Project Babylon
Encyclopedia
Project Babylon was a project commissioned by the Iraq
i president Saddam Hussein
to build a series of supergun
s. The design was based on research from the 1960s Project HARP
led by the Canadian
artillery expert Gerald Bull
. Although the details are sketchy, it appears that there were four different devices in total included in the program.
The project ran from 1988 and was halted in 1990 after Gerald Bull was assassinated and parts of the superguns were seized in transit around Europe. The remaining components in Iraq were destroyed by the United Nations
after the 1991 Gulf War
.
The first, "Baby Babylon", was a horizontally-mounted device which was simply a prototype for test purposes, with a bore
of 350 mm (13.8 inches), and a barrel
length of 46 metres (151 feet).
The second, "Big Babylon", of which a pair were planned (one to be mounted horizontally, at least for test purposes) was much larger. The barrel was to be 156 metres (512 feet) long, with a bore of 1 metre (3.3 feet). Originally intended to be suspended by cables from a steel framework, it would have been over 100 m (300 ft) high at the tip. The complete device weighed about 2,100 tons (the barrel alone weighed 1,655 tons). It was supposedly a space gun
intended to shoot projectiles into orbit, a theme of Bull's work since Project HARP
. Neither of these devices could be elevated or trained, making them useless for direct military purposes, unless some form of terminal guidance could be used to direct the fired projectile onto its intended target.
Very large cannon
s, which would be capable of being elevated and trained, were also planned. The first had a bore of 350 mm (13.8 inches) and a barrel length of about 30 metres (100 feet), and it was expected to have a range of up to 750 kilometres (about 470 miles); some sources indicate that there was a second cannon planned, this with a bore of 600 mm (23.6 inches) and a barrel length of about 60 metres (200 ft).
There is still disagreement about the exact aims of the project. It is possible that Big Babylon was intended to both launch satellites and serve as a weapon, but its ability to fire conventional projectiles in the latter role would have been very limited: in addition to the impossibility of aiming it, it would have had a slow rate of fire, and its firing would have produced a very pronounced 'signature' which would have revealed its location. Since it was immobile, it suffered from the same vulnerability as Germany's V-3 cannon
, which the RAF readily destroyed in 1944. Also, Iraq already had Scud missiles which would have been far more effective than the dated supergun technology. However, the gun offered greater ranges than the Scud variants then used by the Iraqis, as well as being significantly more difficult to intercept. Although impractical, it may have been intended more as an intimidation weapon much like the German V-weapons of World War 2.
, including Sheffield Forgemasters, South Yorkshire and Walter Somers of Wolverhampton. Other components such as breech
es and recoil mechanisms were ordered from firms in Germany
, France
, Spain
, Switzerland
, and Italy
. Baby Babylon was completed, and test shots were fired from it, revealing problems with the seals between the barrel segments. However, as those were being worked on, Bull was assassinated. Some believe the assassination was perpetrated by the Mossad
, however, no person or state has ever taken responsibility in March 1990. The loss of Bull resulted in the project's failure.
Most of the barrel sections for Big Babylon were delivered to, and assembled on, a site excavated from the side of a hill; instead of being suspended by cables from a steel framework as originally planned (calculations had shown that the original support framework would be insufficiently rigid). However, it was never fully completed.
At the same time, intelligence agencies in the West had been slowly waking up to Project Babylon (according to one source, Bull had briefed several of them, emphasizing that Big Babylon was intended solely to launch satellites), and shortly after Bull's death they moved in on the project's suppliers.
In early April 1990, United Kingdom customs
officers confiscated several pieces of the second Big Babylon barrel, which were disguised as "petrochemical pressure vessels". The parts were confiscated at Teesport
Docks. More pieces were seized in Greece
and Turkey
as they were being shipped via truck to Iraq. Other components, such as slide bearings for Big Babylon, were seized at manufacturers in Spain and Switzerland.
Finally, in the wake of the Persian Gulf War
in 1991, the Iraqis admitted the existence of Project Babylon, and allowed U.N.
inspectors to destroy all of the hardware in Iraq as part of the disarmament process after the war.
