This annotated chronology is based on the data sources that follow each entry. Public sources often provide conflicting information on classified military programs. In some cases we are unable to resolve these discrepancies, in others we have deliberately refrained from doing so to highlight the potential influence of false or misleading information as it appeared over time. In many cases, we are unable to independently verify claims. Hence in reviewing this chronology, readers should take into account the credibility of the sources employed here.

Inclusion in this chronology does not necessarily indicate that a particular development is of direct or indirect proliferation significance. Some entries provide international or domestic context for technological development and national policymaking. Moreover, some entries may refer to developments with positive consequences for nonproliferation.

15 March 1990
The Toronto Star reports that the Rabta chemical plant, supposedly the site of chemical weapons manufacturing, is guarded by newly installed batteries of French-made surface-to-air Crotale antiaircraft missiles.
—"'Poison gas' Plant in Libya Hit by Fire," Toronto Star, 15 march 1990.

4 May 1990
An official from the US Arms Control and Disarmament Agency reports that China had tested its new M-9 intermediate-range missile and was in discussions with Libya for a potential sale.
— Reuters, World News Briefly, Herald, 4 May 1990.

18 June 1990
Mu'ammar Qadhdhafi says development of the atomic bomb and "rockets to reach space" are top Libyan priorities.
—Reuters, "Libyan Leader Urges Speed on Nation's Atom Bomb," Toronto Star, 18 June 1990.

10 July 1990
Libya supplies Jordan with SA-8 ("Gecko") missiles, which have a range of approximately seven miles.
— Michael Evans, "Libya Gives Missiles to Jordan," The Times, 10 July 1990.

15 August 1990
Spanish citizen Juan Martin Peche-Koesters and Claus Fuhler of Germany are charged with attempting to sell 400 US antitank missiles to Libya. They were later acquitted on all charges for lack of sufficient evidence.
— "Two Accused of Plot to Export Anti-Tank Missiles to Libya," St. Petersburg Times, 15 August 1990; Paul Clancy, "2 Arrested in Iraqi Arms Deal," USA Today, 16 August 1990; "Weapons Charges Dropped," Washington Post, 22 December 1990.

1991
German firm Leybold AG attempts to send Libya a furnace used for the production of super-hard metal alloys of the type used in guided missiles and nuclear weapons. Leybold tells German customs agents who seized the shipment that the furnace is for Libyan domestic aluminum smelting, but an internal memorandum circulated among Leybold's management reveals that the furnace was to be camouflaged and sent to Maktab el Buhut Attacknia, a front for Libya's ballistic missile research facility in Tripoli.
— William E. Burrows and Robert Windrem, Critical Mass: The Dangerous Race for Superweapons in a Fragmenting World (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1994).

7 February 1991
Libya, North Korea, and Syria have reportedly made an arms deal involving the sale of ballistic missiles to Syria. According to intelligence sources, Libya is allegedly financing Syria's purchase of several dozen Scud-C, intermediate range missiles from North Korea that are capable of carrying a 1,100-lb. warhead.
— Charles Fenyvesi, "Washington Whispers," US News & World Report, 21 January 1991; Michael Evans, "Scud Deal Caution," The Times, 7 February 1991; John Fricker, publisher, Milavnews, vol. 30, no. 353, March 1991.

6 April 1991
According to diplomatic and shipping sources, North Korea is supplying Scud-C missiles to Libya that are capable of carrying conventional and chemical warheads.
— Adel Darwish, "North Korea 'Selling Scuds'," The Independent (London), 6 April 1991.

27 May 1991
Arms experts find an old cache of 134 Soviet SA-3 missiles at the Red Sea port of Berbera in northern Somalia. The missiles are stacked in the open near a runway and sheds nearby contain launchers, solid fuel motors, and maintenance equipment. There is "a suspicion of Libyan involvement."
— Richard Dowden, "Mystery of Soviet Arms Find in Somalia," The Independent (London), 27 May 1991.

