What If They Are Using the SS-4 and SS-5 ballistic missiles or Their Engines?
Even if the SS-4 and SS-5 rocket airframes and or engines are involved where are the second and third stages for these launch vehicles coming from? It takes many years to develop and adapt such upper stages to these first stages. That kind of development infrastructure apparently simply does not exist as a seasoned industrial base in Iran. This technology has to come from existing Middle East, North Korean and Chinese No-dong, Scud based systems technology with its common heritage. Following the North Korean design philosophy of looking at what hardware does exist logically dictates that the SS-4 first stage could be topped with a Scud-B/C for a second stage and perhaps a solid motor third stage based on the SAM-2 technology. This was in fact considered in the early ballistic missile program of the Soviet Union but it was abandoned. The SS-5 first stage could use a No-dong missile as a second stage that in turn could be topped by a larger solid motor third Stage. Unfortunately the perf
