AFRICA REVIEW - SOUTH AFRICA: IGNITING A MISSILE RACE?

Created: 12/8/1989

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South Africa:issile

Africa may have produced ai teatt the xolid rutfi'tUrii motors for the vhon-rangcRHMlm the Amnion Mnnlc Testuly and is apparently preparing foe series producuon of mi! id motors that could be used in both ballistic nuvtilcs and space ljunch vehicles.roducuon Capability alios Pretoria to develop baliituc missiles in spite ol trie Misfdc Technology Control Regimetcd NaiMMik embargo efforts and maynnulen ihc African coniincnM

Pntiiria'sk tic Muailc Program Sutiih Africa's niusilc development jwugrain tvgjn innder ihc duccuun oflhe Armanrnu Corporal on tif Snuth Aliita(ARMSCOR) Early development proerarm fra.-uwdurface-to-air. air-to-air. and cruise nliuilvi. In theDi. si^mof hallitiic missile development were

fWo facilities for producing solid piopcllani, aOmcrsci Weu and Irene Missile Component RAD and Production facilities, were cspandedonitruetion began j' Arniuco foe the lest range in IWH. Byouth AfrKa had completed conttrucuon of facilities capableroducing ballistic mivtilc-si'cd moioes at Somcrsci West and, inretoria launched its first ballistic missile from the Amnion Missile Testy

qucitiunfrica had bunched an Israeli-produced missile or one ihji South Africa had produced indigenously. Ample evidence cassis linking hracl to South African mililary programs, there fore the possibilityirect transfer oC nuvtile Lompuncnis from Tel Aviv to Pretoria cannot be

discounted. However, analysis] suggests that South Africa may have produced ihc solid motors used for ihc July launch.

1 Africa is preparing (or seriesallistic.missile-sue motors and thaicat will probably be the sue of this Droduciion. Although sialic test facilities eiasi at Somerset West the Pringle Bay tost facility is the only one to be identified lhat appears capable of testing motors of baThsiic missile tirea neceaiary procedure for scriesVj*vi 1