| Country: |
Russian Federation |
| Class: |
SRBM |
| Basing: |
Road mobile |
| Length: |
12.29 m |
| Diameter: |
0.88 m |
| Launch Weight: |
6500 kg |
| Payload: |
Single warhead, 985 kg |
| Warhead: |
HE, chemical, nuclear |
| Propulsion: |
Single-stage liquid |
| Range: |
300 km |
Details
While the names of most ballistic missiles are obscure, the ‘Scud’ has become a household name. The SS-1A ‘Scunner’ was designed a short time after the end of World War II by captured German scientists and is based upon the Nazi V-2 rocket which was used to attack London in the Second World War. In essence, the Scud is the AK-47 of the missile world: reliable, simple, and ubiquitous. The missile was produced in huge quantities and not even the Russians know exactly how many they built, let alone the number copied by foreign companies.
Although Scuds carry conventional explosives, the Scud was originally developed for the purpose of carrying a nuclear warhead. The SS-1B ‘Scud A’ entered into service in 1955 and was equipped with a 50 kT nuclear warhead as a short-range nuclear weapon to attack Western Europe. At the same time, the Soviets also developed a high explosive (HE) warhead for export to other communist nations that the Soviet Union was leery of giving nuclear strike capabilities.
The existence of the ‘Scud D’ missile is unconfirmed, but it is cited in multiple reports. The missile is believed to be 12.29 m in length, 0.88 m in diameter, with a launch weight of 6,500 kg. Reports claim that it has a range of 300 km (186 miles) with a payload of 985 kg. This payload would carry a single separating warhead with accuracy of 50 m CEP. This high level of accuracy is believed to be obtained with an inertial guidance system combined with digital scene matching. High explosive, chemical, and nuclear warheads have reportedly been developed. It is believed use a single stage liquid propellant engine.
Most agree that the ‘Scud D’ is a tactical system designed for attacking theater targets. It is believed that the system was designed in an attempt to improve the accuracy of a ‘Scud’ system to around 50 m CEP, which would be sufficient for use against individual targets. With a relatively high payload and excellent accuracy, the ‘Scud D’ system is easily capable of attacking factories, airfields, ports, command and communication centers, missile launchers and moving military units. This makes it an effective battlefield system both in destroying enemy troops and in degrading their ability to fight. The placement of the system on a Transporter-Erector-Launcher system enables it to be deployed with advancing troops and maximize battlefield effectiveness.
It is believed that flight tests of the ‘Scud D’ began in 1979 and were successfully completed in 1989. However, the system is believed to have never entered service.(1)
Footnotes
- Duncan Lennox, Jane’s Strategic Weapons Systems 46 (Surrey: Jane’s Information Group, January 2007), 127-130.
