Iraq Flag Iraq Special Collection

Launcher 
UNSCOM Photo 

While an Iraqi engineer looks on, an UNSCOM team member from Germany inspects one of Iraq's mobile missile transporter-erector-launchers (TEL), probably at Taji camp, just prior to destruction.  This Soviet-produced MAZ-543 TEL was modified in Iraq--by extending the length of the launch rail--to be able to fire Al-Husseins, which are longer than the standard Scud.   The Iraqis declare that they purchased 11 MAZ launchers (ten operational and one training launcher) from the Soviet Union.  They further claim that five were "unilaterally destroyed"; the remainder were destroyed under UNSCOM supervision.  Meanwhile, the Iraqis produced four Al-Nida launchers, which were used during the Gulf War, and had a program, known as the "Al-Waleed" to reverse-engineer the MAZ; this effort was not completed prior to Desert Storm. 


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