Several of the barrel sections seized by UK customs officers are currently on display at the Royal Armouries
Fort Nelson, Portsmouth
site. Another section is on display at Firepower - The Royal Artillery Museum
in Woolwich
, London
.
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
i president Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...
to build a series of supergun
Supergun
A supergun is an extraordinarily large artillery piece. This size may be due to a large bore, barrel length or a combination of the two. While early examples tended to have a fairly short range more recent examples sometimes had an extremely high muzzle velocity resulting in a very long...
s. The design was based on research from the 1960s Project HARP
Project HARP
Project HARP, short for High Altitude Research Project, was a joint project of the United States Department of Defense and Canada's Department of National Defence created with the goal of studying ballistics of re-entry vehicles at low cost; whereas most such projects used expensive rockets, HARP...
led by the Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
artillery expert Gerald Bull
Gerald Bull
Gerald Vincent Bull was a Canadian engineer who developed long-range artillery. He moved from project to project in his quest to launch economically a satellite using a huge artillery piece, to which end he designed the Project Babylon "supergun" for the Iraqi government...
. Although the details are sketchy, it appears that there were four different devices in total included in the program.
The project ran from 1988 and was halted in 1990 after Gerald Bull was assassinated and parts of the superguns were seized in transit around Europe. The remaining components in Iraq were destroyed by the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
after the 1991 Gulf War
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
.
The Babylon devices
Caliber
In guns including firearms, caliber or calibre is the approximate internal diameter of the barrel in relation to the diameter of the projectile used in it....
of 350 mm (13.8 inches), and a barrel
Gun barrel
A gun barrel is the tube, usually metal, through which a controlled explosion or rapid expansion of gases are released in order to propel a projectile out of the end at a high velocity....
length of 46 metres (151 feet).
The second, "Big Babylon", of which a pair were planned (one to be mounted horizontally, at least for test purposes) was much larger. The barrel was to be 156 metres (512 feet) long, with a bore of 1 metre (3.3 feet). Originally intended to be suspended by cables from a steel framework, it would have been over 100 m (300 ft) high at the tip. The complete device weighed about 2,100 tons (the barrel alone weighed 1,655 tons). It was supposedly a space gun
Space gun
A space gun is a method of launching an object into outer space using a large gun, or cannon. It provides a method of non-rocket spacelaunch.In the HARP Project a U.S...
intended to shoot projectiles into orbit, a theme of Bull's work since Project HARP
Project HARP
Project HARP, short for High Altitude Research Project, was a joint project of the United States Department of Defense and Canada's Department of National Defence created with the goal of studying ballistics of re-entry vehicles at low cost; whereas most such projects used expensive rockets, HARP...
. Neither of these devices could be elevated or trained, making them useless for direct military purposes, unless some form of terminal guidance could be used to direct the fired projectile onto its intended target.
Very large cannon
Cannon
A cannon is any piece of artillery that uses gunpowder or other usually explosive-based propellents to launch a projectile. Cannon vary in caliber, range, mobility, rate of fire, angle of fire, and firepower; different forms of cannon combine and balance these attributes in varying degrees,...
s, which would be capable of being elevated and trained, were also planned. The first had a bore of 350 mm (13.8 inches) and a barrel length of about 30 metres (100 feet), and it was expected to have a range of up to 750 kilometres (about 470 miles); some sources indicate that there was a second cannon planned, this with a bore of 600 mm (23.6 inches) and a barrel length of about 60 metres (200 ft).
There is still disagreement about the exact aims of the project. It is possible that Big Babylon was intended to both launch satellites and serve as a weapon, but its ability to fire conventional projectiles in the latter role would have been very limited: in addition to the impossibility of aiming it, it would have had a slow rate of fire, and its firing would have produced a very pronounced 'signature' which would have revealed its location. Since it was immobile, it suffered from the same vulnerability as Germany's V-3 cannon
V-3 cannon
The V-3 was a German World War II supergun working on the multi-charge principle whereby secondary propellant charges are fired to add velocity to a projectile....
