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1 1 (January 9, 2020)

handle is hein.crs/govbext0001 and id is 1 raw text is: FF. ' ,iE S .r. i , Updated January 9, 2020 Iran's Ballistic Missile and Space Launch Programs On January 7, 2020, Iran launched 16 short-range ballistic missiles that were fired from three different locations inside the country and hit various targets on two Iraqi military installations housing U.S. troops Al Asad Air Base and an air base near Erbil in Northern Iraq. Experts argue that the attack served as both Iranian retaliation for the U.S. killing of Iranian's top military commander, Major General Qasem Soleimani, as well as a warning to the United States against further military action against Iran. No U.S. or allied casualties were reported. Iran has been acquiring, developing, and testing its ballistic missile capabilities for decades and continues to invest in developing ballistic missiles and in building an extensive network of related facilities. The recent attack may have demonstrated advances in the accuracy of Iran's missiles. Short- and medium-range ballistic missile tests indicate that Iran is focused on increasing the accuracy of its missiles. Once forecasted to acquire an intercontinental-range ballistic missile by 2020, Iran has not yet demonstrated this capacity. Furthermore, Iran's space launch program continues to experience significant delays, and may be slowing. S,,tcnr'-a5S aktkm missi (sR~s The majority of Iran's heavy artillery rockets and ballistic missiles are tactical or short-range (less than 500 kilometers). Most of Iran's ballistic missiles are Scud-B and Scud-C derivatives, with a majority likely being Scud-Cs. Iran has less than 100 SRBM reusable transporter-erector- launchers (TELs) and likely has hundreds of SRBMs. Iran views its SRBM capability as necessary for battlefield and tactical military purposes. Iran often test-fires these missiles as part of its military exercises. Iran's SRBMs could strike U.S. and allied bases in the Gulf region if moved from their operating bases, as well as targets throughout Iraq, but they could not reach Israel. Iran has grown increasingly self-sufficient in producing SRBMs, but still probably relies on outside sources, such as North Korea, for some key components and materiel. Stricter international enforcement of export controls and broadening missile-related sanctions which are in place under the Iran nuclear agreement have reportedly slowed Iran's efforts. The Qiam ballistic missile was first tested in August 2010, and continues to be operational. UN Reports and U.S. government reports released in recent years have highlighted escalations in both its use by Iran and transfer to regional forces allied with Iran. The Qiam was launched from Iran targeting ISIL fighters in Syria in June 2017, and modified versions of the SRBM have also been used in Yemen on several occasions in 2018. The Qiam rocket is road-mobile, liquid-fueled, and finless, and it is capable of achieving a range of 800 km. The Fateh-1 10 is a solid-fuel, road-mobile battlefield or tactical ballistic missile with a range of about 250-300 km. There may be four versions of the Fateh-1 10 in service; one is apparently called the Khalij-Fars (Persian Gulf'). (MRtBht) 1 Iran is developing and producing MRBM capabilities with ranges estimated up to about 2,000 kilometers (some non- U.S. government sources cite slightly higher ranges), sufficient to strike targets throughout the Middle East. According to the National Air and Space Intelligence Center (NASIC) in 2017, Iran has perhaps fewer than 50 MRBM launchers and an unknown number of associated missiles. Iran continues to develop, test, and build more capable and increasingly accurate MRBMs. Iran argues these missiles constitute an important deterrent and retaliatory force against U.S. and other forces in the region in the event of war. Iran has also constructed an underground network of bunkers and silo-like missile launch facilities, and is seeking improved air defenses, presumably to enhance the survivability of their MRBMs against preemptive attack. Like the SRBM program, Iran relies to some extent on others, particularly North Korea, for certain key missile components and materials in its MRBM program. Export controls and sanctions have made it increasingly difficult, but not impossible, for Iran to acquire the best of such items, causing Iran to try to exploit weaknesses in existing export and nonproliferation regimes, or to try to find foreign sellers willing to circumvent those laws. S,*aba-,' - Card,', t! , 'ad,, Skj',itAshura The Shahab-3 is a ballistic missile imported from the DPRK and based on the No-dong 1. The Shahab-3 has been given various names by Iran and others over time. There reportedly have been several different versions of this liquid-fueled missile flight tested with various other modifications made to it, perhaps providing the Shahab-3 with ranges varying from about 800-1,000 km. The missile is reportedly both road-mobile and silo-based. Because the range of the Shahab-3 lies at the low end of an MRBM, Iran has sought to develop, test, and deploy a much longer-range ballistic missile. Iran's first efforts in extending the range of the Shahab-3 manifested in what some have variously referred to as the Ghadr-1. The Shahab-3 variant is road- mobile, liquid-fueled, and single-stage, and it is believed by some experts to carry a smaller payload and a modified reentry vehicle (RV). Modified Ghadr MRBMs were K~:> mppm qq\ p\w gn'a', ggmm a 'S I 11\111WILiN,

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