The Burkan-1 (

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...

1 بركان) or Volcano-1 (also spelled as Burqan 1) is a mobile

short-range ballistic missile A short-range ballistic missile (SRBM) is a ballistic missile with a range of about or less. In past and potential regional conflicts, these missiles have been and would be used because of the short distances between some countries and their relat ...

used by the

Houthis The Houthi movement (; ar, ٱلْحُوثِيُّون ''al-Ḥūthīyūn'' ), officially called Ansar Allah (' ''Partisans of God'' or ''Supporters of God'') and colloquially simply Houthis, is an Islamist political and armed movement that ...

Yemen Yemen (; ar, ٱلْيَمَن, al-Yaman), officially the Republic of Yemen,, ) is a country in Western Asia. It is situated on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, and borders Saudi Arabia to the Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, north and ...

. It is related to the

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 family.

Development

Houthi The Houthi movement (; ar, ٱلْحُوثِيُّون ''al-Ḥūthīyūn'' ), officially called Ansar Allah (' ''Partisans of God'' or ''Supporters of God'') and colloquially simply Houthis, is an Islamist political and armed movement that ...

forces unveiled the Burkan-1 when it was fired on 2 September 2016. According to

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...

, the missile and related

Volcano H-2 The Burkan-2H (Arabic Language, Arabic H-بركان ٢), or Volcano-2H (also spelled as Borkan H2 and Burqan 2H) is a mobile short-range ballistic missile used by the Houthis militants in Yemen. The Volcano H-2 was first launched in July 2017. It ...

are of

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 origin, with

USAF The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Sign ...

Lt. General Jeffrey L. Harrigian, Commander, Air Force's Central Command in

Qatar Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it sh ...

, agreeing.

Design

The Burkan-1 is a member of the Scud family. Analysts identify it as being based on either the Scud-B or Scud-D missile. Its range is greater than the Soviet-made Scuds Yemen possessed as of 2015, suggesting that the missile is not of Yemeni origin. Elements of the missile's design, including the inertial guidance system, fins, and control surfaces, are identical to those of the

Qiam 1 The Qiam 1 (Persian: قیام-١, "Uprising-1") is a short-range ballistic missile designed and built by Iran. It was developed from the Iranian Shahab-2, a licensed copy of the North Korean Hwasong-6, all of which are versions of the Soviet S ...

, leading several analysts and the

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

State Department The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government responsible for the country's fore ...

to believe that the missile is an Iranian-made Qiam 1. The Burkan-1 carries a warhead weighing more than .

Operational history

The Burkan-1 was first fired on 2 September 2016, aimed at

King Fahad Air Base King Fahad Air Base (Arabic: قاعدة الملك فهد الجوية) ( ICAO: OETF) (KFAB) is a Royal Saudi Air Force military base located in Taif, Saudi Arabia. Overview Operational Aircraft: Eurofighter Typhoon The Eurofighter Typhoo ...

Taif Taif ( ar, , translit=aṭ-Ṭāʾif, lit=The circulated or encircled, ) is a city and governorate in the Makkan Region of Saudi Arabia. Located at an elevation of in the slopes of the Hijaz Mountains, which themselves are part of the Sarat M ...

, with Houthi sources claiming a successful hit but Saudi Arabia claiming there was no damage. On 27 October 2016, another missile was fired, but destroyed in mid-air by a Saudi

Patriot missile The MIM-104 Patriot is a surface-to-air missile (SAM) system, the primary of its kind used by the United States Army and several allied states. It is manufactured by the U.S. defense contractor Raytheon and derives its name from the radar compon ...

before reaching its target. According to the Saudi-led coalition the target was

Mecca Mecca (; officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, commonly shortened to Makkah ()) is a city and administrative center of the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia, and the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red ...

, but according to the Houthis the target was

King Abdulaziz International Airport King Abdulaziz International Airport (KAIA) ( ar, مطار الملك عبدالعزيز الدولي) is an international airport serving Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, also known as "Jeddah International Airport"( ar, مطار جدة الدولي). T ...

, near

Jeddah Jeddah ( ), also spelled Jedda, Jiddah or Jidda ( ; ar, , Jidda, ), is a city in the Hejaz region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and the country's commercial center. Established in the 6th century BC as a fishing village, Jeddah's pro ...

. On 28 July 2017, another missile was fired on a similar trajectory and intercepted in mid-air, leading to Saudi Arabia again claiming the target was Mecca and the Houthis claiming the target was King Fahad Air Base.

References

{{Scud Military equipment of Yemen Short-range ballistic missiles Tactical ballistic missiles Tactical ballistic missiles of Yemen Short-range ballistic missiles of Yemen Surface-to-surface missiles Surface-to-surface missiles of Yemen Ballistic missiles Ballistic missiles of Yemen Theatre ballistic missiles

Development

Design

Operational history

See also

Related articles

Comparable missiles

References