Shahab-4
| Function | Disputed |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Iran |
The Shahab-4 (Persian: شهاب-۴, meaning "Meteor-4") (a.k.a. IRIS) was an unbuilt Iranian rocket, derived from the Shahab-3 medium-range ballistic missile. According to Iran it was intended to be a space launch vehicle,[1] after a slip by the Defense Minister in which he acknowledged it as a "more capable ballistic missile than the Shahab-3".[2] According to Western observers it was intended to be part of a nuclear-capable ballistic missile.[3]
History
The IRIS/Shahab-4 project was initiated in 1988 but according to some sources, it never went beyond the drawing board. The design heritage of the IRIS was later incorporated into the Safir.[4]
In 1997, an American satellite captured evidence of a Shahab-4 test facility in Parchin.
In 1999, it was suspected that the Shahab-4 was largely derived from NPO Yuzhnoye's R-12 Dvina, which in its single-stage variant had a maximum range of 2,000km and a circle of equal probability of 2,400km.[3] The dual-stage R-12 Dvina was capable to lift payloads into orbit.
See also
References
- ^ Iran to Launch 2 More Research Rockets Before Placing Satellite into Orbit This Summer Archived 2009-02-08 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ U.S. Department of Defense (2001). Proliferation: Threat and Response (PDF). DIANE Publishing. p. 38. ISBN 1-4289-8085-7.
- ^ a b "Iran Missile Chronology" (PDF). Nuclear Threat Initiative. August 2011. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
- ^ Project IRIS b14643.de