Hwasong-6

Hwasong 6
Type SRBM
Service history
In service 1989 or 1990
Production history
Manufacturer North Korea
Specifications
Length 12 m
Diameter 0,88 m
Warhead One
Engine liquid
Operational
range
 700 km
Guidance
system
 inertial

The Hwasong-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.

Work on an extended-range version of the Hwasong-5 began in 1988, 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. It was superseded by the Rodong-1.

The Hwasong-6 features an improved guidance system (CEP 50 m), and has a range of 700 kilometres (430 mi), with an 800 kg (1,800 lb) payload.[1] 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.[2]

The Hwasong-6 was exported to Iran, where it is designated as the Shahab-2, and to Syria, where it is manufactured under licence with Chinese assistance. It is thought that Cuba also has it together with the Hwasong-5[2]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Hwasong-6 at Deagel.com
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Bermudez, Joseph S. (1999). "A History of Ballistic Missile Development in the DPRK: Longer Range Designs, 1989-Present". James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies. Retrieved 2008-02-14.