The al-Abbas missile was an Iraqi Short-range,

Surface-to-surface A surface-to-surface missile (SSM) or ground-to-ground missile (GGM) is a missile designed to be launched from the ground or the sea and strike targets on land or at sea. They may be fired from hand-held or vehicle mounted devices, from fixed ins ...

Ballistic missile A ballistic missile is a type of missile that uses projectile motion to deliver warheads on a target. These weapons are guided only during relatively brief periods—most of the flight is unpowered. Short-range ballistic missiles stay within the ...

that was a longer range version of the al-Hussein missile designed to reach most of the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...

including the

Strait of Hormuz The Strait of Hormuz ( fa, تنگه هرمز ''Tangeh-ye Hormoz'' ar, مَضيق هُرمُز ''Maḍīq Hurmuz'') is a strait between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. It provides the only sea passage from the Persian Gulf to the ...

. It too was a

Scud 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 World, Second and Third World, Third World countries. The term comes from the NATO reporti ...

missile derivative.

History

The

missiles obtained by

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

during the Iran-Iraq War did not prove helpful as the range of the missiles were only and could not reach the

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

ian capital

Tehran Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...

. The

is would then develop the Al-Hussein missile and later on make the al-Abbas missile which would have an even longer range. In April 1988 the missile was successfully tested, reports suggest that the Iraqis achieved its high range of by increasing fuel capacity, lengthening the size of fuel tanks, cannibalizing oxidizer and propellant tanks from other Scuds and decreasing the regular Scud Payload from . The Iraqis however did not use it later on due to poor

missile guidance Missile guidance refers to a variety of methods of guiding a missile or a guided bomb to its intended target. The missile's target accuracy is a critical factor for its effectiveness. Guidance systems improve missile accuracy by improving its P ...

and flight instability. It is still unknown whether this missile reached operational status and was stockpiled or not.

Characteristics

The al-Abbas missile was designed to have a range of however sources suggest that it could only fly up to . It had a diameter of just like the Scud missile however its length was opposed to of the previous scud missile. The

is had reduced the payload of the scud missile to about , sources suggest that it was chemical/biological warhead capable. The al-Abbas missile itself was only accurate within a range of and it had a CEP of . The missile was said to be unstable because it would tumble about its centre of gravity on

reentry Atmospheric entry is the movement of an object from outer space into and through the gases of an atmosphere of a planet, dwarf planet, or natural satellite. There are two main types of atmospheric entry: ''uncontrolled entry'', such as the entr ...

, it also had poor

guidance Guidance may refer to: Arts and media * ''Guidance'' (album), by American instrumental rock band Russian Circles * ''Guidance'' (film), a Canadian comedy film released in 2014 * ''Guidance'' (web series), a 2015–2017 American web series * "G ...

References

{{Scud Scud missiles Military history of Iraq Short-range ballistic missiles of Iraq Ballistic missiles of Iraq Surface-to-surface missiles of Iraq Weapons and ammunition introduced in 1988 Theatre ballistic missiles

History

Characteristics

See also

References