| Last Updated: | January 1, 2011 |
|---|---|
| Other Name: | KANAF 2; Kfar Zeharya; Sedot Mikha |
| Location: | Sdot Micha, Israel |
| Subordinate To: | Israel Defense Forces |
| Size: | Approximately 50 to 100 missile bunkers [1] |
| Facility Status: | Operational |
Jane's reports that Sdot Micha airbase is Israel's primary deployment and storage site for its Jericho I and II ballistic missiles. [2] Constructed during the late 1960s, the facility became operational in the early 1970s. Upon completion the bunkers housed Jericho I ballistic missiles on mobile launchers. [3] Subsequently, the bunkers reportedly stored and may still house nuclear gravity bombs for F-4s, F-15s, and F-16s stationed a few kilometers to the north at Tel Nof Airbase. [4] Between 1989 and 1993, Israel built additional bunkers to the southeast for Jericho II ballistic missiles. [5] Satellite reconnaissance has not indicated the presence of launch silos on-site, suggesting that the Jericho II's are exclusively stored underground on mobile launchers. [6] The IDF transports Jericho II's to the base from the IAI's nearby missile production facility at Be'er Yaakov via rail. [7] Jane's speculates that Sdot Micha houses at least 50 and up to 100 Jericho IIs. [8]
Sources:
[1] Anthony R. Cordesman, "Israeli Weapons of Mass Destruction: An Overview," Center for Strategic and International Studies, June 2, 2008, www.csis.org; Harold Hough, "Israel's Nuclear Infrastructure," Jane's Intelligence Review, 1 November 1994.
[2] "Israel Nuclear Production Capability," Jane's CBRN Assessments, 1 December 2009.
[3] Joseph Cirincione, Jon B. Wolfstahl, and Miriam Rajkumar, Deadly Arsenals: Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Threats (Washington, DC: Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 2005), p. 269.
[4] Harold Hough, "Israel's Nuclear Infrastructure," Jane's Intelligence Review, 1 November 1994.
[5] Joseph Cirincione, Jon B. Wolfstahl, and Miriam Rajkumar, Deadly Arsenals: Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Threats (Washington, DC: Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 2005), p. 269.
[6] "Jericho 1/2/3 (YA-1/YA-3)," Jane's Strategic Weapon Systems, 3 August 2009.
[7] Harold Hough, "Israel's Nuclear Infrastructure," Jane's Intelligence Review, 1 November 1994.
[8] Harold Hough, "Israel's Nuclear Infrastructure," Jane's Intelligence Review, 1 November 1994; Joseph Cirincione, Jon B. Wolfstahl, and Miriam Rajkumar, Deadly Arsenals: Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Threats (Washington, DC: Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 2005), p. 269.
Country Profile
Israel
This article provides an overview of Israel's historical and current policies relating to nuclear, chemical, biological and missile proliferation.
