| Country: |
Egypt |
| Associated Country: |
Argentina, Iraq, Libya |
| Alternate Name: |
Vector |
| Class: |
SRBM |
| Length: |
10.5 m |
| Diameter: |
0.8 m |
| Launch Weight: |
5200 kg |
| Payload: |
Single warhead, 450 to 1000 kg |
| Range: |
800-1200 km |
| Status: |
Terminated |
Details
The Badr 2000 or Vector was an Egyptian short-range ballistic missile program. “Badr 2000” most likely was the Iraqi cover name for the Condor 2 project, which was carried out in conjunction with Argentina, Iraq, and Libya.
The Badr 2000 had a reported range of between 800 and 1,200 km (497 to 745 miles), varying with size of the warhead. The warhead’s weight could have ranged between 450 and 1,000 kg, although these details are unconfirmed. The Egyptian program was cancelled in 1990, although it is believed that work on the Badr 2000 continued in Argentina and Iraq until 1991.(1) In 1995, the United Nations assessed that no complete Badr 2000 missiles were produced.(2)
The Condor 2 program traces its lineage back to the 1970s Argentinean space program, most likely a facade for Argentina to develop ballistic missiles under the guise of space research. In fact, Argentina used the Condor 2’s predecessor, known as the Condor 1, as a missile research platform and later as the prototype for the Alacran missile.(3)
The Condor 2 was approximately 10.5 m long with a diameter of 0.8 m. The launch weight was 5,200 kg, including a combination solid/liquid (first/second stage) fueled rocket. It was believed to have included an inertial guidance system, although a Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) system could have easily been added.(4)
It is also possible that the Badr 2000 or Vector referred to an Egyptian Scud improvement program similar to the North Korean variant of the ‘Scud C’, which had an increased range of 600 km (373 miles) and a 450 kg warhead. Reports indicate that North Korea might have assisted Egypt with guidance and control equipment, as well as with the establishment of a production line. Thus, Vector could have referred to the Badr-2000 program, or another program altogether.
Reports from 2000 indicate that Egypt is still working on a 1,000 to 1,500 km (621 to 932 mile) range missile, using liquid propellant Scud technology. It is possible that these missiles will be similar to the North Korean No-dong 1 or No-dong 2 missiles.(5)
Footnotes
- Duncan Lennox, ed., Jane’s Strategic Weapons Systems 41 (Surrey: Jane’s Information Group, July 2004), 5.
- United Nations, “Report of the Secretary General on the Status of the Implementation of the Special Commission’s Plan for the Ongoing Monitoring and Verification of Iraq’s Compliance With Relevant Parts of Section C of Security Council Resolution 687,” Document S/1995/284, April 10, 1995.
- Lennox, ed., Jane’s Strategic Weapons Systems 42 (Surrey: Jane’s Information Group, January 2005), 35.
- Lennox 42, 93.
- Lennox 41, 5.
