| 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 |
| Warhead: |
HE, HE submunitions |
| Propulsion: |
Single-stage liquid |
| Range: |
500 km 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 500 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 was used against 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 countries.
While most 'Scud' missiles 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. The TEL has built-in test equipment and can be aimed and fired autonomously, though a separate command and control vehicle typically controls the targeting and firing.
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. 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 assistance from North Korea.
'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', known as the Shahab 2, 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 the launch weight is 6095 kg. The range is 500 km. This missile presumably launches HE, chemical and nuclear warheads, though only HE warheads are known to exist. Reports show that by 1994 Iran had purchased between 150 and 200 'Scud C' missiles from North Korean.
Preliminary reports from Iran in 1997 discuss the possibility of coastal batteries for the Shahab 2. The weapon was initially tested in 1991. The Shahab 2 was again tested in July 1998 following its introduction into service in 1997. In 2004, the Shahab 2 became an active participant in all military drills and exercises, being consistently tested with successful results. An additional public test in April 2006 signaled the beginning of a regional war game. The last noted successful test was in November of 2006, reports indicating the Shahab 2 employed a submunitions warhead, showing its damage capability. There is a great deal of public relations information from Iran stating that the purpose of these ballistic weapons is for defense only.
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'. A 2006 report suggested that Iran was negotiating to export Shahab 2 missiles to Venezuela. Another 2006 report suggested the presence of 300 to 400 operational Shahab 1 and 2 missiles in Iran.(1)
Footnote
1. Jane's Strategic Weapons Systems, Issue 50, ed. Duncan Lennox, (Surrey: Jane's Information Group, January 2009), 75-76, 99, 151-53; Iran’s Ballistic Missile Capabilities: A Net Assessment, an IISS Strategic Dossier, The International Institute for Strategic Studies, (East Sussex: Hastings Print, May 2010) 14-17.
