Iran's Rocket and Missile Forces and Strategic Options.

Intro -- EXECUTIVE SUMMARY -- I. IRANIAN POLITICS AND THEIR IMPACT ON IRAN'S MISSILES AND NUCLEAR WARHEAD PROGRAMS -- II. SETTING THE STAGE: IRAN'S MISSILE AND ROCKET PROGRAMS AND THEIR IMPACT ON THE GULF AND REGIONAL MILITARY BALANCE -- The Evolving Mix of Iranian Rocket and Missile Forces -- The Scale and Cost of the Iranian Rocket and Missile Effort -- Rockets and Missiles as Compensation for Iran's Weaknesses in Conventional Warfare and as Tools in Asymmetric and Irregular Warfare -- The Air and Air Defense Balance -- The Iranian Air Force: A Weak and Aging Force -- The Uncertainties Affecting Iran's Aircraft and Modernization -- Iranian Claims Air Modernization and Combat Capability -- Iran's Uncertain Surface-to-Air Missile Forces -- Iran's Current Systems -- Iran's Newer Systems -- Modernization of Current Systems, Upgrades and Tactics -- The Ongoing Struggle to Fully Modernize Iran's Surface-to-Air Missile and Surface-Based Missile Defenses -- The S300/S400 -- The Bavar 373, Ra'ad, and S-200 Upgrades -- Iran's Strengths and Weaknesses in Fighting a Significant Air War -- The US, Southern Gulf, and Iran's Capability for Air Combat -- Asymmetric Warfare and Wars of Intimidation -- Using Asymmetric Forces to Compensate for Conventional Weakness -- Ongoing Developments in Iran's Growing Mix of Asymmetric Warfare Forces -- The Limits to Iran's Missile/Asymmetric Capabilities -- Linkages to Iran's Nuclear and Ballistic Missile Programs -- III. IRAN'S ARTILLERY ROCKET PROGRAMS -- The Impact on Iran's Land Force Capabilities -- The Tactical Impact of Iran's Artillery Rockets -- Range and Warhead Capability -- Targeting and Battle Damage Assessment Capability -- Command and Control -- The Broader Strategic Value of Iran's Artillery Rockets -- IV. IRAN'S SHORTER RANGE MISSILES -- Iranian Statements About its Shorter Range Missile Programs.

Key Aspects of the Short Range Missile Force -- The Performance of Individual Shorter Range Missiles -- Zelzal (Earthquake) -- Fateh-110 (Conqueror) -- Hormuz-1 and Hormuz-2 -- Khalij Fars (and Guided Ballistic Missiles) -- Shahab-1 (Meteor 1) -- Shahab-2 -- Qiam -- Military Potential and Effectiveness -- Attacks Across the Gulf -- Volley or Salvo Fire -- The Impact of Precision Guidance -- Targeting and Battle Damage Assessment Capability -- Command and Control -- V. IRAN'S MEDIUM AND LONG-RANGE MISSILE PROGRAMS -- US Assessments of Iran's Medium and Long Range Missile Programs -- Iranian Statements About its Medium and Longer-Range Missile Programs -- Key Uncertainties in Making an Assessment -- A Range of Estimates -- A Matching Range of Uncertainties -- Unrealistic Accuracy Estimates -- Nominal Warheads Are Not Real Warheads -- Assessing Iran's Individual Longer Range MRBMs and IRBMs -- Shahab-3 -- Ghadr-1/F/H -- Sejjil-2/Ashura -- BM-25 -- Stacked Threats and Basing on Mobile Launchers and in Silos -- Iran's Possible Search for an ICBM -- The Space Path to ICBMs? -- How Soon and What Real World Capabilities? -- Targeting and Battle Damage Assessment Capability -- Command and Control -- VI. ASSESSING WARFIGHTING CAPABILITIES OF IRAN'S CURRENT AND FUTURE MEDIUM AND LONGER-RANGE BALLISTIC MISSILE FORCE -- The Accuracy and Reliability Challenge -- The Range-Payload Challenge -- The Warhead Lethality Challenge -- The CBR Warhead Challenge -- External Dimensions of Iran's Missile Program -- VII. CRUISE MISSILES -- Possible Ongoing Development efforts -- Kh-55 -- SS-N-22 -- SS-N-26 -- HY-4/C-601/FL-4 Silkworm -- Indigenous Land-Attack Cruise Missile -- Other Cruise Missile Developments -- To Cruise Missile or Not to Cruise Missile: Making Hard Choices -- VIII. UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLES (UAVS) AND UNMANNED COMBAT AERIAL VEHICLES (UCAVS).

Iran's UAVs and UCAVs -- UCAVs versus Ballistic and Cruise Missiles -- IX. THE MISSILE DEFENSE CHALLENGE -- US, Israeli, and Arab Gulf Systems -- US Missile Defense Forces and Developments -- The GCC States -- Turkey -- Israel -- Iran -- The Impact of Missile Defenses on Iran's Warfighting Capabilities -- X. IMPACT ON DETERRENCE AND WARFIGHTING -- Missiles, Political and Psychological Warfighting, and Wars of Intimidation -- Putting Iran's Missile and Nuclear Programs in Perspective -- The Mid and Longer Term Risk of an Iranian Nuclear Weapon and a Nuclear-Armed Missile Threat -- Timing and Design Issues -- What Nuclear Warhead Design and When? -- Using Untested or Unreliable Weapons and Weapons at a Time a Nation Has Limited Weapons Stockpiles -- Safety, Reliability, and Predictability -- The Dangers of Nuclear Success -- The Vulnerability Windows as a Nuclear Force Evolves -- Iran and Israel: Who Would Have the Existential Threat? -- Deterrence, Containment, Defense, and Retaliation -- The Challenges if Iran Deploys a Precision Strike Conventionally Armed Missile Force -- Conventional Retaliatory Threats -- Rushing Up the Escalation Ladder in Peace and War? -- Impact on Policy.

Iran's rocket and missile forces serve a wide range of Iranian strategic objectives. This study examines how Iran's forces and systems are steadily evolving.

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Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, Michigan : ProQuest Ebook Central, 2024. Available via World Wide Web. Access may be limited to ProQuest Ebook Central affiliated libraries.