IRAQ: What is the Al-Samoud missile and has Iraq developed it illegally?Tom Clonan examines the evidence
At the end of the Gulf War while suing for peace, the Iraqi regime under Saddam Hussein agreed to the terms of UN resolution 687 (1991). A condition of this resolution was the explicit requirement that Iraqi missile systems be confined in range to distances below 150kms. This condition was imposed on Iraq as a direct response to the firing of Scud missiles at Israel during the war.
Labouring under this restriction, the Iraqis managed to continue a comprehensive missile programme. Among those missiles developed in Iraq during the 1990s was the Al-Samoud 2 missile. Based on the Soviet Volga SA-2 surface-to-air missile (SAM), the Al-Samoud is testimony to Saddam's ingenuity and defiance in the face of UN sanctions.
The Al-Samoud 2 is a reverse-engineered and downsized version of the SA-2 missile. Displaying considerable engineering skills, the Iraqis managed to convert this elderly Warsaw Pact SAM into a viable surface to surface short-range ballistic missile (SRBM).
The Al-Samoud is a simple two-stage missile. It consists of a war-head with a solid fuel booster for take-off and a liquid fuel propellant to sustain it in flight. The missile can be guided using simple technology such as a radar fire-control system. The Al-Samoud is believed to have been fitted with a number of deployment options, including timed fuse-settings and proximity detonation.
When first tested, the Iraqi authorities reported to the UN that the Al-Samoud had a range of 149km, one km short of the UN upper limit.
This claim has always been treated with some scepticism. The current report by Hans Blix suggests that the Al-Samoud is capable of ranges of up to 183 kilometres.
This finding is contested by the Iraqis, who claim that the addition and refinement of control and guidance systems would limit its range considerably. This claim must be viewed, however, in light of other modifications to the missile carried out by the Iraqi military. In direct defiance of accepted UN criteria, the Iraqis increased the diameter of the missile from 600mm to 760mm.
In ballistic terms, such an increase represents a sinister development. A 160mm or 7 inch increase in diameter in such a missile has a potential two-fold effect. It allows for an increase in the amount of liquid propellant carried on board and therefore an increase in range. Secondly, it would allow for an increased payload within the warhead. Such a payload would normally consist of high explosives.
The discovery of chemical burning agents (mustard gas) by weapons inspectors in recent days suggests that the Iraqis might have other payloads in mind. It is believed by weapons experts that the Iraqis have the capability to develop viable "liquid-fill" chemical or biological agents for use with such missiles.
In military terms, the existence of the Al-Samoud missile is very significant. According to British and American intelligence, up to 50 of these missiles have been deployed to Iraqi military units. This suggests that the firing of short-range ballistic missiles has been incorporated into Iraqi military doctrine and training. This in turn suggests that in the event of war, the British and US military would be required to prepare for missile attack - with the possibility of chemical or biological warheads.
In political terms, the Al-Samoud 2 appears to be a weapon that would give Saddam Hussein the ability to launch missile attacks on neighbours such as Turkey or Israel. In light of pre-existing UN sanctions and the security concerns so recently expressed at NATO, the existence of the Al-Samoud may prove unacceptable to the UN Security Council. Whether it will warrant a second UN resolution remains to be seen.
• Dr Tom Clonan is a retired army officer with experience in the Middle East and former Yugoslavia. He is a fellow of the US-based Inter University Seminar on Armed Forces and Society. He currently lectures in the School of Media, DIT.