Project Koussar
Encyclopedia
Project Koussar, also known as Project Kowsar, is an alleged intermediate range or intercontinental
ballistic missile program of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
's September 13, 2006 issue, which quotes unnamed Western diplomatic sources, the alleged new missile will be independent of the current Shahab
family of missiles, and will have a range of 4,000 to 5,000 km. Development is reportedly being led by Iran's Shahid Hemmat Industrial Group, which is responsible for Iran's ballistic missile program. The program is allegedly attempting to reverse-engineer an RD-216 engine, which Iran has probably acquired from Russia in the late 1990s. The RD-216 engine was used in - the now obsolete - Russian R-14 Usovaya (SS-5 Skean)
IRBM and in the SL-8 Cosmos launch vehicle. Jane’s notes that "Project Koussar" is believed to be in the preliminary design review stage, and quotes sources stating that Iran is making progress in the RD-216 reverse engineering.
The book Iran's Military Forces and Warfighting Capabilities by Anthony H. Cordesman and Martin Kleiber mentions Project Koussar in its description of the Shahab-5
and Shahab-6
missile projects, which also are allegedly based on the RD-216 engine. According to the book, "the effort to develop an ICBM with the Russian RD-216 engine in some sources has been named 'Project Koussar.' There reports [about the missile projects] remain uncertain, and Israeli media and official sources have repeatedly exaggerated the nature and speed of Iranian efforts."
The book Tehran Rising by Ilan Berman
also mentions the missile project. According to the book, "Opposition groups have charged that Iran's overt missile development masks a much larger clandestine endeavor - one that encompasses both the 4,000-kilometer range Shahab-5 and even a follow in intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) known as the 'Kowsar'. This assessment rings true; according to U.S. intelligence officials, Iran is now estimated to have made sufficient headway to allow for testing of ICBM components in 2005."
An article published by the RIA Novosti news agency
in March, 2009, states, that some unnamed Western and Russian sources claim that Iran may be currently running a program dubbed Project Koussar to develop an IRBM. According to Major General Vladimir Dvorkin, head of the Moscow-based Center for Strategic Nuclear Forces, quoted by the RIA Novosti article, "Iran is actively working on a missile development program. I won't say the Iranians will be able to develop intercontinental ballistic missiles in the near future, but they will most likely be able to threaten the whole of Europe."
An Israeli article published in 2000 predicted, that the development of the Kowsar 4,000-5,000 km-range missile will be completed by 2010. The article is allegedly based on CIA reports.
According to some sources Project Koussar might be another name for Shahab-6
.
Intercontinental ballistic missile
An intercontinental ballistic missile is a ballistic missile with a long range typically designed for nuclear weapons delivery...
ballistic missile program of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Overview
According to an article published on the Jane's Defence WeeklyJane's Defence Weekly
Jane's Defence Weekly is a weekly magazine reporting on military and corporate affairs, edited by Peter Felstead. It is one of a number of military-related publications named after John F. T. Jane, an Englishman who first published Jane's All the World's Fighting Ships in 1898...
's September 13, 2006 issue, which quotes unnamed Western diplomatic sources, the alleged new missile will be independent of the current Shahab
Shahab
Shahab may refer to:* a male given name in Arabic and also Persian, meaning meteor or shooting star, or a bright star that illuminates the heavens* Shahab F.C., Iranian football club in Semnan...
family of missiles, and will have a range of 4,000 to 5,000 km. Development is reportedly being led by Iran's Shahid Hemmat Industrial Group, which is responsible for Iran's ballistic missile program. The program is allegedly attempting to reverse-engineer an RD-216 engine, which Iran has probably acquired from Russia in the late 1990s. The RD-216 engine was used in - the now obsolete - Russian R-14 Usovaya (SS-5 Skean)
R-14 Usovaya
The R-14 Chusovaya was a theatre ballistic missile developed by the Soviet Union during the Cold War. It was given the NATO reporting name SS-5 Skean and was known by GRAU index 8K65. It was designed by Mikhail Kuzmich Yangel. Chusovaya is the name of a river in Russia...
IRBM and in the SL-8 Cosmos launch vehicle. Jane’s notes that "Project Koussar" is believed to be in the preliminary design review stage, and quotes sources stating that Iran is making progress in the RD-216 reverse engineering.
The book Iran's Military Forces and Warfighting Capabilities by Anthony H. Cordesman and Martin Kleiber mentions Project Koussar in its description of the Shahab-5
Shahab-5
Shahab-5 is an alleged Iranian long-range ballistic missile. The name Shahab is a class of Iranian missiles, with a service time of 1988 to present, which comes in six variants: Shahab-1, Shahab-2, Shahab-3, Shahab-4, Shahab-5, Shahab-6.-See also:...
and Shahab-6
Shahab-6
Shahab-6 is the designation of an alleged and possibly fictional Iranian long-range ballistic missile project alleged to exist by Israeli sources, and supposed to be an extension of the Shahab series of missiles, and first reported to the world by Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu in 1997....
missile projects, which also are allegedly based on the RD-216 engine. According to the book, "the effort to develop an ICBM with the Russian RD-216 engine in some sources has been named 'Project Koussar.' There reports [about the missile projects] remain uncertain, and Israeli media and official sources have repeatedly exaggerated the nature and speed of Iranian efforts."
The book Tehran Rising by Ilan Berman
Ilan Berman
Ilan I. Berman is Vice President of the American Foreign Policy Council, a non-profit U.S. foreign policy think tank in Washington, DC. He focuses on regional security in the Middle East, Central Asia, and the Russian Federation...
also mentions the missile project. According to the book, "Opposition groups have charged that Iran's overt missile development masks a much larger clandestine endeavor - one that encompasses both the 4,000-kilometer range Shahab-5 and even a follow in intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) known as the 'Kowsar'. This assessment rings true; according to U.S. intelligence officials, Iran is now estimated to have made sufficient headway to allow for testing of ICBM components in 2005."
An article published by the RIA Novosti news agency
News agency
A news agency is an organization of journalists established to supply news reports to news organizations: newspapers, magazines, and radio and television broadcasters. Such an agency may also be referred to as a wire service, newswire or news service.-History:The oldest news agency is Agence...
in March, 2009, states, that some unnamed Western and Russian sources claim that Iran may be currently running a program dubbed Project Koussar to develop an IRBM. According to Major General Vladimir Dvorkin, head of the Moscow-based Center for Strategic Nuclear Forces, quoted by the RIA Novosti article, "Iran is actively working on a missile development program. I won't say the Iranians will be able to develop intercontinental ballistic missiles in the near future, but they will most likely be able to threaten the whole of Europe."
An Israeli article published in 2000 predicted, that the development of the Kowsar 4,000-5,000 km-range missile will be completed by 2010. The article is allegedly based on CIA reports.
According to some sources Project Koussar might be another name for Shahab-6
Shahab-6
Shahab-6 is the designation of an alleged and possibly fictional Iranian long-range ballistic missile project alleged to exist by Israeli sources, and supposed to be an extension of the Shahab series of missiles, and first reported to the world by Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu in 1997....
.