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Short range ballistic missile. IOC: 1973. Family: Jericho. Country: Israel. Status: Active.

First Israeli ballistic missile. Developed by Dassualt in France as the MD-620. Test series included both one and two stage prototypes. Follow-on versions were said to have differed.

Dassault had opened a missile division in St Cloud on 15 September 1957. In 1962, the French government asked Dassault to develop a ballistic missile on behalf of Israel. The result was the MD 620 Jericho ballistic missile, designed to carry a warhead of a still-classified mass over a range of 500 km. The first test of a single-stage version of the missile took place on 1 February 1 1965 from Ile du Levant. Tests of the two-stage version began on 16 March 1966. The MD 620 was France's first ballistic missile with an airborne digital computer. This program was cancelled in January 1969 following France's weapon embargo on Israel. Dassault achieved valuable experience on the project, becoming familiar with aerodynamic and thermodynamic phenomena at speeds of up to Mach 6, and ballistic missile steering and inertial guidance technology.

The first stage (presumably a solid propellant booster) had a length of 4.05 m and a weight of 1,950 kg, and the second stage (presumably liquid fuelled) had a length of 5.0 m and a weight of 4,100 kg. The payload assembly had a length of 4.35 m and a weight of 650 kg.'

Manufacturer: IAI. Launches: 24. Failures: 7. Success Rate: 70.83%. First Launch Date: 1965-02-01. Last Launch Date: 2001-06-27. Launch data is: continuing. Apogee: 100 km (60 mi). Liftoff Thrust: 0 N ( lbf). Total Mass: 6,700 kg (14,700 lb). Core Diameter: 0.80 m (2.62 ft). Total Length: 13.40 m (43.90 ft). Standard warhead mass: 750 kg (1,650 lb). Maximum range: 500 km (310 mi). Boost Propulsion: Solid rocket. Cruise Propulsion: Solid rocket. Guidance: Inertial. Maximum speed: 6,800 kph (4,200 mph). Total Number Built: 100.

  • Stage1: 1 x Daniel-2. Gross Mass: 2,000 kg (4,400 lb). Motor: 1 x MD-620. Length: 4.50 m (14.70 ft). Diameter: 0.80 m (2.62 ft). Propellants: N2O4/UDMH.
Version:

Jericho 1. Status: Active.

Follow-on version differed from original French-derived Jericho. Probably used a single 4500 kg solid-propellant motor.

Launches: 3. First Launch Date: 1990-12-21. Last Launch Date: 2000-04-06. Apogee: 100 km (60 mi). Liftoff Thrust: 0 N ( lbf). Total Mass: 4,500 kg (9,900 lb). Core Diameter: 1.01 m (3.31 ft). Total Length: 10.06 m (33.00 ft). Span: 1.01 m (3.31 ft). Standard warhead mass: 500 kg (1,100 lb). Maximum range: 480 km (290 mi). Boost Propulsion: Solid rocket.

  • Stage1: 1 x Jericho-1-1. Gross Mass: 2,000 kg (4,400 lb). Motor: 1 x MD-620. Length: 4.50 m (14.70 ft). Diameter: 0.80 m (2.62 ft). Propellants: N2O4/UDMH.
Version:

Jericho 2. Intermediate range ballistic missile. IOC: 1990. Status: Active.

Tactical ballistic missile. Probably corresponds to first two stages of Shavit launch vehicle.

Launches: 5. Failures: 1. First Launch Date: 1987-05-01. Last Launch Date: 2001-06-27. Apogee: 300 km (180 mi). Liftoff Thrust: 610.000 kN (137,130 lbf). Total Mass: 22,000 kg (48,000 lb). Core Diameter: 1.71 m (5.60 ft). Total Length: 12.59 m (41.31 ft). Span: 2.50 m (8.20 ft). Maximum range: 1,450 km (900 mi). Boost Propulsion: Solid rocket. Cruise Propulsion: Solid rocket. Guidance: Inertial.

  • Stage1: 1 x Jericho II-1. Gross Mass: 300 kg (660 lb). Motor: 1 x Jericho II. Thrust (vac): 20.000 kN (4,496 lbf). Burn time: 24 sec. Length: 2.70 m (8.80 ft). Diameter: 0.31 m (1.01 ft). Propellants: Solid.
Jericho Chronology

1965 February 1 - Ile du Levant -. Tir 1 test Agency: Dassault. Apogee: 100 km (60 mi). First launch of prototype single-stage MD.620.

1965 December 23 - Ile du Levant -. FAILURE: Failure. Test mission Agency: Dassault. Apogee: 100 km (60 mi).

1966 - Ile du Levant -. Test mission Agency: Dassault. Apogee: 100 km (60 mi).

1966 - Ile du Levant -. Test mission Agency: Dassault. Apogee: 100 km (60 mi).

1966 - Ile du Levant -. FAILURE: Failure. Test mission Agency: Dassault. Apogee: 100 km (60 mi).

1966 March 16 - Ile du Levant -. Bietage test Agency: Dassault. Apogee: 100 km (60 mi). First launch of two-stage version of MD.620.

1967? - Ile du Levant -. Test mission Agency: Dassault. Apogee: 100 km (60 mi).

1967? - Ile du Levant -. FAILURE: Failure. Test mission Agency: Dassault. Apogee: 100 km (60 mi).

1967? - Ile du Levant -. Test mission Agency: Dassault. Apogee: 100 km (60 mi).

1967? - Ile du Levant -. Test mission Agency: Dassault. Apogee: 100 km (60 mi).

1967? - Ile du Levant -. FAILURE: Failure. Test mission Agency: Dassault. Apogee: 100 km (60 mi).

1968? - Ile du Levant -. Test mission Agency: Dassault. Apogee: 100 km (60 mi).

1968? - Ile du Levant -. FAILURE: Failure. Test mission Agency: Dassault. Apogee: 100 km (60 mi).

1968? - Ile du Levant -. Test mission Agency: Dassault. Apogee: 100 km (60 mi).

1968? - Ile du Levant -. FAILURE: Failure. Test mission Agency: Dassault. Apogee: 100 km (60 mi).

1968 September 30 - Ile du Levant -. Agency: Dassault. Apogee: 100 km (60 mi). Final test launch of Jericho/MD.620 from France. Full French military embargo of Israel took effect in January 1969 after an Israeli raid on Beirut in December 1968.

1987 May 1 - Palmachim -. Test mission Agency: IDF. Apogee: 300 km (180 mi).

1988 January 1 - Palmachim -. Agency: IDF. Apogee: 300 km (180 mi).

1989 September 14 - Palmachim -. Test mission Agency: Israel. Apogee: 300 km (180 mi).

1990 December 21 - Negev -. Operational test Agency: IDF. Apogee: 100 km (60 mi).

1991 October 30 - Negev -. Operational test Agency: IDF. Apogee: 100 km (60 mi).

1994 September 15 - Palmachim -. LV Model: Jericho 2 . Jericho II 3? FAILURE: Failure. 'Ofeq? Agency: ISA. Apogee: 300 km (180 mi).

2000 April 6 - Negev -. Operational test Agency: IDF. Apogee: 100 km (60 mi).

2001 June 27 - Palmachim -. Operational test Agency: IDF. Apogee: 100 km (60 mi).

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