, which the RAF readily destroyed in 1944. Also, Iraq already had Scud missiles which would have been far more effective than the dated supergun technology. However, the gun offered greater ranges than the Scud variants then used by the Iraqis, as well as being significantly more difficult to intercept. Although impractical, it may have been intended more as an intimidation weapon much like the German V-weapons of World War 2.
Outcome
All of the required metal tubes for the barrels and gun cradles were purchased from firms in the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, including Sheffield Forgemasters, South Yorkshire and Walter Somers of Wolverhampton. Other components such as breech
Breech-loading weapon
A breech-loading weapon is a firearm in which the cartridge or shell is inserted or loaded into a chamber integral to the rear portion of a barrel....
es and recoil mechanisms were ordered from firms in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, and Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. Baby Babylon was completed, and test shots were fired from it, revealing problems with the seals between the barrel segments. However, as those were being worked on, Bull was assassinated. Some believe the assassination was perpetrated by the Mossad
Mossad
The Mossad , short for HaMossad leModi'in uleTafkidim Meyuchadim , is the national intelligence agency of Israel....
, however, no person or state has ever taken responsibility in March 1990. The loss of Bull resulted in the project's failure.
Most of the barrel sections for Big Babylon were delivered to, and assembled on, a site excavated from the side of a hill; instead of being suspended by cables from a steel framework as originally planned (calculations had shown that the original support framework would be insufficiently rigid). However, it was never fully completed.
At the same time, intelligence agencies in the West had been slowly waking up to Project Babylon (according to one source, Bull had briefed several of them, emphasizing that Big Babylon was intended solely to launch satellites), and shortly after Bull's death they moved in on the project's suppliers.
In early April 1990, United Kingdom customs
Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs
Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs is a non-ministerial department of the UK Government responsible for the collection of taxes and the payment of some forms of state support....
officers confiscated several pieces of the second Big Babylon barrel, which were disguised as "petrochemical pressure vessels". The parts were confiscated at Teesport
Teesport
Teesport is a large sea port located in the unitary authority of Redcar and Cleveland and the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire in north east England...
Docks. More pieces were seized in Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
and Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
as they were being shipped via truck to Iraq. Other components, such as slide bearings for Big Babylon, were seized at manufacturers in Spain and Switzerland.
Finally, in the wake of the Persian Gulf War
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
in 1991, the Iraqis admitted the existence of Project Babylon, and allowed U.N.
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
inspectors to destroy all of the hardware in Iraq as part of the disarmament process after the war.
Several of the barrel sections seized by UK customs officers are currently on display at the Royal Armouries
Royal Armouries
The Royal Armouries is the United Kingdom's National Museum of Arms and Armour. It is the United Kingdom's oldest museum, and one of the oldest museums in the world. It is also one of the largest collections of arms and armour in the world, comprising the UK's National Collection of Arms and...
Fort Nelson, Portsmouth
Fort Nelson, Portsmouth
Fort Nelson, in the civil parish of Boarhunt in the English county of Hampshire, is one of five defensive forts built on the summit of Portsdown Hill in the 1860s, overlooking the important naval base of Portsmouth. It is now part of the Royal Armouries, housing their collection of...
site. Another section is on display at Firepower - The Royal Artillery Museum
Firepower - The Royal Artillery Museum
Firepower: The Royal Artillery Museum is a military museum in Woolwich in south-east London, England, which tells the story of the Royal Regiment of Artillery and of the Royal Arsenal.-History:...
in Woolwich
Woolwich
Woolwich is a district in south London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.Woolwich formed part of Kent until 1889 when the County of London was created...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
Project Babylon in fiction
- Tom Clancy's Splinter CellTom Clancy's Splinter Cell (novel)Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell is a 2004 novel told in the first person by author Raymond Benson, writing under the pseudonym David Michaels. The novel is based on the video game series Splinter Cell created by author Tom Clancy...
- This project provides the backstory for Frederick ForsythFrederick ForsythFrederick Forsyth, CBE is an English author and occasional political commentator. He is best known for thrillers such as The Day of the Jackal, The Odessa File, The Fourth Protocol, The Dogs of War, The Devil's Alternative, The Fist of God, Icon, The Veteran, Avenger, The Afghan and The Cobra.-...
