RSA-3
The RSA-3 is a launcher that was developed in South Africa . The development took place during the 1970s and 1980s in times of global isolation of the country.
The RSA-3 missile was completed with Israeli support, so some sources believe that the Israeli Shavit is similar to the RSA-3. In contrast to the RSA-3, the technical data of the Shavit are known. The RSA-3 was both intended as a launcher and intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). As an ICBM, the payload would be 340–400 kilograms, depending on the target distance.
With the political change in South Africa, the development of the RSA-3 was stopped because it would not have been commercially competitive and with the end of apartheid , the political isolation fell away. In addition to the RSA-3, a larger version, the RSA-4, was also under development. With her, the stop came during the planning phase.
literature
- James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies / Monterey Institute of International Studies / Nuclear Threat Initiative: South Africa. Missile . at www.nti.org (English)
- Jo-Ansie van Wyk: Apartheid South Africa's Nuclear Weapons Program and its Impact on Southern Africa . In: Austral: Brazilian Journal of Strategy & International Relations, Vol. 3 (2014), Edition 6, pp. 119–140, ISSN 2238-6262 at www.seer.ufrgs.br (English)
- Peter Liberman: Israel and the South African Bomb . In: The Nonproliferation Review, Summer 2004. at www.qc.edu (English)
Web links
- RSA-3 in the Encyclopedia Astronautica (English)