| Scud | |
|---|---|
 Scud launcher, picture taken at RAF Spadeadam, England | |
| Type | SRBM |
| Place of origin | Soviet Union |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1957–present (Scud A) 1964–present (Scud B) 1965–present (Scud C) 1989–present (Scud D) |
| Used by | see Operators |
| Wars | Yom Kippur War, Iran–Iraq War, Gulf War, Afghan Civil War (1989–1992), Yemeni Civil War (1994), First Chechen War, Second Chechen War, Libyan Civil War, Syrian Civil War, Yemeni Civil War (2014–present), Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen, Second Nagorno-Karabakh War |
| Production history | |
| Designed | From 1950 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 4,400 kg (9,700 lb) Scud A 5,900 kg (13,000 lb) Scud B 6,400 kg (14,100 lb) Scud C 6,500 kg (14,300 lb) Scud D |
| Length | 11.25 m (36.9 ft) |
| Diameter | 0.88 m (2 ft 11 in) |
| Warhead | Conventional high-explosive, Fragmentation, Chemical VX warhead |
| Engine | Single-stage liquid-fuel |
Operational range | 180 km (110 mi) Scud A 300 km (190 mi) Scud B 600 km (370 mi) Scud C 700 km (430 mi) Scud D |
| Maximum speed | Mach 5 |
Guidance system | Inertial guidance, Scud-D adds DSMAC terminal guidance |
| Accuracy | 3,000 m (9,800 ft) Scud A 450 m (1,480 ft) Scud B 700 m (2,300 ft) Scud C 50 m (160 ft) Scud D |
Launch platform | MAZ-543 Mobile Launcher |
A Scud missile is one of a series of tactical ballistic missiles developed by the Soviet Union during the Cold War. It was exported widely to both Second and Third World countries. The term comes from the NATO reporting name attached to the missile by Western intelligence agencies. The Russian names for the missile are the R-11 (the first version), and the R-17 (later R-300) Elbrus (later developments). The name Scud has been widely used to refer to these missiles and the wide variety of derivative variants developed in other countries based on the Soviet design.
Scud missiles have been used in combat since the 1970s, mostly in wars in the Middle East. They became familiar to the Western public during the 1991 Persian Gulf War, when Iraq fired dozens at Saudi Arabia and Israel. In Russian service it is being replaced by the 9K720 Iskander.