Late May 1991
White House officials say negotiations are underway between Libya and North Korea for Tripoli's purchase of a new intermediate range (620 miles or 1,000km) ballistic missile system. The system has not been flight tested successfully but officials said the missile, which is not expected to be ready for export until 1994, will be capable of carrying conventional or chemical warheads. Each missile system is expected to cost $7 million and it is not known how many Libya intends to purchase.
Bill Gertz, "Libya May Buy N. Korean Missiles," Washington Times, 4 June 1991; Yonhap News Agency (Seoul), 3 June 1991, in "DPRK Reportedly to Build New Scud Missile," JPRS-TND-91-009, 24 June 1991; Pukhan, Libya'wa Missile P'anmaehyžpsang Sanžniggžri 1 KM Chunggžri," Joongang Ilbo, 5 June 1991, <http://www.joins.com>.

2 June 1991
A South Korean military source says North Korea and Libya have concluded a contract on the development of a "new model Scud missile" that will have a range of about 1,000km. The terms of the contract reportedly stipulate that Libya will provide financing for the missile's development, and if successful, North Korea will export missiles to Libya and provide technical assistance for its manufacture at a later date. [Note: This refers to the Nodong missile.]
— Pukhan, Sajžng 1 Chžn Kilometer Missile Kaebal Ch'aksu strong>~"Libya Sž Chakŭm Chegong," Joongang Ilbo, 3 June 1991, <http://www.joins.com>; Yonhap News Agency (Seoul), 3 June 1991, in "DPRK Reportedly to Build New Scud Missile," JPRS-TND-91-009, 24 June 1991; "Pukhan, Sajžng Ch'žn km Missile Kaebal Ch'aksu/Scud Shinhyžng," Chosun Ilbo, 3 June 1991, in KINDS, <http://www.kinds.or.kr/>.

3 September 1991
Libya is receiving help from German firms to build a factory capable of manufacturing surface-to-surface missiles with a range of 620 miles. In July, German customs officers seized equipment aboard a Libyan cargo ship that German experts believe was destined to be used to build the missiles.
— "Libyan Missiles," The Independent (London), 3 September 1991.

21 September 1991
The Egyptian government-controlled newspaper Al-Ahram reports that Libya has signed a contract for the purchase of an unspecified number of Scud missiles from North Korea.
— KBS-1 Radio Network (Seoul), 21 September 1991, in JPRS-TND-91-016, 29 October 1991, "Pukhan, Iran E Scud Missile 1 Baekki Konggŭp Egypt Shinmun," Joongang Ilbo, 23 September 1991, <http://www.joins.com>.

December 1991
Qadhdhafi reportedly offers $1 billion to obtain a Russian Yankee-1 class submarine capable of launching cruise missiles, and expresses interest in obtaining the SSN-6 submarine capable of firing long-range missiles.
— Adel Darwish, "Gaddafi Tried to Sink Cash in Red Fleet," The Independent (London), 18 February 1992.

1992
The United Nations places sanctions on Libya for its involvement in the bombing of Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland on December 21, 1988. The subsequent seven-year sanctions regime is believed to have severely limited Libya's ability to acquire and develop the requisite technology, materials, equipment, and expertise that are vital to the development of medium-range and intercontinental missiles.
— "Ballistic Missile Capabilities in the Middle East," Proliferation News and Resources, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 26 April 2002, <http://www.ceip.org>.

23 January 1992
Germany stops a plane headed for Libya and seizes equipment inside that could be used in a nuclear program. A Libyan agency which is known to be a procurement institute for the country's missile program was to receive the equipment, originally ordered by a Dutch firm from an American company.
— "Libyan Goods are Seized by Germany," The Herald (Glasgow), 23 January 1992.

16 February 1992
The German paper Welt am Sonntag reports that North Korea and Libya are to build a missile test site as part of an effort to jointly develop a new 1,000km-range intermediate range ballistic missile (IRBM) based on the Scud missile.
— Hwang Pyong Tae, Hankook Ilbo (Seoul), 17 February 1992, in "North Reportedly to Develop Missiles With Libya," JPRS-TND-92-005, 3 March 1992.

12 March 1992
Libya is to acquire a sophisticated air defense missile system from Russia. The SA-10 missile used in the system is capable of defending against the most modern aircraft and cruise missiles, and one version has the capacity to carry a nuclear warhead. The SA-10 is the equivalent of the US Patriot missile and can engage six targets simultaneously up to 100km away at a height of between 25 and 18,000 meters.
— Ian Mather, "Arms Trade; Russia Ready to Sell Missiles to Libyans," Ottawa Citizen, 27 March 1992.

