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Iran, Israel trade barbs over new missile tests
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| 16 August 2004 |
By Michael Sirak JDW Staff Reporter
Washington, DC
Additional reporting by Alon Ben-David JDW Correspondent
Tel Aviv
and Andrew Koch JDW Bureau Chief
Washington, DC
Tehran on 11 August announced that it had tested an upgraded version of its Shahab-3 medium-range ballistic missile. The test came just two weeks after Israel's Arrow anti-missile system - designed to negate the Shahab threat - shot down an actual 'Scud' missile for the first time in an exercise meant to validate its growing capabilities.
While senior Iranian defence officials said the Shahab field exercise - it was not an actual flight test - was meant to assess the performance of new components that engineers have integrated into the missile, they acknowledged that its timing was no accident.
"The Israelis are trying hard to improve the [capability] of their [Arrow] missiles and we are also trying to improve the Shahab-3 in a short time," said Iranian Defence Minister Rear Adm Ali Shamkhani on 7 August while disclosing the pending test. The improvements to the missile "not only concern its range, but other specifications as well", he noted.
Regional intelligence sources told JDW that these enhancements include guidance equipment of Chinese origin to improve the missile's accuracy. US intelligence sources could not confirm this claim as JDW went to press.
The baseline Shahab-3 is believed to have a range approaching 1,300km - enough to strike Israel. There is no information that the improvements include penetration aids that could help the missile evade the Arrow's interceptors.
The sequence of Arrow-Shahab testing comes amid the backdrop of the continuing crisis over Iran's alleged clandestine nuclear weapon programme. Iran has said it would strike at Israel with its ballistic missiles if Israel attacks its nuclear facilities.
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