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Iran test-flies solid-propellant ballistic missile
By Doug Richardson
03 December 2008
Iran reported having tested a new two-stage solid-propellant intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) on 13 November.
It was not clear if the launch had been conducted earlier that day or at an earlier date.
An announcement of the launch by the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) described the missile as "new-generation" and reported that the launch had been conducted in the presence of Iranian Defence Minister Brigadier General Mostafa Mohammad Najjar.
Talking to reporters after the launch, the minister said that Sejjil had been designed and manufactured by aerospace experts of the armed forces. "The two-stage missile uses combined solid fuel and has a high launching speed," he said. (The term 'high launching speed' was not explained, but probably referred to the speed with which the missile could be readied and launched, rather than to its velocity immediately post-launch.)
Speaking on Iranian state television, he described the two-stage missile as having an "extraordinarily large capability" and a range of up to 1,200 miles (1,930 km).
Television and press imagery of the launch showed a missile similar in general appearance to the liquid-propellant Shahab 3, complete with Shabab 3-style cruciform tail surfaces and a triconic 'bottle-nose' payload section similar to that seen on the Shahab 3A.
Image: The white efflux from the first stage of the Sejjil confirms that the missile uses solid propellant. (EMPICS)