Iran
Bakhtaran Missile Base
About
Due to its strategic location in western Iran, the Bakhtaran missile base is a potential launching point for ballistic missiles against Israel, the Gulf States and Europe.1 The base houses an underground facility, two munitions storage areas, and missile launch pads.2 The Revolutionary Guard Corps defends the base with Hawk and SA-2 air defense batteries.3 In 1985, Syrian missile experts assisted the Iranians in launching Shahab-1 missiles at Baghdad from the base.4 Between 1994 and 2001, Iran allegedly launched several Scud attacks against the Mojahedin-e-Khalq organization in Iraq from Bakhtaran.5 In 2006, the Revolutionary Guards Corps reportedly moved Shahab-3 missiles to the base.6 According to the German news agency DDP, Iran might have conducted a Shahab-3 test from the base in 2006.7 Iran has launched attacks against ISIS targets in Syria from the Bakhtaran base and conducted the first combat launch of the Zolfaghar ballistic missile system in June 2017.8
Glossary
- Ballistic missile
- A delivery vehicle powered by a liquid or solid fueled rocket that primarily travels in a ballistic (free-fall) trajectory. The flight of a ballistic missile includes three phases: 1) boost phase, where the rocket generates thrust to launch the missile into flight; 2) midcourse phase, where the missile coasts in an arc under the influence of gravity; and 3) terminal phase, in which the missile descends towards its target. Ballistic missiles can be characterized by three key parameters - range, payload, and Circular Error Probable (CEP), or targeting precision. Ballistic missiles are primarily intended for use against ground targets.
- Scud
- Scud is the designation for a series of short-range ballistic missiles developed by the Soviet Union in the 1950s and transferred to many other countries. Most theater ballistic missiles developed and deployed in countries of proliferation concern, for example Iran and North Korea, are based on the Scud design.
Sources
- Anthony H. Cordesman and Martin Kleiber, “Iran’s Military and Warfighting Capabilities: The Threat in the Northern Gulf,” Center for Strategic and International Studies, Washington, DC, 2007, p. 97, www.csis.org.
- “Missiles of the Middle East: Bakhtaran,” James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies, www.view.ceros.com.
- Anthony H. Cordesman and Martin Kleiber, “Iran’s Military and Warfighting Capabilities: The Threat in the Northern Gulf,” Center for Strategic and International Studies, Washington, DC, 2007, p. 97, www.csis.org.
- Joseph S. Bermudez, Jr., “Iran’s Missile Development,” in The International Missile Bazaar: The New Supplier’s Network, eds. William C. Potter and Harlan W. Jencks, (San Francisco, CA: Westview Press, 1994) p. 66.
- Iran’s Ballistic Missile Capabilities: A Net Assessment, International Institute for Strategic Studies, (London: 2010), p. 119.
- “Iran Moving Shahab-3 Missiles,” Jane’s Missiles & Rockets, 8 March 2006, www.janes.com.
- “Report: Iran has Conducted Four Missile Tests in 2006,” BBC Worldwide Monitoring, 15 February 2006, www.missilethreat.com.
- “Missiles of the Middle East: Bakhtaran,” James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies, www.view.ceros.com.