The Burkan-1 (

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

1 بركان) or Volcano-1 (also spelled as Burqan 1) is a mobile

short-range ballistic missile A short-range ballistic missile (SRBM) is a ballistic missile with a range of to . In past and potential regional conflicts, these missiles have been and would be used because of the short distances between some countries and their relative low c ...

used by the

Houthis The Houthis, officially known as Ansar Allah, is a Zaydism, Zaydi Shia Islamism, Shia Islamist political and military organization that emerged from Yemen in the 1990s. It is predominantly made up of Zaydi Shias, with their namesake leadersh ...

Yemen Yemen, officially the Republic of Yemen, is a country in West Asia. Located in South Arabia, southern Arabia, it borders Saudi Arabia to Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, the north, Oman to Oman–Yemen border, the northeast, the south-eastern part ...

. It is related to the

Scud A Scud missile is one of a series of tactical ballistic missiles developed by the Soviet Union during the Cold War. It was exported widely to both Second and Third World countries. The term comes from the NATO reporting name attached to the m ...

missile family.

Development

Houthi The Houthis, officially known as Ansar Allah, is a Zaydi Shia Islamist political and military organization that emerged from Yemen in the 1990s. It is predominantly made up of Zaydi Shias, with their namesake leadership being drawn largely ...

forces unveiled the Burkan-1 when it was fired on 2 September 2016. According to

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...

, the missile and related

Volcano H-2 The Burkan-2H (Arabic H-بركان ٢), or Volcano-2H (also spelled as Borkan H2 and Burqan 2H) is a mobile short-range ballistic missile used by the Houthis militants in Yemen. The Volcano H-2 was first launched in July 2017. It is related to the ...

are of

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

ian origin, with

USAF The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

Lt. General Jeffrey L. Harrigian, Commander, Air Force's Central Command in

Qatar Qatar, officially the State of Qatar, is a country in West Asia. It occupies the Geography of Qatar, Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it shares Qatar–Saudi Arabia border, its sole land b ...

, agreeing.

Design

The Burkan-1 is a member of the Scud family. Analysts identify it as being based on either the Scud-B or Scud-D missile. Its range is greater than the Soviet-made Scuds Yemen possessed as of 2015, suggesting that the missile is not of Yemeni origin. Elements of the missile's design, including the inertial guidance system, fins, and control surfaces, are identical to those of the

Qiam 1 The Qiam 1 (Persian: قیام-١, "Uprising-1") is a short-range ballistic missile designed and built by Iran. It was developed from the Iranian Shahab-2, a licensed copy of the North Korean Hwasong-6, all of which are versions of the Soviet ...

, leading several analysts and the

U.S. The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguous ...

State Department The United States Department of State (DOS), or simply the State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs o ...

to believe that the missile is an Iranian-made Qiam 1. The Burkan-1 carries a warhead weighing more than .

Operational history

The Burkan-1 was first fired on 2 September 2016, aimed at

King Fahad Air Base King Fahad Air Base (Arabic: قاعدة الملك فهد الجوية) (ICAO: OETF) (KFAB) is a Royal Saudi Air Force military base located in Taif, Mecca Province, Saudi Arabia. Units * RSAF 2 Wing: ** No. 3 Squadron RSAF with the Eurofighter ...

Taif Taif (, ) is a city and governorate in Mecca Province in Saudi Arabia. Located at an elevation of in the slopes of the Hijaz Mountains, which themselves are part of the Sarat Mountains, the city has a population of 563,282 people in 2022, mak ...

, with Houthi sources claiming a successful hit but Saudi Arabia claiming there was no damage. On 27 October 2016, another missile was fired, but destroyed in mid-air by a Saudi

Patriot missile The MIM-104 Patriot is a mobile interceptor missile surface-to-air missile (SAM) system, the primary such system used by the United States Army and several allied states. It is manufactured by the U.S. defense contractor Raytheon and derives it ...

before reaching its target. According to the

Saudi-led coalition On 26 March 2015, Saudi Arabia, leading a coalition of nine countries from West Asia and North Africa, launched a military intervention in Yemen at the request of Yemeni president Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, who had been ousted from the capital, Sa ...

the target was

Mecca Mecca, officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, is the capital of Mecca Province in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia; it is the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow valley above ...

, but according to the Houthis the target was

King Abdulaziz International Airport King Abdulaziz International Airport (IATA airport code, IATA: JED, ICAO airport code, ICAO: OEJN, colloquially referred to as Jeddah Airport, Jeddah International Airport, or KAIA), is a major international airport serving the cities of Jedda ...

, near

Jeddah Jeddah ( ), alternatively transliterated as Jedda, Jiddah or Jidda ( ; , ), is a List of governorates of Saudi Arabia, governorate and the largest city in Mecca Province, Saudi Arabia, and the country's second largest city after Riyadh, located ...

. On 28 July 2017, another missile was fired on a similar trajectory and intercepted in mid-air, leading to Saudi Arabia again claiming the target was Mecca and the Houthis claiming the target was King Fahad Air Base.

References

{{Scud Tactical ballistic missiles of Yemen Short-range ballistic missiles of Yemen Surface-to-surface missiles of Yemen Theatre ballistic missiles

Development

Design

Operational history

See also

Related articles

Comparable missiles

References