Munitions

Scud-C ballistic missile

Also known as
  • Scud C
  • Scud-C
  • SS-1d
  • SS-1D Scud-C
  • Scud Mod C
  • Scud-C type SRBM

The Scud-C is the extended-range Scud-family short-range ballistic missile class most closely represented in export service by North Korea's Hwasong-6. It traded payload and accuracy for roughly 500-550 km reach, used road-mobile launchers, and appeared in the 2014 Yemen Civil War when Houthi-aligned forces fired Scud-C/Hwasong-6-class missiles from inherited Yemeni stocks into Saudi Arabia.

Scud-C ballistic missile, Short-range liquid-fueled ballistic missile, Munitions
Image source: Commons Scud Launcher Image

Role in Conflicts

2014 Yemen Civil War
Long-Range Strike

Houthi-aligned forces fired Scud-C/Hwasong-6-class missiles from inherited Yemeni stocks during cross-border attacks on Saudi Arabia; CSIS identifies a confirmed Scud-C launch on June 29, 2015, a likely June 6 launch, and later reporting cites a May 2017 Hwasong-6 derivative attack on Najran.

Role details
Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
Soviet Union; Yemeni stocks included North Korean-supplied Scud-C/Hwasong-6 missiles
Type
Short-range liquid-fueled ballistic missile
Service note
Cold War design with documented 2014 Yemen Civil War use in 2015
Designer
Makeyev OKB / Soviet missile design organizations
Designed
1960s extended-range Scud development
Unit cost
Not publicly established
Produced
1960s onward for Scud-C and derivative export variants
Number built
Unknown; Yemen stockpile estimates cited by CSIS vary from 25 to 90 Scud-C missiles before the war.

Specifications

Class
Short-range ballistic missile
Range
About 500-550 km
Payload
About 600-770 kg single warhead depending on source and variant
Length
11.25 m
Diameter
0.88 m
Launch weight
About 6,400 kg
Guidance
Inertial guidance
Propulsion
Single-stage liquid propellant
Basing
Road-mobile
Accuracy
Roughly 700-1,500 m CEP depending on Scud-C/Hwasong-6/Shahab-2 source estimate
Designation Notes

Scud-C is a family designation rather than a single national production label. CSIS uses Hwasong-6 for the North Korean-produced Scud-C variant and Shahab-2 for Iran's Scud-C variant, while Yemen reporting ties the conflict-use evidence here to inherited Scud-C/Hwasong-6-class stocks. The catalog's similarly named Shehab-2 entry is a Hamas UAV and is not a linked missile variant.

Scud-C / SS-1d

Extended-range Scud-family short-range ballistic missile label.

Hwasong-6

North Korean-produced Scud-C variant and export reference.

Shahab-2

Iranian Scud-C variant; kept unlinked here to avoid confusing it with the UAV record.

Sources: Hwasong-6; Shahab-2 (Scud C-Variant); The Missile War in Yemen.

Variants

Public sources use Scud-C as a family label and Hwasong-6 for the North Korean-produced Scud-C variant. Some export derivatives use local names, so designation rows below separate the family label from directly linked catalog entries.

VariantConfigurationDesignation notes
R-17 Scud-B ballistic missile, Short-range ballistic missile, MunitionsR-17 Scud-B ballistic missileEarlier Scud-family baseline

The Scud-C/Hwasong-6 lineage extended the Scud-B/Hwasong-5 class by reducing payload and increasing propellant capacity to reach longer ranges.

Sources: Hwasong-6

Hwasong-6 ballistic missile, Short-range ballistic missile, MunitionsHwasong-6 ballistic missileNorth Korean Scud-C variant

CSIS identifies Hwasong-6 as the North Korean-produced Scud-C variant and lists it as a short-range, road-mobile missile in service since 1992.

Sources: Hwasong-6

Shahab-2Iranian Scud-C/Hwasong-6 derivative

CSIS identifies Shahab-2 as Iran's Scud-C variant, with Iranian service beginning in 1997; this is not linked to the catalog's similarly named Hamas UAV record.

