Other Names: Al-Karama Factory, Karama Electronics Plant, Al-Karama Center, Project 144/4
Location: Wazyriah, Baghdad
Subordinate to: Military Industrialization Commission (MIC)
Primary Function: Missile research, development, and engineering; administrative headquarters for Karama State Establishment

Description:
Al-Karama comprised some 30 research and production buildings and was located in the Wazeriyah district of Baghdad. It had a rich history of involvement in Iraq's missile programs and served as the key site for post-Gulf War missile developments.

Following the successful test of the Al-Hussein missile in August 1987, the Military Industrialization Commission (MIC) formed Project 144 to, among other tasks, accomplish the serial modification of Scud missiles to the longer-range Al-Hussein versions. Towards this end, a group of engineers under "Project 144/4" was directed to modify the guidance and control system of the Scud. For its work, Project 144/4 was housed at Nasser State Establishment through the beginning of 1988.

In order to increase work space and capabilities, the project was moved to the location of the State Establishment for Electrical Industries (SEEI) in Wazeriyah. There, missile engineers could take advantage of SEEI's experience in electrical motors production, a skill highly relevant to guidance and control development.

In addition to missile guidance efforts, 144/4 was also attempting to produce the gun stabilization system for the Asad Babil (T-72) tank and, to assist in this work, it signed a number of contracts with Polish entities for production of the BL-2 gyro and SG-4 gyro motor. The Polish contract included supervision of the factory, and the supply of tools, equipment, gyro sub-assemblies, and drawings. Poland was responsible for supervising the entire project, training Iraqi engineers and technicians in Poland, and in-country training and supervision by Polish experts when production started. As capabilities at the site increased, MIC decided that the project needed its own physical location, and it was moved to a vacant plot of land adjacent to SEEI; in 1990, this location took the name "Karama project" and is the site of the current Karama State Establishment.

At this new "Karama" site, 144/4 continued its work in the missile guidance area. It researched the function and probable production technologies for guidance components; purchased technology, equipment, and systems from abroad (144/4 provided the engineering drawings for the parts and systems); and participated in Iraq's other missile projects, including the Al-Abed launch vehicle and development of electronic test systems and the impulse converter for the Al-Walid transporter-erector launcher (TEL). After considerable work, Karama was able to produce some guidance elements domestically.

The facility escaped bombing during Desert Storm, although throughout 1991 it was devoid of most activity, given concerns about continued air attacks and the subsequent stripping of equipment from many military-industrial sites throughout the country. Moreover, many Karama engineers were involved in the reconstruction campaign.

Towards the end of 1991, Karama was declared by Iraq to be a "precision engineering and electronic R&D and production" facility. The main task at the time was to continue work on the T-72 gun stabilization system. In the first months of 1992, considerable equipment was returned to Karama, and efforts related to the T-72 were increased. It is apparent that Karama was also providing some assistance during this time towards development of the guidance system for the declared liquid-fueled Ababil-100 ballistic missile, then being produced at Ibn Al-Haytham. Finally, Karama was involved in the covert J-1 program, Iraq's effort to quickly build a ballistic missile using, effectively, an SA-2 sustainer in a rail-launch, inclined mode. This work began in the August 1991 and ended in May 1993.

Following the failure of the J-1 program, Dr. Modher Al Sadiq—the former director of Project 1728—took control of both Ibn Al Haytham and Al-Karama (the two facilities were administratively merged). While Ibn Al-Haytham handled primary design duties for the Ababil missile and engine, Karama was tasked to manufacture gyro parts being designed at the former facility. Karama was also the location for a secret and apparently short-lived effort to reverse-engineer Scud gyro components that Iraq had secretly hidden from weapons inspectors. Iraq declared that all activities related to this project were begun and completed in November 1993.

In January 1994, another momentous change took place: Gen. Raad—the former director of Project 144 and previously head of the covert J-1 project at Ibn Al-Haytham—returned from administrative exile to become the new director of Karama. The "new" site was named the Karama Missile R&D Center and split off from Ibn Al-Haytham. Thereafter, the two facilities were in competition with each other to develop a short-range ballistic missile. The name for the Ibn Al-Haytham missile remained Ababil-100 (both a liquid and solid version), while Al-Karama started with a new 500mm liquid design, known as the Al-Samoud.

Following the tidal wave that shook Iraq's military industrial complex after the defection of Hussein Kamil, the MIC made additional changes that affected Karama. Principally, this involved the firing and subsequent imprisonment of Dr. Modher, and the promotion of Gen. Raad as the sole director of all missile activities. Thus, at the end of 1995, Ibn-Al Haytham was absorbed under Karama's wing, and Karama thus had three sites: the Wazeriyah site (same location as "old" State Establishment), the Qadhimiya site (formerly Ibn Al-Haytham), and the Rafah test site. Thereafter, the Wazeriyah site became the headquarters of missile activities in Iraq, to include the Ababil-50, the Samoud liquid missile, and the Ababil-100 solid missile.

By the end of 1995, Karama had produced a mock-up version of the Al-Samoud, and by October 1997, it had completed the first flight-test. By the time UNSCOM inspectors left in December 1998, eight Al-Samoud flight tests had been conducted. At that date, the organizational structure for Karama included:

• Guidance and Control Directorate (R&D for GNC system, prototype production)
• Airframe Directorate (R&D for components and technologies)
• Liquid Engine Directorate (RDT&E for components and systems)
• Production Directorate (Maching, flow-forming and other processes; production of system)
• Electronic Equipment Directorate (R&D for fuzes; design and production of electronic circuits)
• R&D Directorate (Programming and Computer Center; trajectory and aerodynamic coefficients)
• Technology Directorate (Establishing and modifying technological processes for missile)
• Quality Control (Dimensional measurement and environmental testing)
• Administration (Planning, personnel, etc.)

Key Sources: UN Inspection Data.

	Updated October 2003