cia_65367_65367_01.txt

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Subject: IRAQI CW
Not Finally Evaluated Intelligence
TO FACILITATE ELECTRONIC ACCESS, THIS DOCUMENT HAS BEEN
REFORMATTED TO ELIMINATE INFORMATION THAT DOES NOT PERTAIN
TO GULF WAR ILLNESS ISSUES OR THAT IS CLASSIFIED. A COPY OF
THIS REDACTED DOCUMENT, IN ORIGINAL FORMAT, IS AVAILABLE ON
REQUEST.
FEB 91
SUBJECT: SPOT COMMENTARY: IRAQ-KUWAIT: SITUATION REPORT     FEBRUARY
1991
1 .THE FOLLOWING SPOT COMMENTARY
IRAQ-KUWAIT: SITUATION REPORT
MILITARY DEVELOPMENTS
IRAQ'S MODIFICATIONS TO ITS SCUD MISSILES APPEAR TO BE PRODUCING
STRUCTURAL WEAKNESSES IN THE AIRFRAME THAT CAUSE THE WARHEAD TO
SEPARATE FROM THE BOOSTER DURING REENTRY.
IRAQ IS
USING THE AL-ABBAS VARIANT OF THE SCUD-B, CAPABLE OF CARRYING ABOUT
300 KILOGRAMS OF HIGH EXPLOSIVES ABOUT 600 KILOMETERS. MODIFICATIONS
TO EXTEND THE MISSILE'S RANGE, HOWEVER, HAVE MADE IT AERODYNAMICALLY
UNSTABLE IN REENTRY, WHICH, WHEN COUPLED WITH INCREASED VELOCITY AND
HEAT FROM THE EXTENDED RANGE, RESULT IN STRUCTURAL FAILURE.
THE BOOSTER IMPACTS ABOUT 5 KILOMETERS UPRANGE OF THE WARHEAD
AND ABOUT 40 SECONDS LATER. ALTHOUGH THE BOOSTER POSES A HAZARD NEAR
ITS IMPACT POINT, ITS DAMAGE PROBABLY IS LIMITED TO A SMALL AREA.
SHOULD THE BOOSTER BE INTERCEPTED BY AN AIR DEFENSE MISSILE,
FRAGMENTATION COULD DAMAGE A WIDER AREA.
END OF MESSAGE 
1.5 (c)
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