Sources: Shahab-2 (Scud C-Variant)

Launch Platform

Scud-C/Hwasong-6 missiles relied on road-mobile transporter-erector-launchers, with North Korean work adapting existing Scud TELs and pursuing MAZ-543-family chassis access.

LauncherLauncher typeLaunch evidence
MAZ-543P transporter-erector-launcher, Road-mobile transporter-erector-launcher, Support EquipmentMAZ-543P transporter-erector-launcherRoad-mobile transporter-erector-launcher

CNS describes Hwasong-6 support-arm modifications on existing TELs and North Korean attempts to obtain additional MAZ-543 chassis, TELs, and spare parts for Scud-family launch operations.

Sources: A History of Ballistic Missile Development in the DPRK

Timeline

Scud-C ballistic missile Key Events

  1. North Korean Hwasong-6 development begins

    CSIS places the start of Hwasong-6 development around 1984 as North Korea pursued a longer-range Scud-C derivative.

    Sources: Hwasong-6

  2. Initial Hwasong-6 production starts

    CSIS reports initial Hwasong-6 production in 1989, followed by peak production in the early 1990s.

    Sources: Hwasong-6

  3. First reported Hwasong-6 test

    CNS reporting places the first Hwasong-6 test launch at Musudan-ri in June 1990.

    Sources: A History of Ballistic Missile Development in the DPRK

  4. Export users emerge

    CSIS reports Iranian purchases in 1991 and Syrian receipt from North Korea in 1991, establishing the missile's wider Scud-C export context.

    Sources: Hwasong-6

  5. Confirmed Scud-C launch in Yemen

    CSIS cites UN reporting for a confirmed June 29, 2015 Scud-C launch by Houthi-aligned forces during the 2014 Yemen Civil War.

    Sources: The Missile War in Yemen

  6. Hwasong-6 derivative attack on Najran

    Reporting on UN Panel work identifies a May 2017 Houthi attack on Najran as involving a Hwasong-6 derivative.

    Sources: Houthi Terror Scuds Now Threaten Most of Saudi Arabia

Media

Scud-C ballistic missile Videos

Scud-C ballistic missile Images

Scud-C ballistic missile, Short-range liquid-fueled ballistic missile, Munitions - view 1
Source: Commons Hwasong 6 Image
Scud-C ballistic missile, Short-range liquid-fueled ballistic missile, Munitions - view 2
Source: Commons SS-1c Scud B Missile Image
Scud-C ballistic missile, Short-range liquid-fueled ballistic missile, Munitions - view 3
Source: Commons Scud-B Tactical Ballistic Missile Image
Scud-C ballistic missile, Short-range liquid-fueled ballistic missile, Munitions - view 4
Source: Commons Scud Downed by Patriot Image
Related Weapon Systems
R-17 Scud-B ballistic missile, Short-range ballistic missile, MunitionsMunitionsR-17 Scud-B ballistic missileShort-range ballistic missileThe R-17 Elbrus, known to NATO as the SS-1C Scud-B, is a Soviet road-mobile, liquid-fueled short-range ballistic missile built for deep strikes with conventional, chemical, or nuclear payloads. Its combat record spans Egyptian launches in 1973, Iranian and Iraqi city strikes in the 1980-1988 war, Libyan missile attempts in 1986 and 2011, South Yemeni strikes in 1994, Armenian strikes on Ganja in 2020, and Houthi-aligned use of inherited Yemeni stocks, illustrating the lasting political and civilian risk of older inaccurate ballistic missiles.
Hwasong-11C tactical ballistic missile, Road-mobile solid-fuel short-range ballistic missile, MunitionsMunitionsHwasong-11C tactical ballistic missileRoad-mobile solid-fuel short-range ballistic missileThe Hwasong-11C is a larger North Korean Hwasong-11 family short-range ballistic missile associated in external reporting with the KN-23A and KN-23B labels. Open sources place it in the road-mobile, solid-fuel branch derived from the Hwasong-11A / KN-23, with North Korean reporting claiming a heavy 2.5-ton payload in 2021 and a later 4.5-ton-class warhead test series in 2024. Later analysis describes the Hwasong-11E hypersonic-glide-vehicle branch as using the larger Hwasong-11C booster and launcher base, but no source-backed direct combat use for this exact Hwasong-11C variant was found.
Burkan-2H ballistic missile, Short-range ballistic missile, MunitionsMunitionsBurkan-2H ballistic missileShort-range ballistic missileThe Burkan-2H is the Houthi designation for a Qiam-1-derived short-range ballistic missile used for cross-border strikes from Yemen into Saudi Arabia during the 2014 Yemen Civil War. UN, CSIS, IISS, and rights-reporting sources connect the missile to attacks on Yanbu, King Khalid International Airport, Yamama Palace, and Riyadh-area targets, making it one of the clearest examples of Iranian missile technology appearing in the Houthi arsenal.
North Korean KN-23 / KN-24, Road-mobile short-range ballistic missile family, ArtilleryArtilleryNorth Korean KN-23 / KN-24Road-mobile short-range ballistic missile familyThe KN-23 and KN-24 are North Korean solid-fuel short-range ballistic missiles in the Hwasong-11 family. The KN-23 is a road-mobile, quasi-ballistic SRBM with an estimated maximum range of about 690 km, while the KN-24 is a smaller ATACMS-like tactical ballistic missile assessed at roughly 410 km. Recovered debris, official U.S. and Ukrainian analysis, UN-panel inspection work, and independent component tracing tie transferred DPRK missiles to Russian strikes in the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War.

