On a quiet night in the Judean Desert near Arad, passersby enjoying the starry sky unexpectedly encountered a ballistic missile, a remnant of Tehran’s recent massive attack on Israel, which included a combination of more than 300 suicide drones, missiles cruise and ballistic missiles.
This finding is not isolated to the southern region, as similar artifacts were located near the Dead Sea just after the attack.
The question then arises as to how it is possible that, ten days after the assault, civilians continue to find unexploded missiles, especially after statements by an IDF spokesperson who claimed that Israel’s air defense system had successfully intercepted 99% of them. of the projectiles launched.
Analysis of the persistence of unexploded missiles in the Negev
The IDF decided to make this information public after confirming that some missiles hit the Nevatim base, a fact that was reported by international media. Although reports of a damaged transport plane were not directly responded to, explanations were provided for the nearly intact missiles found in the Negev.
The recently discovered missile is the Iranian model Imad, one of two types of ballistic missiles used in the attack, along with the Haybar Shekan. The Imad is an evolution of the Shehab 3, based on the design of North Korea’s Rodong missile.
During the assault, Iran fired 110 ballistic missiles toward Israel. Each of these projectiles is equipped with rocket engines that allow it to ascend beyond the atmosphere, large fuel tanks that facilitate long-distance travel, a control system and a warhead loaded with 750 kg of explosives. This warhead is sophisticated enough to damage reinforced structures.
The missile’s fins allow for precise trajectory and maneuvers designed to evade enemy defense systems. With a range of approximately 1,700 kilometers, the Imad is designed to hit its target with an accuracy of up to 10 meters.
Dynamics and strategies in the interception of ballistic missiles
“The warhead is the payload carried by the missile, the purpose of which is to put it into orbit on the way to the target,” explains Tal Inbar, an expert on the Iranian missile program.
The engine accelerates the missile and it flies towards Israel on a ballistic trajectory, at a maximum altitude of 110-140 km above the ground. Somewhere, over western Iran or over Iraq, the warhead separates from the heavy, clumsy casing of the missile that carries it so that it can be easily maneuvered toward the target.
The warhead is the dangerous part that must be intercepted. The rest of the missile arrives in Israel without fuel, and as long as it falls in uninhabited territory, it will not cause damage.
The cost of these missiles is high: one Arrow-2 costs about 3 million dollars. The objective is to destroy the target with the fewest number of interceptors possible. That is why a lot of effort has been put into developing the ability of Israeli air defense systems to distinguish between the warhead and the missile itself.
This allows us to launch an interceptor to the correct target and not waste an interceptor on the missile itself, as long as it is not about to land in a populated area.
Consequently, although the missiles aimed at Nevatim and other targets in the Negev did not reach their destination, they ended up scattered throughout the south, converted into simple metallic remains devoid of their warheads.
These fragments, now inert in the Negev, are gradually collected by the IDF for investigation and to further analyze the enemy’s offensive capabilities.
