| Country: |
Iran |
| Alternate Name: |
Scud C Variant |
| Class: |
SRBM |
| Basing: |
Road Mobile |
| Length: |
10.94 m |
| Diameter: |
0.88 m |
| Launch Weight: |
6095 kg |
| Payload: |
Single warhead, 770 kg |
| Propulsion: |
Single-stage liquid |
| Range: |
550-600 km |
| Status: |
Operational |
| In Service: |
1997 |
Details
The Shahab-2 is the Iranian variant of the Russian Scud-C. It is a single stage, liquid propelled short range ballistic missile. Its maximum range is 600 km and it carries a single warhead with the maximum payload of 770 kg. Reports indicate the Iranians obtained this weapon from the North Koreans. In order to understand the capability of the Iranian Shahab 2, it is important to briefly review the Scud.
While the names of most ballistic missiles are obscure, the "Scud" has become almost a household name. The SS-1 Scud 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 attacked 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.
While most Scuds now carry conventional explosives, the Scud was originally developed to carry a 50 kT nuclear warhead. The
SS-1B ‘Scud A' (Russian designation R-11) entered into service in 1955 as a short range nuclear weapon to attack western Europe and was intended to carry a nuclear 50 kT yield warhead. The high explosive (HE) warhead was developed for export to other communist countries in the Cold War whom the Soviet Union was leery of giving nuclear strike capabilities.
The 'Scud A' is 10.3 m long, 0.88 m in diameter, has a launch weight of 5,400 kg with a range of 190 km (118 miles), and an accuracy of 3,000 m CEP. Many of the missiles remaining in service today have substantially increased accuracy, but they are still not counter-force grade by any means.
The Scud A was soon replaced with the SS-1C ‘Scud B’ (Russian designation R-17). The new missile had the advantage of being compatible with a transporter-erector-launcher (TEL) and could thus be deployed quickly and covertly. It has built-in test equipment and is able to aim and fire the missile autonomously, though a separate command and control vehicle typically controls the targeting and firing.1
By 1965, the new Scud B missile was operational in many European and Middle Eastern counties. In 1973, Egypt fired a small number of the Scud B missiles against Israel. Over 600 Scud B and North Korean Scud B variants were fired by Iran and Iraq between 1980 and 1988. Over 2,000 Scud B, and possibly a small number of Scud C missiles, are thought to have been used in Afghanistan. The Scud missiles used by Iraq during the Gulf War in 1991 were largely the Iraqis' own improved variant of the Scud B, the Al Hussein.2 There was also a small number of Scud missiles used in the 1994 civil war in Yemen and by Russia in Chechnya in 1996. A Russian report suggests that there were four ‘Scud B' TEL and approximately 100 missiles in Afghanistan, some with the Taliban and some with Massoud's forces, and could have been possibly passed to other various terrorist organizations. In 1998, Ukraine was reported to have three brigades with Scud B missiles and a total of 55 missiles in service. Libya paraded in 1999 with some 20 refurbished Scud B TEL vehicles with missiles. It is thought that this was done with the assistance from North Korea.3
Scud B missiles have been exported to: Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Egypt, Georgia, Hungary, Iran, Iraq, Kazakhstan, North Korea, Libya, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Syria, UAE, Ukraine, Vietnam, and Yemen. Unconfirmed reports between 1996 and 2000 have suggested that Scud B missiles have been purchased by Armenia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ecuador, Pakistan, Peru, and the Sudan. These missiles may have been built in the former Soviet Union. It has been reported that as many as 7,000 Scud missiles may have been built in Russia and that Scud B missiles and improved variants have been built in Egypt, Iran, Iraq, North Korea and Syria. Consequently, it is difficult to identify the source and quantity of missile supplies.
The Scud is the basic platform for the Shahab-2 ballistic missile. The Iranian version has additional specifications which follow. In addition to the very high production level of the Scud missiles, a myriad of variations and additions exist for the Scud platform. The length of the Iranian Scud C is disputed. Most believe it is 10.94 m, although one report states a length of 11.25 m. The diameter is 0.88 m and a launch weight of 6095 kg and the range is 500 km. This missile presumably launches HE, chemical and nuclear warheads. Reports show that by 1994 Iran had purchased between 150 and 200 Scud Cs from the North Koreans.4
The Iranian involvement with the Scud missile is significant. The Iranian government is reported to have made its first test launch of a ballistic missile in 1988, which was believed to be a Scud B variant with a range of 320 km (192 miles) and a payload of 985 kg, developed with the assistance of either North Korea or the People's Republic of China (PRC).
Preliminary reports from Iran in 1997 discuss the possibility of coastal batteries for the Shahab-2, or Scud-C. The weapon was initially tested in 1991 The Shahab 2 was tested in July 1998 just after its introduction into service in 1997. In 2004, the Shahab 2 became an active participant in all military drills and exercises, being consistently tested and with successful results. An additional public test was in April 2006 beginning a regional war game. The last noted successful test was in November of 2006, reports indicating the Shahab-2 dispersed a great amount of submunitions, showing its damage capability. There is a great deal of public realtions information exiting Iran stating the purpose of these ballistic weapons is for defense only.
5
Reports indicate that Iran assisted in the construction of several countries weapons programs including Congo and Sudan. Syria, in turn, may have been aided by Iran in building the Syrian 'Scud C.' Further reports indicate that Iran has the ability to manufacture North Korean ‘Scud C' variants with a range of 550 km (342 miles) and a payload of 500 kg, as well as shared this capability with Iran.
Footnote
1. Duncan Lennox, Jane's Strategic Weapons Systems 46 (Surrey: Jane's Information Group, January 2007), 70.
2. Anthony Cordesman, Martin Keliber, "Iran's Military Forces and Warfighting capabilities: The Threat in the Northern Gulf," 2007, Praeger Security International, http://0-psi.praeger.com/, Accessed 6 June 2008
3. "Russian Arms Official Denies Assisting Iran with Weapons Development," BBC Monitoring Old Soviet Union, www.bbc.co.uk, 26 July 1998, Accessed on 6 June 2008.
4. "Iran press: New weapons tested in Noble Prophet manoeuvres," BBC Monitoring Middle East- Political www.bbc.co.uk, 7 April 2006, Accessed on 6 June 2008
5. "Start of Iran's new military exercise marked by test firing of various missiles," BBC Monitoring Middle East- Political www.bbc.co.uk, 2 November 2006, Accessed on 6 June 2008
