this millennium, Israel commissioned some domestic companies to create a new platform incorporating the latest advances.
The first test of Jericho III was carried out in January 2008 and entered service in 2011currently officially remaining the most capable missile, although a replacement already exists. The IDF also carried out some tests in July 2013 and incorporated some new features compared to the original model. Most important of all was the integration of a new booster, which could give rise to a new variant of the missile.
Third stage of the Jericho III missile
Details about Jericho III are really scarce. Israel keeps some of the key specifications and features under lock and key, such as whether it is a 2 or 3 stage missile. It is estimated to measure 16 meters long by 1.56 meters in diameter and could total 29 tonnes at launchwith approximately 1,000 kilograms dedicated to the warhead.
The missile is compatible with around 50 nuclear warheads that Israel keeps in its arsenal, as well as other types of high-explosive warheads. Concerning the operational scope, it is estimated that can reach 6,500 kilometers using an inertial guidance system independent of the satellites of the GPS constellation, in order to be able to operate in electromagnetically compromised environments.