Sources

R-11 (SS-1) ScudPublisher: CSIS Missile Threat | Note: Supports Scud-C background, dimensions, range, payload, guidance, propulsion, and general Scud-family context. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Hwasong-6Publisher: CSIS Missile Threat | Note: Supports Hwasong-6 as the North Korean-produced Scud-C variant, including designation, road-mobile basing, specifications, service date, export users, and Shahab-2 derivative context. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Shahab-2 (Scud C-Variant)Publisher: CSIS Missile Threat | Note: Supports Shahab-2 as the Iranian Scud-C variant, including origin, road-mobile basing, 500 km range, payload, and 1997 service-entry context. | Accessed: 2026-07-01A History of Ballistic Missile Development in the DPRKPublisher: Center for Nonproliferation Studies | Note: Supports Hwasong-6 test, production, export, and launcher/TEL adaptation context for the Scud-C family. | Accessed: 2026-07-01The Missile War in YemenPublisher: Center for Strategic and International Studies | Note: 2014 Yemen Civil War: documents Scud-C missiles fired by Houthi-aligned forces, including a confirmed June 29, 2015 launch and likely June 6, 2015 launch, and supports Yemen stockpile context. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Houthi Terror Scuds Now Threaten Most of Saudi ArabiaPublisher: Breaking Defense | Note: 2014 Yemen Civil War: reports UN Panel evidence that a Houthi missile fired at Najran in May 2017 was a Hwasong-6 derivative and gives broader Scud-family strike context. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Final Report of the Panel of Experts on Yemen, 2018Publisher: United Nations Security Council | Note: 2014 Yemen Civil War: cited by CSIS for the Scud-C fired by Houthi-aligned forces and for the confirmed June 29, 2015 Scud-C launch. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Saudi Intercepts Scud Missile Fired From YemenPublisher: Defense News | Note: 2014 Yemen Civil War: reports a Scud fired by rebel forces from Yemen into Saudi Arabia and intercepted by Saudi air defenses on June 6, 2015. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Commons Scud Launcher ImagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for a public-domain U.S. Navy photograph of a Scud launcher used as representative Scud-family imagery. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Commons Hwasong 6 ImagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance and CC BY 3.0 licensing for a Hwasong-6 illustration used as secondary Scud-C/Hwasong-6-specific gallery imagery. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Commons SS-1c Scud B Missile ImagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance and CC BY-SA licensing for a Scud-family missile display image used as representative imagery. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Commons Scud-B Tactical Ballistic Missile ImagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance and CC0 licensing for a museum Scud-family missile photograph used as representative imagery. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Commons Scud Downed by Patriot ImagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for a public-domain U.S. Department of Defense photograph showing Scud missile debris after Patriot interception. | Accessed: 2026-06-20