How Was the First Underground Missile Launch Site Formed?

TEHRAN (Defapress) - Martyr Major General "Amirali Hajizadeh" was a disciple of Martyr Major General "Hassan Tehrani Moghaddam", the father of Iran's missile industry, who progressed side by side with Martyr Tehrani Moghaddam throughout all stages of Iran's missile development. After the martyrdom of Major General Tehrani Moghaddam and during the writing of "The Eternal Man", the most comprehensive and complete book about Martyr Tehrani Moghaddam and the formation of Iran's missile industry, Martyr Hajizadeh was, according to the author, one of the best narrators. This was because he had stood alongside Martyr Tehrani Moghaddam and their other comrades in carrying out missile operations, especially simultaneous launches, with immense self-sacrifice.

Masoumeh Sepehri, the author of "The Eternal Man", a documentary narrative of the life of Iran’s missile industry pioneer, the noble martyr Major General Hassan Tehrani Moghaddam, has recounted stories about this great martyr’s efforts toward Iran’s missile advancement. In one part of the book, she mentions Martyr Hajizadeh’s role in executing Martyr Tehrani Moghaddam’s idea of building the first underground missile launch site.

"There was no mountain, peak, or wondrous land that Hassan Moghaddam did not dream of conquering. The beauty of the mountain, for him, was not just in the twists of the rocks, the purity of the air, the thick snow resting in the shadows, or the beauty of the wild shrubs at the foothills. He was intimate with the mountain and learned from it, from its grandeur, its mysterious silence, the wonder of mountains fading into the horizon, from the burden each person had to carry, from the solitude in dark nights, he found God more and better. He would say: ‘Guys, the darkness and silence of the mountains at night remind you of the grave! What things must we take with us? May God help us!’"

Part of his silence during mountaineering was spent contemplating new missile projects. In those days, Haj Hassan was engrossed in a massive and exciting project! His dynamic mind, in pursuit of securing missile operations, was constantly searching. Against the threats of a formidable enemy entrenched in the region, continuously increasing its military bases, they either needed an array of different launch platforms and positions or had to come up with innovations the enemy could never imagine. This idea had been nurtured in Hassan’s creative mind for a long time until he proposed it and gathered several teams to bring it to life.

"Guys, until now, we’ve used tunnels to store our missiles and equipment. We must go underground for missile operations, too!"

During visits to various countries, they had seen that some of their missile tunnels and factories were underground. In Iran, tunnels were also used to some extent for storage, but this bold idea was extremely difficult and complex to execute. They neither had the knowledge nor the complete tools for it.

To find answers to serious and important questions in this field, they held numerous meetings. The outcome of these meetings led to the design of a special launch silo named "Kheybar", which they internally referred to as "Shaft" and "Moghar" (in civil engineering, a shaft is an underground vertical or inclined passage, and Moghar refers to a large underground space). A complex drilling operation was required for this task. At the time, Amirali Hajizadeh was the commander of the Air Force Engineering Department and took on the responsibility of executing this unprecedented and unique project.

They utilized the opinions and assistance of mining engineers, and surveying teams were brought in to ensure the drilling process was carried out accurately. The size and height of the silo environment had to be such that a missile could be moved and vertically positioned on the platform. The Air Force Engineering Department carried out numerous innovative tasks for drilling such a position, even though the necessary equipment for vertical drilling did not exist in the country at the time! A special, fixed platform for the subsurface silo also had to be designed and built, something that had no precedent.

The design and construction of such a platform, along with auxiliary launch equipment, including electrical, mechanical, and hydraulic installations, were all carried out at the San’ei-Khani Research Center under Haj Hassan’s supervision, by their hardworking men and unassuming engineers. Numerous questions were answered:

"A special design must be implemented for the expulsion of gas energy at the moment of launch so that gas does not accumulate inside the silo space!"

"This position must be acoustically soundproofed. The loud noise of the launch could damage the missile itself! The walls must be equipped with special insulation to absorb the sound!"

"Firefighting equipment must be anticipated. General cooling systems used in conventional positions must be permanently installed in the silo so the platform can be cooled from multiple directions."

"Special cabling must be done so that personnel managing the launch operations can do so from outside the silo. The guys must be behind blast-proof doors so that if an incident occurs, the doors can dampen any explosion or unforeseen event inside the tunnel!"

Work in each section, with its many considerations and complexities, was carried out in complete secrecy by several teams until dozens of difficult scientific knots were untied. Extensive studies were conducted for the construction of blast-proof doors, and after several simulations, they finally built what they wanted.

The execution of the Islamic Republic’s first subsurface launch silo was an extremely complex project that took about three years and finally reached the testing phase in March 2000. The test of this silo, like all other tests, if not more, held special importance and tension because part of the missile’s vertical trajectory passed through the mountain’s interior. The test was conducted in the presence of General Ghalibaf, then-commander of the Air Force, and several other commanders who observed the launch. The test site was near the border, and there were concerns that neighboring countries might obtain information about the operation.

A short-range Shahab-1 missile was launched so that its flight path would not be long enough for outsiders to gather data. This test was a brilliant and highly successful one, forming the foundation for subsequent projects. There was rarely a project that did not have subsequent complementary work based on it. Drawing from the knowledge and experience gained in constructing the Kheybar shaft and Moghar, the idea of other launch silos was realized.

Hassan Moghaddam cherished every innovation. His original ideas and foresight demanded courage and boldness that not everyone possessed.