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Jericho (missile)

Updated: 12/11/2025, 1:55:36 PM Wikipedia source

Jericho (Hebrew: יריחו, romanized: Yericho) is a general designation given to a loosely related family of deployed ballistic missiles developed by Israel since the 1960s. The name is taken from the first development contract for the Jericho I signed between Israel and Dassault in 1963, with the codename as a reference to the Biblical city of Jericho. As with some other Israeli high tech weapons systems, exact details are classified, though there are observed test data, public statements by government officials, and details in open literature especially about the Shavit satellite launch vehicle. The later Jericho family development is related to the Shavit and Shavit II space launch vehicles believed to be derivatives of the Jericho II MRBM and that preceded the development of the Jericho III ICBM. The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in the US concluded that the Shavit could be adapted as an ICBM carrying a 500 kg warhead over 7,500 km. Additional insight into the Jericho program was revealed by the South African series of missiles, of which the RSA-3 are believed to be licensed copies of the Jericho II/Shavit, and the RSA-4 that used part of these systems in their stack with a heavy first stage. Subsequent to the declaration and disarming of the South African nuclear program, the RSA series missiles were offered commercially as satellite launch vehicles, resulting in the advertised specifications becoming public knowledge. The civilian space launch version of the Jericho, the Shavit, was studied in an air launched version piggybacked on a Boeing 747 similar to a U.S. experimental launch of the Minuteman ICBM from a C-5 Galaxy.

Infobox

Type
Ballistic missile
Place of origin
Israel
In service
mw- 1971–1990s (Jericho I) 1989–Present (Jericho II) 2011–Present (Jericho III)
Used by
Israel Defense Forces
Designer
Initially in collaboration with Dassault Aviation
Manufacturer
Israel Aerospace Industries
Unit cost
Classified
Produced
1965 onwards (Jericho I) 1980s onwards (Jericho II) 2000s onwards (Jericho III)
No. built
Classified
Mass
6,500 kg (Jericho I) 26,000 kg (Jericho II) 30,000 kg (Jericho III)
Length
13.4 m (Jericho I) 14.0 m (Jericho II) 15.5 m (Jericho III)
Diameter
0.8 m (Jericho I) 1.56 m (Jericho II and III)
Warhead
400 kg to 1,300 kg warheads
Detonationmechanism
Impact and proximity
Engine
Multiple-stage solid rocket
Propellant
Solid
Operationalrange
500-660 km (Jericho I) 2,800 km (as Jericho II) or 4,500-7800 (as Shavit) Up to 11,500 km (Jericho III)
mw- Maximum speed
Hypersonic
Guidancesystem
Inertial with terminal guidance
Launchplatform
Silo or Mobile (truck-mounted)

Tables

· South African RSA Series
RSA-3
RSA-3
Variant
RSA-3
Date of launch
1989 June 1
Launch location
Overberg Test Range
Payload
RSA-3-d 1
Mission status
Apogee: 100 km (62 mi)
RSA-3
RSA-3
Variant
RSA-3
Date of launch
1989 July 6
Launch location
Overberg Test Range
Payload
RSA-3 2
Mission status
Apogee: 300 km (190 mi)
RSA-3
RSA-3
Variant
RSA-3
Date of launch
1990 November 19
Launch location
Overberg Test Range
Payload
RSA-3 3
Mission status
Apogee: 300 km (190 mi)
Variant
Date of launch
Launch location
Payload
Mission status
RSA-3
1989 June 1
Overberg Test Range
RSA-3-d 1
Apogee: 100 km (62 mi)
RSA-3
1989 July 6
Overberg Test Range
RSA-3 2
Apogee: 300 km (190 mi)
RSA-3
1990 November 19
Overberg Test Range
RSA-3 3
Apogee: 300 km (190 mi)

