Hwasong-6
| Hwasong-6 | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Type | Short range ballistic missile |
| Place of origin | North Korea |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1992[1]−Present |
| Used by | See operators |
| Wars | Yemeni civil war (2014–present) |
| Production history | |
| Produced | 1990−2000?[2] |
| Variants | See variants |
| Specifications | |
| Length | 10.94 m (35.9 ft)[1] |
| Diameter | 88 cm (35 in)[1] |
| Maximum firing range | 500–550 km (310–340 mi)[1][2][3] |
| Warhead | HE, cluster munition[4] |
| Warhead weight | 700–770 kg (1,540–1,700 lb)[1] |
| Accuracy | 700–1,000 m (770–1,090 yd) CEP[1][5] |
Launch platform | MAZ-543 TEL[2] |
The Hwasong-6 (Korean: 화성 6; Hancha: 火星 6) is a North Korean tactical ballistic missile. It is derived from the Hwasong-5, itself a derivative of the Soviet R-17 Elbrus. It carries the NATO reporting name Scud.
History
[edit]Work on an extended-range version of the Hwasong-5 began around 1984,[1] and with only relatively minor modifications, a new type was produced from 1989, designated Hwasong-6 ("Scud Mod. C" or "Scud-C"). It was first tested in June 1990, and entered full-scale production the same year, or in 1991.[2] It is likely out of production.[1] The North Koreans would later use their acquired know-how to produce domestic copies of the Scud-B to create a larger missile, the Hwasong-7.[3]
To increase range over its predecessor, the Hwasong-6 has its payload decreased to 770 kg (1,700 lb) and the length of the rocket body extended to increase the propellant by 25%; accuracy is 700–1,000 meters circular error probability (CEP).[1][5] Such range is sufficient to strike targets as far away as western Japan. Its dimensions are identical to the original Hwasong-5. Due to difficulties in procuring MAZ-543 TELs, mobile launchers were produced in North Korea. By 1999, North Korea was estimated to have produced 600 to 1,000 Hwasong-6 missiles, of which 25 had been launched in tests, 300 to 500 had been exported, and 300 to 600 were in service with the Korean People's Army.[6]
The Hwasong-6 is armed with a high-explosive (HE) fragmentation or cluster warhead,[4] but it's believed that it can also carry a nuclear, chemical, or biological warhead.[1]
Before the 2015 Houthi takeover in Yemen, the country didn't had a domestic missile program, and had only a small stockpile of Soviet-made Scud-B and North Korean Hwasong-6 missiles bought in the 1980s and 1990s. These were used against the pro-Hadi forces in the summer of that year.[7][8] Since then, the Houthis have used domestically produced ballistic missiles with Iranian assistance.[7][9]
Variants
[edit]Iran
[edit]- Shahab-2
North Korea
[edit]- NK-18 − A variant with terminal maneuverability was tested in May 2017.[10] U.S. intelligence referred to the upgraded missile as the KN-18.[11]
Yemen
[edit]- Burkan-2
Export
[edit]The Hwasong-6 was exported to Iran, where it is designated as the Shahab-2, to Syria, where it is manufactured under licence with Chinese assistance[6] and to Yemen.[12] Myanmar also imported Hwasong-6 ballistic missiles in 2009.[13] About 25 Hwasong-6 ballistic missiles were purchased by Vietnam from North Korea in 1997.[14] In 1995, Libya purchased 5 Hwasong-6 missiles from North Korea, however they were never tested or deployed, and planned local production was cancelled in 2003 with the disarmament of Libya.[14]
Operators
[edit]Current
[edit]
Egypt[2] − Reportedly purchased in 1996, unconfirmed[15]
Iran[2] − Produced locally as the Shahab-2.[16] Status uncertain[17]
Myanmar − Reported[18]
North Korea − 30+ Hwasong 5/6 launchers as of 2024[19]
Syria[2] − Scud-C[20]
Vietnam − Scud-C[21]
Non-state
[edit]
Former
[edit]
Libya[14]
Yemen − Pre-war stocks depleted during the Yemeni civil war (2014–present). Most were converted into Burkan missiles by the Houthis[23]
See also
[edit]- Hwasong-5 – (North Korea)
- R-11 Zemlya – (Soviet Union)
- R-17 Elbrus – (Soviet Union)
- Scud missile – (Soviet Union)
- Ghaznavi – (Pakistan)
- Abdali-I – (Pakistan)
- Shaheen-I – (Pakistan)
- J-600T Yıldırım – (Turkey)
- SOM – (Turkey)
- Bora – (Turkey)
- Fateh-313 – (Iran)
- Qiam 1 – (Iran)
- al-Husayn – (Iraq)
- Nasr – (Pakistan)
- Zelzal – (Iran)
- Tondar-69 – (Iran)
- Burkan-1 – (Yemen)
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Hwasong-6 (Scud-C)". Missile Threat. Center for Strategic and International Studies. 23 April 2024. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g Zaloga 2013, p. 96.
