Originally Posted by
Prada
Some local people in Teheran suggested that, missile is originated from here:
https://www.google.com/maps/place/35...3!4d50.9051985
They said it is some sort of air defence military object. Missile specifications allow easily to intercept that plane at 2400m altitude from the site.
That is one of a couple of interesting installations, however the TOR is a mobile platform and would have been dispersed if there was an expectation of an attack. Movement of launchers would have bben part of the contingency if the attack into Iraq was planned with a modicum of depth.
The missile in the latest video taken from South of the track shows the plume of the SRM of the 9M331. That precludes the flight distance from the prepared sites that have been suggested. The max engagement range of an target is beyond the motor life, the burn time is a known value, and is less than that needed at the velocity of the missile. Anything over 5Km, there would be no SRM burn plume visible at detonation.
The video of the detonation at altitude is more than likely the second missile fired for various reasons.
The war head on these missiles will devastate the aircrafts systems but is not likely to completely destruct the aircraft of that size. It damages from fragmentation dispersed radially around the center of the weapon body. With CLOS it is not often going to actually hit a target, but a transport category aircraft is a simple target. Even IR missiles miss on many occasions.. (recall Arkia)
The 9m331 warhead is frag, don't believe it is a continuous rod though.