-Caveat Lector- Another missile Hans Blix missed Baghdad was mass-producing, possibly exporting, 'al-Fatah' http://g2.wnd.com/article/articleview/72/1/4/
© 2003 G2 Bulletin Publishing date: 27.03.2003 18:45 Military experts examining the debris of an Iraqi artillery missile fired on Kuwait were surprised to find the missile carried the name al- Fatah – in English characters. The missile system, also known as "a-Babil-100," was manufactured at the al-Maamun site southwest of Baghdad, and in other locations such as the al-Haytham Missile Center. Hundreds of Iraqis, as well as foreign technicians were, until recently employed in a mass production project for the new missile. In those facilities and others the Iraqis copied, developed and manufactured weapons systems of the Frog (Free Rocket Overground) Russian type, known also as Tochka-9-K-79 or in NATO code SS-21-Scrab. The markings on the downed missile were clearly in English, suggesting two possibilities -- that Iraqis intended to export the weapon system or that the a-Babil missile was partly produced outside of Iraq. Hans Blix U.N. weapons inspectors, lately nicknamed by military officers as the "Hans Blix Gang," knew about but never issued a confirmation on the existence of the missile. According to Global Security Publication: "In February 2003, U.N. weapons inspectors evaluated the al-Fatah and, using computer models, assessed that the missile is capable of flying 150 kilometers. One configuration was declared by Iraq to have flown 161 kilometers in tests. However, the U.N. inspectors declined to announce a formal conclusion on the missile pending verification of Iraqi declarations. The inspectors also noted that 32 al-Fatah had already been deployed with army units." The fact that Iraq managed to develop the missile, a project which started before the adoption of U.N.1991 resolution 687, is not only proof of the inability of UNSCOM to enforce its mandate, but also to the flexibility, ingenuity and adaptability of the Iraqi military industry to new conditions and restrictions. It is now clear the al-Maamun facility managed to deliver the al- Fatah to the army and that the 400 mm missile is fully operational. Some sources estimate the number of operational al-Fatah missiles at anywhere between 50 and 100 units. It is mainly based on the Frog-7 system, but computer simulations suggest the missile incorporates technologies from a number of countries, including western. The Iraqis, like the Egyptians with whom they cooperated before the first Gulf War and the Argentineans, managed to use many components of the Russian Volga-SA2 surface-to-air missiles and modify them into a surface to surface weapon. The al-Fatah missile fired at the U.S. forces in Kuwait is described as "very mobile," a rocket launched from a special Zil-131 truck chassis. This special vehicle can carry and launch a multiple number of missiles, apparently up to six units, and is capable of traveling fast on paved and dirt roads, as well as on hard surface desert terrain. The system can easily be camouflaged, misleading "electronic satellite eyes" to appear as a large trailer. It can be successfully sheltered in garage bunkers, underground hangars and other temporary fortifications. Some information coming from Baghdad suggests the Zil trucks were hidden in industrial and commercial buildings. Central Intelligence Agency analysts are aware of "live tests" conducted in Russia during October 1999, where at least 2 Frog-K-79 (NATO code SS-21) were launched under real battlefield conditions. The launchers were deployed in the Mosdak region, some 100 kilometers northwest of Grozny in Chechnya, and the missiles were launched at Grozny, killing at least 143 people. Information and complete data of the results of the tests were delivered to the Iraqis, who translated them into the al-Fatah system. The Iraqis used this technique of conducting tests abroad, or buying test results from foreign countries and private enterprises, so as to bypass U.N. restrictions. By doing so they prevented thorough U.S. monitoring of their progress. Some of those tests were conducted in Russia, Ukraine, North Korea, Pakistan, Sudan and maybe also in some laboratories in the west, predominantly France, Italy, Germany and Argentina. Until recent days Iraq has been maintaining excellent technological-scientific relationships with other countries. Iraqi experts were reported in dozens of countries involved in the production of missiles and electronics. The importance of the information on al-Fatah, as deriving from the missiles fired on Kuwait, is the conclusion that other weapon systems were not only being developed but also reached the production level. There is no doubt that many of those weapons are deployed in and around Baghdad. Basic analysis of the al-Fatah suggests that it crossed the "150 kilometer range barrier," and through changes in its warhead, the Iraqis may have developed the capability to launch the missile to a distance closer to 200 kilometers. Changing the warhead meant downsizing its weight but this was compensated by the inclusion of 300 antitank bomblets and 25 antitank minelets making it very similar to a cluster bomb. It's possible that another version of the warhead includes gas and biological weapon canisters. One of the analyses suggest that immediately after the missile fire on Kuwait the Iraqi General Staff ordered all the missile units to be re-deployed in Baghdad where, together with more conventional artillery and other tactical artillery rocket launchers, they could mark the invisible and uncertain Saddam Red Line. In such a case, coalition forces will be engaged by a variety of artillery weapons which can inflict heavy losses and may employ biological and chemical components. --G2B contributor Yoram East -- Outgoing mail is certified virus free Scanned by Norton AntiVirus <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. 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