Lets shed some light on the Shahab-3 [Meteor-3]. The standard version is on its transporter above. It’s basically a slightly improved SCUD-C and based on a North Korean design. Interestingly, the FAS reports 1280km–not miles–which would put it out of range of Israel. Looks like the mainstream press needs lessons on the difference between a kilometer and a mile. Semi-professionally, this range figure looks good to me for the design because it’s basically the same as the SCUD-C and SCUD-D. Yes, there appears to be a lengthened version with 1500km range. However, the trade off is a smaller warhead, a heavier missile, and an even more massive transporter.
Just like the SCUDs, it has a horrific fuel mixture. The propellant is a mixture of gasoline and kerosene (the worst of both worlds). In fact, since the oxidizer is fairly volatile itself, better thrust would be achieved using hydrazine–nasty stuff. Hydrazine and Nitric Acid was the propellant and oxidizer of our Titan missile systems. The oxidizer is a wonderfully “stable” combination of fuming Nitric Acid and Nitrous Oxide. One of the joys of such fuel is that the oxidizer tank must be lined with paraffin wax. If the system gets too hot and the paraffin starts to melt or shift, the reaction could be–say–”energetic.” For example, dropping a wrench in a Titan silo was considered a good recipe for incineration when the metal wrench breached the oxidizer and propellant tanks mixing them together for instant and vigorous combustion.
To top it all off, the ignition sequence starts with a solid fuel rocket spinning the propellant and oxidizer turbines up to speed before primary ignition. I wouldn’t want anything to overheat or explode in those first few seconds–like solid fuel motors have a habit of doing. I probably wouldn’t want anybody shooting at me during this process either–imagine the effect of a small arm’s round breaching both tanks.
The mainstream photos make this thing look sleek and elusive–it ain’t! This is a humongous SCUD you can launch from a nice, prepared concrete pad or a highway. Even in the best of circumstances, this thing would be an iffy proposition to move cross-country and even iffier to launch without a thorough inspection first. Notice also that the stepped down cone on the missile pictured here is missing on most of mainstream photos. That’s the guidance package!
That being said, it has the beginning of an inertial guidance system, and it would be perfectly capable of blowing a four city block-sized crater through the keel of a stationary Nimitz-class carrier. A very stationary, as in moored tightly to its dock stationary, carrier.
