scud

Scud is the NATO reporting name given to a family of Soviet ballistic missiles developed in the 1950s for short- to medium-range battlefield use. The original weapon in the family was the R-11, produced as the SS-1 Scud and commonly referred to as Scud-A. Subsequent variants—Scud-B, Scud-C, and Scud-D—extended range and payload capabilities and were widely exported or copied by other states. Although the name “Scud” became widely associated with these missiles, it is a Western designation; the Soviet/Russian system used its own designations (for example R-11 and later variants).

Design and propulsion: The Scud family is a single-stage, liquid-fueled ballistic missile. It is designed to be launched from mobile launchers or fixed sites and to deliver a conventional payload at relatively short ranges. Guidance is basic, typically inertial, with limited accuracy. The missiles are relatively inexpensive and can be produced in large numbers, a factor that contributed to their extensive export and deployment.

Operational history: The Scud has seen widespread use during regional conflicts since the 1960s. Iraqi forces used Scuds during the Iran–Iraq War and the Gulf War in 1991; Scud missiles were also used by Syria, Libya, and various allied states. The conflicts highlighted the missiles’ vulnerabilities to air defenses and precision countermeasures. Numerous countries developed indigenous variants and improvements, including extended-range versions and licensed copies.

Other uses: In meteorology, “scud” describes low, ragged clouds that race beneath a thunderstorm, driven by wind. The verb “to scud” means to move quickly, a sense that influenced the colloquial association of the term with the missiles.