13 March 1992
Citing intelligence sources, CNN reports that North Korea is assisting in the construction of Scud missile production facilities in Egypt, Iran, Libya, and Syria and is helping Libya build a plant for the manufacture of Scud-D missiles, an advanced missile with a range of approximately 1,200km, almost twice that of the Scud-C.
— "Arabs Get Arms Aid," Herald Sun, 15 March 1992; Pukhan, Arab Kukdŭl׳e Scud Kongjang Kžnsžlchiwžn," Joongang Ilbo, 14 March 1992, <http://www.joins.com>.

Spring 1992
German firm Leybold AG is again caught attempting to send Libya a furnace used for the production of super-hard metal alloys of the type used in guided missiles and nuclear weapons. The furnace is seized in Rotterdam, allegedly for use in Libya's al-Fatah ballistic missile program. [Note: See 1991 entry.]
— William E. Burrows and Robert Windrem, Critical Mass: The Dangerous Race for Superweapons in a Fragmenting World (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1994).

5 April 1992
Former workers at an industrial complex thought to have been abandoned three years ago have disclosed that the factory is currently mass-producing missiles that are capable of carrying chemical weapons warheads. Foreign firms working at the "Technology Center," 50 miles southwest of Tripoli, withdrew in 1989 after the United States revealed that the plant manufactured weapons.
— Nuck Rufford, Tim Rayment, David Leppard, and Ian Burrell, "Gadaffi Builds Huge Poison Gas Arsenal at Rabta Plant," Sunday Times, 5 April 1992.

30 April 1992
The United States airs concerns that the potential sale of a major US defense firm to a French electronics company with ties to Tripoli will result in US military technology possibly making its way to Libya. The French company, Thomson CSF, supplied Libya with Crotale missiles during the 1980s that made up the backbone of Libya's missile defense system. The Defense Intelligence Agency later concludes that the proposed sale poses too significant of a risk that crucial military technology will be compromised.
— Steven Pearlstein, "Data Sought on Thomson Deals with Libya, Iraq; US Probes Sal of LTV Unit to French Firm," Washington Post, 30 April 1992; Steven Pearlstein, "Sale of LTV Missile Unit to French Firm Poses Risk, US Agency Says," Washington Post, 15 May 1992.

17 February 1993
US military sources say Libya may be financing an Iranian – North Korean liquid-propellant, surface-to-surface missile project. The missile will supposedly have a range of 621 miles and be capable of carrying a 1,760lbs. conventional warhead.
— "Iran, North Korea Join to Develop Missile," Plain Dealer, 17 February 1993.

March 1993
Two German citizens deny charges that they provided Libya with rocket combustion chambers.
— William E. Burrows and Robert Windrem, Critical Mass: The Dangerous Race for Superweapons in a Fragmenting World (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1994).

25 March 1993
A report attributed to defense sources in the United Arab Emirates says that Libya is helping Iran finance the purchase of the new North Korean "Nodong 1" missile, capable of carrying an 800-kg. chemical warhead.
— Michael Rotem, "Report: Iran to Receive North Korean Missiles the Can Reach Israel," Jerusalem Post, 25 March 1993.

7 May 1993
Libya has negotiated the purchase of Chinese M-9 and CSS-2 missiles with a range of 3,200 kilometers.
— Douglas Davis, "Syria, China Cooperating on Missile Development," Jerusalem Post, 7 May 1993.

23 June 1993
The United States tries to block a Moscow-based company, Pavoks, from exporting to Libya 80 tons of ammonium perchlorate, which can be used to make solid rocket fuel. US administration officials said customs documents for the shipment were designed to disguise its true destination, but Washington learned that the chemical was headed ultimately to Libya via Ukraine. Acting on information from Washington, Ukraine seized the shipment. [Note: Other reports state the amount as 60 tons – see next entry.]
— Michael R. Gordon, "US Warns Russia on Missile-Fuel Sales," New York Times, 23 June 1993.