References

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    https://web.archive.org/web/20130921021309/http://www.nti.org/country-profiles/israel/delivery-systems/
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    https://web.archive.org/web/20160820140229/http://www.astronautix.com/r/rsa-3.html
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    http://www.spacenews.com/article/israel-studies-airborne-launch-scheme-shavit-rocket
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    http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB240/snie.pdf
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    http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB189/IN-22.pdf
  10. Time
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  12. Cohen, Avner. "The Last Nuclear Moment" The New York Times, October 6, 2003.
    https://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/06/opinion/the-last-nuclear-moment.html
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    https://missilethreat.csis.org/missile/jericho-1
  14. nsarchive2.gwu.edu
    https://nsarchive2.gwu.edu/NSAEBB/NSAEBB98/octwar-10.pdf
  15. October 9, 1973, conversation (6:10–6:35 pm) between Israeli Ambassador to the United States Simcha Dinitz, Henry Kissin
    http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB98/octwar-21b.pdf
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    https://missilethreat.csis.org/missile/jericho-1/
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  18. irp.fas.org
    https://irp.fas.org/threat/missile/rumsfeld/pt2_carus2.htm
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    https://www.armscontrol.org/act/2012-05/banning-long-range-missiles-middle-east-first-step-regional-arms-control
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    https://missilethreat.csis.org/missile/jericho-2/
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    https://www.twz.com/news-features/could-israel-use-conventionally-armed-jericho-ballistic-missiles-to-strike-iran
  22. ResearchGate
    https://www.researchgate.net/publication/291613226
  23. "Jericho 2"
    https://missilethreat.csis.org/missile/jericho-2/
  24. Time
    https://web.archive.org/web/20080202144549/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0%2C9171%2C913468%2C00.html
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    https://web.archive.org/web/20130121132332/http://missilethreat.com/missiles/jericho-123/
  26. "Shavit (Israel), Space launch vehicles – Orbital"
    http://www.janes.com/articles/Janes-Space-Systems-and-Industry/Shavit-Israel.html
  27. "Jericho 2"
    https://web.archive.org/web/20100624184533/http://www.missilethreat.com/missilesoftheworld/id.57/missile_detail.asp
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    http://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/5-weapons-make-it-clear-israel-dominates-the-sky-25371?page=2
  29. Duncan Lennox, ed., "Jericho 1/2/3 (YA-1/YA-3) (Israel), Offensive Weapons," Jane's Strategic Weapon Systems, Issue 50,
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  32. Joseph Cirincione, Jon B. Wolfsthal and Miriam Rajkumar, Deadly Arsenals: Tracking Weapons of Mass Destruction (Washingt
  33. The Times of Israel
    https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-successfully-tests-new-anti-ballistic-missile-system/
  34. Ynetnews
    https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4141933,00.html
  35. "Jericho 3"
    https://missilethreat.csis.org/missile/jericho-3/
  36. "Jericho 3"
    https://web.archive.org/web/20130121132332/http://missilethreat.com/missiles/jericho-123/
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    https://web.archive.org/web/20040627015931/http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/crs/rl30427.pdf
  38. Haaretz
    https://web.archive.org/web/20100414021616/http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/945859.html
  39. Haaretz
    https://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/idf-test-fires-ballistic-missile-in-central-israel-1.393306
  40. The Washington Post
    https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/24/AR2006082401050.html
  41. "Missile survey: ballistic & cruise missiles of foreign countries"
    https://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/31999.pdf
  42. The Arab-U.S. Strategic Partnership and the Changing Security Balance in the Gulf: Joint and Asymmetric Warfare, Missiles and Missile Defense, Civil War and Non-State Actors, and Outside Powers
    https://books.google.com/books?id=b0OWCwAAQBAJ&q=everybody+can+do+the+math+rocket+engine+we+can+get+to+any+point+jericho+III&pg=PA281
  43. Aviation Week
    https://web.archive.org/web/20131101025843/http://www.aviationweek.com/Article.aspx?id=%2Farticle-xml%2FAW_07_29_2013_p36-598763.xml
  44. "Israel Tests the Jericho Missile System; Iran Claims They're Being Targeted"
    https://beholdisrael.org/israel-tests-the-jericho-missile-system-iran-claims-theyre-being-targeted/
  45. "Zarif: Israel carried out nuclear missile test aimed at Iran"
    https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/irans-zarif-claims-israeli-rocket-test-was-a-nuke-aimed-at-iran-610128
  46. "Should Iran be afraid of Israel's long-range attack capabilities? - analysis"
    https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/defense-news/article-795752
  47. Arms Control Today
    http://web.archive.org/web/20231103152025/https://www.armscontrol.org/system/files/ACT_South%20Africa_9601.pdf
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    http://aessa.org.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=51&Itemid=55
  49. "Satellites for South Africa"
    http://www.defenceweb.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=13208:satellites-for-south-africa&catid=90:science-a-technology&Itemid=204
  50. "RSA-4"
    https://web.archive.org/web/20140805141424/http://astronautix.com/lvs/rsa4.htm
  51. "RSA"
    https://web.archive.org/web/20160303194929/http://www.astronautix.com/lvs/rsa.htm
  52. "RSA-1"
    https://web.archive.org/web/20160303174327/http://www.astronautix.com/lvs/rsa1.htm
  53. "RSA-2"
    https://web.archive.org/web/20120619090733/http://www.astronautix.com/lvs/rsa2.htm
  54. "Book Review: How SA built six atom bombs"
    http://www.defenceweb.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5942:book-review-how-sa-built-six-atom-bombs-&catid=57:Book%20Reviews&Itemid=141
  55. "Jericho"
    https://web.archive.org/web/20100529204936/http://www.astronautix.com/lvfam/jericho.htm
  56. "South Africa"
    https://web.archive.org/web/20160820010737/http://www.astronautix.com/s/southafrica.html
  57. The Samson Option
  58. The Counterproliferation Papers
    https://nuke.fas.org/guide/israel/nuke/farr.htm
  59. Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
    https://doi.org/10.1080%2F00963402.2021.2014239
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