- ^ a b Center for Energy and Security Studies & The International Institute for Strategic Studies 2021, p. 48.
- ^ a b Center for Energy and Security Studies & The International Institute for Strategic Studies 2021, p. 62.
- ^ a b Center for Energy and Security Studies & The International Institute for Strategic Studies 2021, p. 46.
- ^ a b Bermudez, Joseph S. (1999). "A History of Ballistic Missile Development in the DPRK: Longer Range Designs, 1989-Present". James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies. Archived from the original on 2013-12-14. Retrieved 2008-02-14.
- ^ a b Samaan 2023, p. 162.
- ^ Williams & Shaikh 2020, pp. 15−16.
- ^ Williams & Shaikh 2020a, pp. 41−43.
- ^ "Introducing the KN21, North Korea's New Take on its Oldest Ballistic Missile". Archived from the original on 2019-07-07. Retrieved 2019-07-21.
- ^ North Korea’s New Short-Range Missiles: A Technical Evaluation. 38 North. 9 October 2019.
- ^ "Houthis using missiles 'supplied by N Korea': Report claims". Al Arabiya English. 4 August 2015. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
- ^ Min Lwin and Wai Moe (25 October 2020). "Junta Forms Missile Force to Guard Against External treats". Archived from the original on 25 October 2020. Retrieved 3 July 2010.
- ^ a b c "Trade Registers". armstrade.sipri.org. Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
- ^ Hinz, Fabian (16 June 2023). "After half a century Egypt's Scuds soldier on". Military Balance Blog. International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS). Retrieved 20 November 2024.
Whether the missiles visible are the 300-km-range Scud B or the longer-range Scud C is not clear from the available [satellite] imagery. The 500-km-range Scud C – which Egypt reportedly purchased from North Korea in 1996 – is externally similar to the B model.
- ^ Kang 2013, p. 116.
- ^ International Institute for Strategic Studies 2024a, p. 354.
- ^ International Institute for Strategic Studies 2024, p. 297.
- ^ International Institute for Strategic Studies 2024, p. 282.
- ^ International Institute for Strategic Studies 2024a, p. 386.
- ^ International Institute for Strategic Studies 2024, p. 324.
- ^ International Institute for Strategic Studies 2024a, p. 369.
- ^ Mitzer, Stijn; Oliemans, Joost (4 September 2022). "Houthi Drone And Missile Handbook". Oryx. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
Bibliography
[edit]- Center for Energy and Security Studies; The International Institute for Strategic Studies (14 July 2021). DPRK Strategic Capabilities and Security on the Korean Peninsula: Looking Ahead (PDF).
- International Institute for Strategic Studies (12 February 2024). "Chapter Five: Asia". The Military Balance. 124 (1). Taylor & Francis: 218–327. doi:10.1080/04597222.2024.2298593. ISSN 0459-7222. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
- International Institute for Strategic Studies (12 February 2024a). "Chapter Six: Middle East and North Africa". The Military Balance. 124 (1). Taylor & Francis: 328–395. doi:10.1080/04597222.2024.2298594. ISSN 0459-7222. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
- Kang, Jungmin (2013). Assessment of the Nuclear Programs of Iran and North Korea. Springer Science & Business Media. ISBN 978-94-007-6019-6.
- Samaan, Jean-Loup (2023). New Military Strategies in the Gulf: The Mirage of Autonomy in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7556-5073-6.
- Williams, Ian; Shaikh, Shaan (2020). "Houthi Missile Sources". The Missile War in Yemen. Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS): 15–19. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
- Williams, Ian; Shaikh, Shaan (2020a). "Appendix: The Houthi Missile Arsenal". The Missile War in Yemen. Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS): 34–52. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
- Zaloga, Steven J. (2013). Scud Ballistic Missile and Launch Systems 1955–2005. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4728-0306-1.