24 June 1993
US officials announce that they have thwarted several attempts by Libya to obtain materials from foreign suppliers for its ballistic missile program. US and British intelligence agencies said that materials were being shipped to Libya from Russia via Ukraine and from Malaysia via Singapore. Seized materials included the 60-ton shipment of ammonium perchlorate, a chemical ingredient used to manufacture missile fuel.
— R. Jeffrey Smith, "Libyan Efforts to Get Weapons Materials Foiled, US Says," Washington Post, 24 June 1993.

July 1993
In Congressional testimony, Central Intelligence Agency Director James Woolsey raises concerns about potential sales of North Korea's Nodong 1 missiles to countries like Libya, stating that if such a sale were to take place, Libya would be able to reach US bases and allied capitals in the Mediterranean. The Nodong is of prime concern because it can be fitted with nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons in addition to conventional warheads.
— Associated Press, "US Officials Welcome Delay in North Korean Missile Sale," Christian Science Monitor, 27 December 1993.

19 July 1993
The United States is concerned about potential sales of North Korea's long-range Nodong 1 missile and nuclear-capable Scud-B and Scud-C missiles to Libya, Iran, and Syria. US officials and missile experts are more troubled by North Korea's export of missile technology and managerial know-how that would allow these countries to produce the missiles indigenously. Some analysts say North Korea is already selling full production plants to the three countries via Lyongaksan Import Corp., but other experts say North Korea has up to this point only aided in setting up assembly facilities. Other unnamed analysts say North Korea is helping Libya construct a Scud production line at a facility near Tripoli called the Central Repair Workshop, which may by next year begin pilot production of the Nodong 1 missile.
— Robert S. Greenberger, "Washington Insight: North Korea's Missile Sales in Mideast, Along with Nuclear Issue, Raise Concern," Wall Street Journal, 19 July 1993, p. A6.

24 December 1993
The Central Intelligence Agency says Libya has the motivation to develop long-range missiles but lacks the technical capability to do so within 15 years. There is no evidence that Libya is working on such a project, and rather than develop ICBMs indigenously, Libya may try to purchase complete missile systems or essential technologies from countries with existing ICBMs.
— Thomas W. Lippman, "ICBM Threat to US is Called Slight; Iran, Iraq, North Korea Capable but Aren't Building Such Missiles, CIA Says," Washington Post, 24 December 1993.

1994
North Korea begins mass production of the Nodong missile, with a capacity of 30-50 missiles a year. It appears that North Korea will be looking to test the missile in Libya, Iran, or Syria.
— Kim Yong Il, "Puk Nodong 1 Ho Missile Yangsan Chaknyžnputo 30-50 Ki Saengsan," Joongang Ilbo, 17 May 1995, <http://www.joins.com>.

16 February 1994
British defense experts say it is possible that Libya could have a ballistic missile system in 10 years that would put Britain in range.
— Donald Macintyre, "Britain to Consider Need for Hi-Tech Anti-Missile Defence; Rifkind Gives Warning of Threat that Could be Posed by 'Unpredictable Countries'," The Independent (London), 16 February 1994.

19 May 1994
Britain's House of Commons Select Committee on Defence issues a report in which it said that Royal Air Force (RAF) aircraft deployed in southern Italy were already "within notional range of missile attack from potentially hostile countries" like Libya.
— Christopher Bellamy, "MPs Give Warning on 'Vulnerability' from Defence Cuts," The Independent, (London), 20 May 1994.

Early June 1994
Robert Walpole, deputy director of the Central Intelligence Agency's (CIA's) Nonproliferation Center, says in Congressional testimony that North Korea has apparently discussed the sale of Nodong missiles to Libya.
— Thomas W. Lippman, "US Hopes to Break a Pattern," Washington Post, 14 June 1994.

18 June 1994
Former CIA director Robert Gates expresses his concern in an editorial that Libya is likely to be a recipient of any North Korean nuclear technology and weapons proliferation.
— Robert Gates, "Too Hot to Handle; Sweet Talking Won't Work with Rogue North Korea," Gazette (Montreal), 18 June 1994.

16 October 1994
Libya is reportedly co-funding the development of North Korea's 1,500km-range Nodong missile, and is said to have construction underway for a plant to build the missile. Libya already has Russian-built Scud-C missiles with a range of 550km.
— Tim Furniss, "Britain Seeks 'Star Wars' Defense Plan," Sunday Times, 16 October 1994.

	Updated September 2005