Hwasong-6

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.

Hwasong-6
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]

History

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

Iran

• Shahab-2

Main article: Shahab-2

North Korea

• 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

• Burkan-2

Main article: Burkan-2

Export

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

Current

•  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

•  Hezbollah − Scud-C (reported)^[22]

Former

•  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

• 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

1. "Hwasong-6 (Scud-C)". Missile Threat. Center for Strategic and International Studies. 23 April 2024. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
2. Zaloga 2013, p. 96.
3. Center for Energy and Security Studies & The International Institute for Strategic Studies 2021, p. 48.
4. Center for Energy and Security Studies & The International Institute for Strategic Studies 2021, p. 62.
5. Center for Energy and Security Studies & The International Institute for Strategic Studies 2021, p. 46.
6. 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.
7. Samaan 2023, p. 162.
8. Williams & Shaikh 2020, pp. 15−16.
9. Williams & Shaikh 2020a, pp. 41−43.
10. "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.
11. North Korea’s New Short-Range Missiles: A Technical Evaluation. 38 North. 9 October 2019.
12. "Houthis using missiles 'supplied by N Korea': Report claims". Al Arabiya English. 4 August 2015. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
13. 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.
14. "Trade Registers". armstrade.sipri.org. Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
15. 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.
16. Kang 2013, p. 116.
17. International Institute for Strategic Studies 2024a, p. 354.
18. International Institute for Strategic Studies 2024, p. 297.
19. International Institute for Strategic Studies 2024, p. 282.
20. International Institute for Strategic Studies 2024a, p. 386.
21. International Institute for Strategic Studies 2024, p. 324.
22. International Institute for Strategic Studies 2024a, p. 369.
23. Mitzer, Stijn; Oliemans, Joost (4 September 2022). "Houthi Drone And Missile Handbook". Oryx. Retrieved 20 November 2024.

Bibliography

• 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.