's novel The Fist of GodThe Fist of GodThe Fist of God is a 1994 novel by Frederick Forsyth, mixing known fact with fiction to tell a story of the coalition forces in the Persian Gulf War racing against time to discover the true nature of Saddam Hussein's secret weapon, 'The Fist of God.'...
. - The events of Project Babylon are dramatized in the 1994 HBO movie Doomsday GunDoomsday GunDoomsday Gun is a 1994 television film produced by HBO, dramatizing the life of Canadian supergun designer Dr. Gerald Bull and his involvement in Project Babylon, Saddam Hussein's plan to build a supergun with a range of over 500 miles. It was the first television drama to deal with covert U.S...
starring Frank LangellaFrank Langella-Early life:Langella, an Italian American, was born in Bayonne, New Jersey, the son of Angelina and Frank A. Langella Sr., a business executive who was the president of the Bayonne Barrel and Drum Company. Langella attended Washington Elementary School and Bayonne High School in Bayonne...
as Gerald BullGerald BullGerald Vincent Bull was a Canadian engineer who developed long-range artillery. He moved from project to project in his quest to launch economically a satellite using a huge artillery piece, to which end he designed the Project Babylon "supergun" for the Iraqi government...
, with Kevin SpaceyKevin SpaceyKevin Spacey, CBE is an American actor, director, screenwriter, producer, and crooner. He grew up in California, and began his career as a stage actor during the 1980s, before being cast in supporting roles in film and television...
, Alan ArkinAlan ArkinAlan Wolf Arkin is an American actor, director, musician and singer. He is known for starring in such films as Wait Until Dark, The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming, The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, Catch-22, The In-Laws, Edward Scissorhands, Glengarry Glen Ross, Marley & Me, and...
, and Clive OwenClive OwenClive Owen is an English actor, who has worked on television, stage and film. He first gained recognition in the United Kingdom for portraying the lead in the ITV series Chancer from 1990 to 1991...
in supporting roles - A fictive attempt to resurrect the project forms the plot of the Golgo 13Golgo 13is a manga series written and illustrated by Takao Saito, published in Shogakukan's Big Comic magazine since January 1969. In 1976, the manga won the 21st Shogakukan Manga Award for general manga...
story The Gun at Am-Shara. - SAS novel n°100 les canons de Bagdad of Gérard de Villiers is based on the end of Project Babylon and the assassination of Gerald Bull.
- The weapon is the basis for a mission in the video game Conflict: Desert Storm II where the SASSpecial Air ServiceSpecial Air Service or SAS is a corps of the British Army constituted on 31 May 1950. They are part of the United Kingdom Special Forces and have served as a model for the special forces of many other countries all over the world...
or 1st SFOD-D squad controlled by the character must infiltrate the drydocks where two of the weapons have been constructed and destroy them by calling air strikes.
See also
- Al-FaoAl-FaoAl-Fao is a self-propelled artillery system designed for the Iraqi Army by the late Canadian weapons engineer, Gerald Bull. It is one of the world's most powerful artillery pieces, with a caliber of 210 mm and a range of 56,000 metres...
(Iraqi supergun) - Iran–Iraq War
- United States support for Iraq during the Iran–Iraq warUnited States support for Iraq during the Iran–Iraq warUnited States support for Iraq during the Iran–Iraq War, as a counterbalance to post-revolutionary Iran, included several billion dollars worth of economic aid, the sale of dual-use technology, non-U.S. origin weaponry, military intelligence, Special Operations training, and direct involvement in...
- Space Research CorporationSpace Research CorporationSpace Research Corporation was a corporation founded by Gerald Bull, after the budget for his research at Project HARP for the United States and Canadian federal governments was cut in 1967, in order to commercialize the technology of long-range artillery. Project HARP's assets were then given to...
External links
- Project Babylon Supergun / PC-2 at Federation of American Scientists website
- Customs seize 'supergun'
- The Royal Armouries at Fort Nelson - Official Site. Displaying seized barrel parts.
- The Royal Armouries at Fort Nelson - Guide
- Babylon Gun at Encyclopedia Astronautica