Following its 1973 war against Israel, Syria sought to acquire more sophisticated weaponry from their military benefactor, the Soviet Union. The Syrians were especially interested in a ground-to-ground missile capability that would improve on their stock of inaccurate long-range artillery rockets (FROGs), which performed dismally in combat. In turn, financial support provided by other Arab countries enabled Syria beginning in 1974 to acquire Scud-B ballistic missiles from the Soviets.
In general, the Scud has been the most widely exported ballistic missile in the world, as the Soviets provided it to many of their client states during the Cold War. The Scud-B, in particular, is a liquid-fueled, single-stage missile with a range of up to 300km.
After the October War, Syria received Soviet arms shipments, including Scud-B missiles, at its Mediterranean naval ports. By August 1974, Israel estimated that the Soviets had shipped more than $2 billion in military equipment to Syria over the prior 20 months, including Scud-B ground-to-ground missiles. Israeli leaders also expressed their concern about Syria's increasingly advanced military capabilities and the alleged shift this was causing in the balance of power in the region. Western military analysts judged at the time, however, that Israel remained capable of eliminating Syria's Scud missile batteries if hostilities were to break out again.
Generally, precise information about specific Scud shipments and quantities received remains sparse. It is known that Syria conducted Scud missile tests in late 1975 and soon after received 12 Scud launchers from the Soviets. In addition, Syrian soldiers went to the Soviet Union to receive training to operate the Scud-B system, while an average of 2,000 to 3,000 Soviet military personnel consistently participated in operational activities on the ground in Syria during much of the 1970s.
And while Syria and the Soviet Union also exchanged frequent high-level military and political delegations for several years, a chill settled over their relations after Syria's incursion into Lebanon in the mid-1970s. According to US intelligence sources, by August of 1977 these strained relations led Syria to move towards diminishing its reliance on advanced Soviet arms shipments, although without causing a complete stoppage of Soviet deliveries. In ensuing years, Syrian President Hafez al-Assad as well as other high-ranking Syrian officials continued to travel to Moscow to solicit the Soviets' most modern armaments, including missiles. Eventually these diplomatic exchanges led to a reinvigoration of relations and the signing of an official Soviet-Syrian friendship treaty in Moscow in October 1980.
Meanwhile, Syria reportedly transferred an unknown quantity of Soviet-made Scud-B missiles to Iran, possibly in the mid-1980s.[1] It was also alleged on 23 November 1986 that Libya forwarded nerve gas warheads suitable for Scud-B missiles to Syria.[2] Other reports indicate that the Chinese may have provided technical assistance to upgrade Syria's Scud-B missiles in 1993.[3]
Syria currently possesses up to 200 Soviet-made Scud-B missiles, including at least one active Scud-B brigade, and up to 48 total launchers for its Scud-B and Scud-C missiles.
[1] "Iran and Iraq Trade Strikes on Refineries," Associated Press, 13 August 1986.
[2] "Soviets Sold Nerve Gas to Libya Paper Says," Associated Press, 24 November 1986.
[3] Anthony H. Cordesman, "Weapons of Mass Destruction in the Middle East," Center for Strategic and International Studies, 15 April 2003, pp. 51-54.
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Updated August 2004 |
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