Soviet ballistic missiles developed andadopted in service in the fifties, disturb the command and political leadership of Western countries today. Decades have passed, many other, more modern systems took up positions on the starting positions long ago, new ones are being developed, and the media continue to mention the word "Scud".
The R-11 Elbrus rocket was successfully launched for the first timelaunched in 1953, the Soviet armed forces received it in 1957. According to modern concepts, its device is very simple, the head part was not separated, control devices were placed between the tanks of oxidant and fuel. Accuracy of the hit left much to be desired, which was partially compensated by the powerful explosive charge and by the fact that unburned fuel created an additional damaging effect.
Soon this weapon received its conventionaldesignation SS-1, or "Scud". The missile was delivered to countries that were considered friendly and even allied at the turn of the 50's and 60's. Iran, Iraq, Egypt, the DPRK, Syria, Libya, having received the newest weapon at the time, became the owners of a weighty argument in disputes with neighbors. Both Yemen (North and South) fired each other with Soviet R-17s and R-11s. Moreover, the engineering cadres, again trained in their majority in Soviet universities, have begun to modernize, improve and study the possibilities for organizing the production of similar own samples.
What is so terrible about this old and imperfect Scud? The rocket has become so popular in countries that do not have high scientific and technical potential for two main reasons.
The first of these is characteristic of the wholeSoviet military equipment simplicity and reliability. North Korean Communists, Iranian fundamentalists, and Egyptian nationalists were able to understand the structure of the main nodes. But this was not the main reason.
There are few modern samplesWeapons that would be as secretive as Scud. The rocket is transported on a platform, it is difficult to detect it, but it is even more difficult to bring down. During Operation Desert Storm, despite the overwhelming air superiority of the US Air Force, they failed to destroy any of the launchers on the ground. With the interception of flying targets, things were better, but not much. Complexes "Patriot" shot down about one in five missiles, the rest passed cordons of anti-missile defense of Israel, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. There is currently no effective method of assured destruction of the Scuds.
The possession of missile technologies is not soughtonly rogue states claiming regional leadership, but also terrorist organizations. After the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan, the government troops of this country received several complexes of "Elbrus". The Taliban seized this weapon. His further fate is unknown, but, like a well-known Chekhov rifle, the R-17 missile can fire one day. In which country will this happen, who will press the "start" button: Kurdish separatist, al Qaeda fighter or Afghan mujahid?
The use by the Russian army of the remaining "Scuds" with the expiring storage period during the fighting in Chechnya revealed the tremendous reliability of the old Soviet technology. There was not a single refusal.
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