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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Iran tests submarine-to-surface missile |
| 2006-08-27 |
| TEHRAN, Iran - Iran test fired a new submarine-to-surface missile during war games in the Persian Gulf on Sunday, a show of military might amid a standoff with the West over its nuclear activities. A brief video clip showed the long-range missile, called Thaqeb, or Saturn, exiting the water and hitting a target on the water's surface within less than a mile. The test came as part of large-scale military exercises that began Aug. 19. "The army successfully test fired a top speed long-range sub-to-surface missile off the Persian Gulf," the navy commander, Gen. Sajjad Kouchaki, said on state-run television. He did not give the weapon's range. It did not appear capable of carrying a nuclear warhead. Kouchaki said the Thaqeb could be fired from any vessel and could escape enemy radar. He said it was built based on domestic know-how, although outside experts say much of the country's missile technology originated from other countries like Russia and China. |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #7 I didn't know Iran had subs. I didn't even know they had a Navy. This is serious. They could shoot a missile from any location. Belle, it appears as though you are worried that the Iranians might be able to launch a nuclear missile from their submarines. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Warhead designs, currently in the hands of Iran, call for a nuclear device of such enormous bulk that it must ride atop a rather large launch vehicle known as the "Shahab-3 missile [Note: This is an Iranian medium-range ballistic missile designed to be launched from a fixed or mobile launcher at a fixed target]." The Shahab-3 is almost 50 feet long and has a fueled launch weight of nearly 35 tons. None of Iran's puny submarines could field such a weapon. The subs are Russian designed kilo class platforms and have very limited launch capabilities that do not include ballistic missiles. The submarine has a launcher for eight Strela-3 or Igla surface-to-air missiles. These missiles are manufactured by the Fakel Design Bureau, Kaliningrad. Strela- 3 (NATO Designation SA-N-8 Gremlin) has a cooled infrared seeker and 2kg warhead. Maximum range is 6km. Igla (NATO designation SA-N-10 Gimlet) is also infrared-guided but heavier, with a maximum range of 5km and speed of Mach 1.65. The vessels can be fitted with the Novator Club-S (SS-N-27) cruise missile system which fires the 3M-54E1 anti-ship missile. Range is 220km with 450kg high explosive warhead. I hope this clears things up for you. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2006-08-27 22:02 |
| #6 Actually it's based on the Chinese HQ-7/FM-90, which itself is based on the French Crotale: With a maximum detecting range of 25km, the FM-90 is capable of attacking three targets using three different guidance modes simultaneously. The missile also has anti-missile ability against ultra-low-altitude cruise missiles, air-to-surface missiles, and anti-radiation missiles at a distance of 17km. |
| Posted by: Pappy 2006-08-27 20:42 |
| #5 Encapsulated 803. |
| Posted by: 6 2006-08-27 19:24 |
| #4 What happens when they shoot from the sub to saudi? |
| Posted by: 3dc 2006-08-27 19:08 |
| #3 I didn't know Iran had subs. I didn't even know they had a Navy. This is serious. They could shoot a missile from any location. How much of this will happen before the US or Israel tries to stop them. I am curious |
| Posted by: Belle 2006-08-27 16:48 |
| #2 I didn't know Iran had subs. I didn't even know they had a Navy. This is serious. They could shoot a missile from any location. How much of this will happen before the US or Israel tries to stop them. I am curious |
| Posted by: Belle 2006-08-27 16:47 |
| #1 I give Iranian subs about 30 minutes, maybe, in an outbreak of hostilities |
| Posted by: Frank G 2006-08-27 16:46 |