Scud Missile Summary

SCUD SUMMARY:

v eventually it was mentioned that there were 15 Iraqi SCUD Brigades with 15 launchers each, both mobile and fixed, totaling of 225. Estimates of repleacement

rockets, however, have exceeded 800.

v Software mod to Patriot computers that was supposed to help its sort and track of

SCUD type targets arrives in Dhahran, one day after a tragic accident that might have

been saved by the used of the software

- software had inacurate tracking calculation that became worse over time

- unit in question had battery operating over 100 hours

- resultant errors were serious, needed to re-boot computers every day

v The modified Al Hussein SCUD that was fired at Dhahrain was missed by the Patriot

System due to a "once in a million" technical glitch, according to US Army

investigators. The impact of the SCUD caused the death of 28 Americans. Col Bruce

Garnett was quoted in Defense News (6May91, pg20) saying that the system did not

detect the missile. The US compound was guarded by two Patriot batteries, one of

which was on a maintenance stand-down. The on duty battery failed to see the incoming

missile due to strange combination of incoming geometry and other classified factors.

The Colonel also said that of all the SCUD's fired, this one may have been the one that

never broke-up in flight prior to hitting the ground.

v It was first thought that Iraq had only 30-40 SCUD missiles, then around 60-70,

then as the war went on the estimates eventually went as high as several hundred.

Now it is being said that Iraq has several hundred more SCUD's

v Present Patriot Missile batteries have a second generation software that will allow

them to track SCUD's that breakup in the air (26 Feb Mod placed during War)

v 86 x SCUD's were fired between 17Jan and 28Feb 1991

- 05 x missiles never reached full launch height

- all were considered Al Abbas or Al Hussein Rockets

- 43 x fired against Desert STORM facilities in Saudi & Bahrain

- 38 x fired against other targets, mostly in the direction of Israel

- 29 x were considered "intercepted" by Patriot Missiles

- 07 x impacted targets with fragments

- 11 x came down harmlessly outside of populated areas

v 01 x SCUD observed exploding on ground during launch sequence

v 02 x F-15E's destroy three SCUD launchers, no proof that missiles were on them

v Observed/sensed : 35 attacks during 1st week

18 attacks during 2nd week

4 attacks during 3rd week

5 attacks during 4th week

v Patriot Software Version 34 (correction against false target firings) arrived in Israel and Saudi on 4Feb91. Israel had 6 x Batteries on her soil, four of them commanded by US officers. 120 x new PAC-2 missiles were sent to Israel first by the USG much to CENTCOM's irritation.

v None of the 21 x Patriot Batteries in Saudi Arabia had "embedded data recorders" as did the Batteries in Israel which tracked all SCUD fragments and stringly suggested

that the Pentagon assessment of 100% kill ratio was wrong.

Gulf War 1991 Chronology

Scud Missile Summary