Munitions

Scud-C ballistic missile

The Scud-C is an extended-range member of the Soviet Scud ballistic-missile family, trading payload and accuracy for a roughly 550 km range. In the Yemen Civil War, Houthi-aligned forces used Scud-series missiles for cross-border strikes against Saudi targets, and CSIS reporting identifies Scud-C launches early in the 2015 missile campaign.

Conflict side
Houthi-aligned forces
Built by
Soviet defense industry; North Korean Hwasong-6 export production for Scud-C-derived missiles
Built in
Soviet UnionNorth Korea
Scud-C ballistic missile, Short-range liquid-fueled ballistic missile, Munitions

Profile

Type
Short-range liquid-fueled ballistic missile
Conflict side
Houthi-aligned forces
Origin
Soviet Union; Yemeni stocks included North Korean-supplied Scud-C/Hwasong-6 missiles
Service note
Cold War design with documented Yemen Civil War use in 2015

Service History

In service
Scud-C entered foreign inventories through export and derivative production; Yemen retained Scud-C stocks before the 2015 intervention.
Used by
Houthi-aligned forces, Former Yemeni missile forces
Wars
Yemen Civil War

Production History

Designer
Makeyev OKB / Soviet missile design organizations
Designed
1960s extended-range Scud development
Built by
Soviet defense industry; North Korean Hwasong-6 export production for Scud-C-derived missiles
Built in
Soviet UnionNorth Korea
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.
Variants
SS-1d Scud-C, Hwasong-6 / Scud-C-derived export missile, Shahab-2 / Scud-C-derived missile

Specifications

Class
Short-range ballistic missile
Range
About 550 km
Payload
About 600 kg single warhead
Length
11.25 m
Diameter
0.88 m
Launch weight
About 6,400 kg
Guidance
Inertial guidance
Propulsion
Single-stage liquid propellant

Conflict Usage

Yemen Civil War
Side: Houthi-aligned forcesRole: Cross-border ballistic missile strikestrikedeep strike

Houthi-aligned forces are documented as firing Scud-series missiles into Saudi Arabia in 2015, with CSIS identifying a confirmed Scud-C launch on June 29, 2015 and a likely earlier Scud-C launch on June 6, 2015.

Scud-C ballistic missile Images

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. Armenian forces used Scud-B missiles in strikes on Ganja during the Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict, and Houthi-aligned forces fielded inherited Yemeni R-17E/Scud-B stocks during the Yemen Civil War, illustrating the continued battlefield and political risk of older, inaccurate ballistic missiles in regional wars.

Sources