Al-Watah ballistic missile base
Saudi ballistic missile base
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Al-Watah ballistic missile base is a ballistic missile facility in the low but quite rocky mountains near the town of Al-Watah, Saudi Arabia, 200 km west-southwest of the capital Riyadh.[1]
| Al-Watah ballistic missile base | |
|---|---|
| Site information | |
| Type | Missile base |
| Owner | Royal Saudi Strategic Missile Force |
| Controlled by | Saudi Arabia |
| Location | |
  Al-Watah ballistic missile base Location within Saudi Arabia | |
| Coordinates | 24.213691°N 44.701952°E |
| Site history | |
| Built | 2007 |
Overview
The analysts think that the base was built no earlier than 2008. The base has several underground entry gates, parking slots for mobile launchers and two large launch pads that are identical to ones that can be seen at Chinese DF-3 (CSS-2) Dongfeng missile bases. The liquid-fueled DF-3A is an early Chinese nuclear weapon Intermediate-range ballistic missile and is believed to have a range of 4,000 – 5,000 km with a 2,000 kg warhead.[2] Michael Elleman and Joseph S. Bermudez Jr. stated that the site appeared to have a rocket-engine production and test facility.[3]
The launch pads' marks and configuration from satellite images[4] show that the base is 'targeting Iran and Israel with ballistic missiles'.[5]
Construction of the base likely began in 2013.[3]
