Hama

Name: Hama
Other Names: Hamah, Hammah
Location: 110km north of Damascus; province of Hama.
Subordinate to: The Syrian Missile Command
Primary Function: There are reportedly two missile factories located at this complex, one is designed to produce solid fuel missiles; the other is designed to produce liquid fuel missiles.

Description: 1992 press reports indicated that two missile factories were being constructed in Syria, Hama being one, the other being Aleppo. It was later suggested that North Korea, Iran and China all assisted in Hama's construction. The Hama facility is reportedly located approximately 25km east of the town of Hama, on the road to as-Salamiyah.

In addition to solid and liquid-fuel missiles, it is also reported to produce missile guidance systems, possibly an effort to improve the accuracy of the Scud-C.

Chinese specialists were reported to have repeatedly visited Syria in 1993, specifically to work on guidance systems, and were observed shuttling between Hama and the larger Aleppo facility.

Two 18-launcher Scud-C brigades, for a total of 36 are thought to be deployed at the Hama site. This number is generally deemed high for a single site; most Scud sites around the world average just 10 per launcher. The strategic thinking behind the heavy missile to launcher ratio is thought be that firing the missiles in several salvos would inflict maximum damage on the target. One source suggests that the Hama facility houses a full half of Syria's missiles.

Sources:
[1] "Hama," www.globalsecurity.org, accessed 24 March 2004
[2] William Safire, "China's 'Hama Rules'," The New York Times, 5 March 1992, p. 27
[3] Vadim Kozyulin, "Syria's Missile Deterrent: Final Breakthrough," PIR Arms Control Letters, October 26, 2000, www.pircenter.org;
[4] "Syria: Missile Development," The Risk Report, March-April 1997, www.wisconsinproject.org

	Updated August 2004