| Country: |
People's Republic of China |
| Associated Country: |
Iran |
| Class: |
MRBM |
| Basing: |
Road Mobile |
| Length: |
12.00 m |
| Diameter: |
1.10 m |
| Launch Weight: |
7000 kg |
| Payload: |
Single warhead |
| Warhead: |
HE, chemical, submunitions |
| Propulsion: |
Single-stage solid |
| Range: |
1000 km |
| Status: |
Terminated |
Details
The M-18 is a possible PRC export design. It is reported to be the fourth missile in the “M” family, a medium-range, road mobile, solid propellant ballistic missile designed to be sold to countries such as Syria, Iran and Pakistan. There is currently little information regarding this program and it is believed that it was cancelled in 1993. It is believed that it was a two-stage version of the CSS-6 (M-9) missile. It most likely would have been fired from a Transporter-Erector-Launcher (TEL) vehicle.
The M-18 would probably have had a usage similar to a long-range ‘Scud’ variant. Its relatively small payload and low accuracy would have prevented it from being used effectively against military units. With submunitions and chemical weapons, the M-18 could be used against large military targets such as bases, troop concentrations and staging areas, but still not individual military units. Using a high-explosive warhead, it would be capable of striking large targets such as airports, manufacturing complexes or civilian areas. However, for the case of civilian bombardment, the damage inflicted would be greatly outweighed by the high cost of the two-stage missile; using the cheaper ‘Scud’ missile systems would make more sense. Its major advantages would have been its mobility and that it could have engaged targets well outside the range of most ground forces.
The M-18 is believed to have been a two-stage solid propellant missile which carried a 400 kg warhead to a range of 1,000 km (621 miles). This would likely have had the same warhead options as the previous export designs. The traditional configurations load the warhead with high explosives, submunitions or chemical agents. The missile would have had a launch weight of 7,000 kg, a length of 12.0 m and a width of 1.1 m. The accuracy of the system is unknown, but would likely have been in the same area as the CSS-6. The increased range would give it a lower accuracy, probably in the range of 500 m CEP. A guidance system upgrade was developed for the CSS-6 that would probably have resulted in an accuracy less than 100 m CEP, but this was designed after the termination of the M-18 project.
The M-18 project was exhibited in Beijing in 1988, and it is believed to have been demonstrated in Iran in 1991. However, it is reported that the program was terminated in 1993 for unknown reasons.
