Jericho 1 was a short-ranged, solid-fueled ballistic missile developed and produced by Israel. Israel’s first nuclear capable missile, it was retired from service during the 1990’s.¹

Jericho 1 Development

The Jericho 1 is thought to have entered development in 1962 with the assistance of the French company Marcel-Dassault.² The missile, given the designator YA-1, is based on Dassault’s design, the MD-620.³ Approximately 16 test launches took place between 1965 and 1968, of which 10 were successful.⁴ After initially receiving 14 Jericho 1 missiles from France, Israel domestically produced approximately 50 additional missiles between 1971 and 1978.⁵ The Jericho 1 was Israel’s first nuclear capable missile.⁶ The missile entered service in 1973.⁷

Jericho 1 Specifications

The Jericho 1 had a range of 500 km, with a payload of up to 650 kg. It was 13.4 m long, with a 0.8 m diameter, and a total launch weight of 6,700 kg.⁸ The missile used a two-stage solid propellant engine and could be launched from a railroad flat truck or a TEL vehicle. The Jericho could carry a payload of up to 650 kg, reportedly equipped with a 450 kg high explosive warhead, a 20 kT nuclear warhead, or potentially a chemical warhead.⁹ The missile reportedly has an accuracy of 1,000 m CEP.¹⁰

The range on the Jericho 1 was sufficient to strike major cities such as Damascus and Cairo from secured launch locations.¹¹

Jericho 1 Service History

The Jericho 1 missiles were housed in Zacharia, located south-west of Tel Aviv and stationed in underground caves. Although the Jericho 1 missiles have been taken out of service, it is suspected that at least 90 Jericho 2 missiles remained at this site.¹²

It is believed that Israel took all Jericho 1 missiles out of service in the 1990’s and replaced with the longer-range Jericho 2.¹³