Iran
Imam Ali Missile Base
About
The Imam Ali Missile Base is one of two Iranian silo missile bases.1 Former Iranian President Khatami reportedly “ordered the production of 15 Shahab-3 missiles, to be deployed in underground bunkers near Khorramabad.”2 The underground silos present at the base appear to be large enough to host Shahab-3 missiles.3 Iran also deploys mobile transporter erector-launchers, to be launched from pre-surveyed launch points, at the base.4 The heavily guarded complex appears to consist of two main facilities, one of them a storage facility and the second an operational missile launch facility.5
Glossary
- Silo
- Hardened underground facility for housing and launching a ballistic missile.
- Deployment
- The positioning of military forces – conventional and/or nuclear – in conjunction with military planning.
Sources
- Iran’s Ballistic Missile Capabilities: A Net Assessment, The International Institute for Strategic Studies, (London, 2010), p.118.
- C. Bown, E. Jorgensen, G. Kampani and F. Wehling, “Nuclear- and Missile-Related Trade and Developments for Selected Countries, March-June 1999,” The Nonproliferation Review, Fall 1999, p. 194.
- Iran’s Ballistic Missile Capabilities: A Net Assessment, The International Institute for Strategic Studies, (London, 2010), p.119.
- Sean O’ Connor, “Khorramabad Missile Silos,” IMINT & Analysis, 25 February 2009, http://geiming.blogspot.com.
- Sean O’ Connor, “Khorramabad Missile Silos,” IMINT & Analysis, 25 February 2009, http://geiming.blogspot.com.