Condor (Argentine missile)

Not to be confused with AGM-53 Condor.

The Argentine Condor missile was a multinational space research program started in the 1970s. It involved significant contract work being performed by German company MBB (now a group within Daimler AG), but later developed into a ballistic missiles program.

Emblem of the Dirección General de Desarrollos Espaciales (Directorate General of Space Developments), the Argentine Air Force group in charge of the project

Condor I

The original Condor^[1] had little military capability but helped build expertise later used for the Alacrán missile program.^[2][3] The Alacrán program developed a functional short-range ballistic missile.

Specifications (Condor I)

• Length: 8 metres (26 ft)
• Maximum diameter: 70 centimetres (28 in)
• Stages: 1
• Fuel: HTPB
• Guidance system: inertial
• Apogee: 300 kilometres (190 mi)
• Range: 100 kilometres (62 mi)
• Payload: 500 kilograms (1,100 lb)

Alacrán (Condor IAIII)

Alacrán Missile, derived from the earlier Condor IAIII

The Alacrán missile was a short range ballistic missile derived from the Condor Missile Program.^[4]

Derived from the Condor IAIII prototype, the Alacrán missile had shorter stabilization fins, an inertial guidance system, and a 1000CAP1 cluster warhead.

Specifications (Condor IAIII - Alacrán)

• Length: 8 metres (26 ft)
• Maximum diameter: 70 centimetres (28 in)
• Stages: 1
• Fuel: HTPB
• Guidance system: inertial
• Apogee: 100 kilometres (62 mi)
• Range: 115 kilometres (71 mi)
• Warhead: 1000CAM1 cluster munition warhead, 500 kilograms (1,100 lb)

Condor II

Condor II prototypes in several stages of completion. Location: El Chamical Air Force testing grounds.

During and after the 1982 Falklands War (Spanish: Guerra de las Malvinas), France (which supplied missiles) placed an arms embargo on Argentina, causing the Argentine Air Force, under the command of Ernesto Crespo, to develop its own medium-range missile in the Condor II^[5] program.

This program was undertaken in close collaboration with Egypt,^[6] and then Ba'athist Iraq^[7] (the Iraqi version was called BADR-2000),^[8] however it was discontinued in the early 1990s by President Carlos Menem because of political pressure from the United States.^[9][10] The missile was developed in Falda del Carmen, Córdoba Province.

The Condor missile had a range of 800 km to 1,000 km^[11][12] and a 1000CAP1 500 kg cluster munition warhead.

In 1997, the Argentine Air Force reported to the US Congress that it still possessed two of the missiles that were to be destroyed.^{[13][14][citation needed]}

Condor III

There have been reports of a Condor III program. The Condor III would have an increased range to some 1,500 km (930 mi) with the same payload as the Condor II.^[11][15]

See also

• Argentina and weapons of mass destruction