Posted on 02/15/2003 10:40:30 AM PST by ATOMIC_PUNK
Iraq’s ballistic missile efforts suffered substantial damage from coalition bombing during the Gulf War and from destruction activity by U.N. inspectors after the war.
The U.N. sanctions have hampered Iraq’s efforts to reestablish its missile capacity it had before the Gulf War. However, Iraq has been able to rebuild substantial portions of its missile production infrastructure, and is doing all it can to push the limits set by the sanctions in a major attempt to bolster its arsenal.
In 1996, former UNSCOM Executive Chairman Rolf Ekeus publicly stated several times that Iraq continues to conceal a number of SCUD missiles. He also expressed concern that Iraq may be hiding chemical and biological warheads for these missiles.
Iraq is believed to be developing ballistic missiles with a range greater than 150 km, - which is prohibited by UN Security Council Resolution 687.
Discrepancies identified by UNSCOM in Iraq’s declarations, suggest that Iraq retains a small force of SCUD-type missiles – Al Hussein – with a range of 650 km, capable of targeting Israel, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey. In addition, it is believed to possess a number of launchers and warheads.
Iraq continues work on the Al-Samoud liquid propellant short-range missile (which can fly beyond the allowed 150 km.) The Al-Samoud and the solid propellant Ababil – 100 both appeared in a military parade in Baghdad on 31 Dec., 2001, suggesting that both systems were near operational deployment.
Iraq is known to have rebuilt several critical missile production sites. Al-Rafah-North facility is Iraq’s principal site for testing liquid propellant missile engines. Iraq has been building a new, larger test stand there, that is clearly intended for testing prohibited longer range missile engines.
At their Al-Mamoun facility, the Iraqis have rebuilt structures that had been dismantles by UNSCOM that were originally designed to manufacture solid propellant motors for the Badr – 2000 missile program.
Much of Iraq’s post Gulf-War missile activity is conducted under the auspices of the Ababil program. This program is developing solid and liquid propellant missile with ranges of less than 150 km, an activity allowed under U.N. Security Council Resolution 687.
UNSCOM is concerned, however, about the growing evidence that Iraq is using this program to maintain a knowledge base to support future development of long-range missiles.
The Iraqi military is composed of three main bodies: the regular army, the “Republican Guard” and the “Special Republican Guard”.
The regular army is made up of five army corps and the “Republican Guard” comprises two. The armed forces comprise 23 divisions, of which 17 are of the regular army (3 armored, 2 mechanized, and 11 infantry) and six are the Republican Guard (3 armored, 1 mechanized and 2 infantry).
On the eve of the Gulf War, the Iraqi army comprised 65 divisions (most infantry), some of which were disbanded gradually after the war.
Personnel
The regular Iraqi Army comprises approximately 400,000 officers and enlisted personnel.
Weapons
Personnel
30,000 soldiers (including 15,000 in the Air Defense Forces)
Order of air battle:
Air Defense:
Personnel: 2500
Bases: Basra (limited installations), El Zabir, Umm Qasr (currently closed).
Order of Battle:
A number of sources negatively influence current capabilities of the Iraqi Army. To our assessment, these include first and foremost, the embargo placed on Iraq and the inability to purchase principal weapons systems, spare parts and military equipment. This is in addition to the attrition caused by ongoing, general security activities against opposition (Shiites in the South and Kurds in the North), and harsh service conditions, especially in the regular army, which cause a lack of personnel in the units. These factors weaken the Iraqi Armed Forces’ capabilities. The most adversely affected body to our assessment is the regular army, given its low priority in regard to procurements.
In the last few years, the Iraqi Army has conducted a series of operations designed to rehabilitate the weapons systems known as the Nadaa El-Kaid (“Commander’s Call”) in order to prevent the deterioration of the army’s operational capabilities. The Iraqi Army has conducted at least seven such operations, (the last of which, called Nadaa El-Kaid 7 was completed in March 98). The rehabilitation program was conducted with the coordination of all the armed forces and included varied equipment: artillery pieces, tanks, APCs, armored vehicles, machine guns, air and naval weapons systems, “soft” vehicles (light vehicles, buses and trucks, including tank movers), radar, communications equipment, and other military equipment. To our assessment, the Inadaa El-Kaid rehabilitation operations are principally “cosmetic” and their contribution to the operational fitness of the Iraqi Army is not particularly high, due to the lack of spare parts in the Army’s storage houses.
T59 TANK [CHINA]
T62 - [USSR]
MTLB Armored personnel carrier
M-1938 122mm Howitzer
AUF-1 self-propelled artillery
MIg-23 fighter (USSR)
MI-24 Helicopter (USSR)
"Yeah, the SCUD is kind of like a smart bomb. See, what you do is launch it out of the trunk of your car--SWOOSH!!!--then run home, turn on CNN, and see where it lands."
The Iraqi artillery is actually pretty decent. Soviet made artillery in the 152MM caliber could actually outshoot American 155MM guns. That was before the American's developed the new Paladin system. Before with the older M109 artillery the guns had to be emplaced and manually set up and emplaced which took some time, then the guns had to be moved quickly to avoid counterbattery fire.
The New Paladin system in the M109 artillery is controlled by computers, they can Shoot and Move quickly. They don't have to emplace, they can get a fire mission, pull into a position, the computer aims the gun, and fire, then quickly move.
Iraqi artillery cannot match this new technology, Although the 152MM rounds have a longer range than the 155MM rounds.
For the most part the Arab nations poorly adapted the Soviet Military Tactics that they were trained in.
Soviet's and Chinese forces always fought in waves. The first waves had less developed forces, and substandard equipment, the idea was to get the enemy to waste ammuntion on the green and substandard waves, and then the vetern better equiped waves would overwhelm them later on. In Soviet/Chinese Marxist Communist ideology this was acceptable because people were expendable.
The Arabs are too cowardly to make this type of system work. As soon as they start taking substantal losses, then turn tail and run. With the outdated equipment that they have, they will take substantal losses, and as usual they will turn tail and run.
Now that's an engagement I'd like to see! Shades of Operation Petticoat...
Range: 3,000km
But did it get past the development stage?
Yes. But they are certainly not too cowardly to cut the throats of defenseless women, murdering defenseless children and unarmed men, beating and executing women for the crime of not covering their faces. Reports of the cowardice and duplicity of Arabs goes back to the earliest reports by the colonial powers. The British treated them like children. A quote by one who has had extensive dealings with Arabs goes something like this: "You will find them in one of two places. At your throat. Or iunder your boot." They should be beaten into submission and we should confiscate their oil until the full price of their mischief has been paid. Then leave them to their self-made hell-hole.
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