67th International Astronautical Congress (IAC), Guadalajara, Mexico, 26-30 September 2016.

Copyright 2016 by the International Astronautical Federation (IAF). All rights reserved.

IAC-16,E4,3A2,x32667
50 IAA History of Astronautics Symposium
th

THE CNDOR PROJECT

Pablo de Len
Department of Space Studies, University of North Dakota. deleon@space.edu

Abstract
This paper covers the history of the Argentine Cndor I and Cndor II missiles: their origins, their
development, and the circumstances that led to their cancellation.

The Cndor I and II rockets were developed and built by the Argentine Air Force between 1979 and
1990. From the beginning of the 1960s to the end of the 1980s, Argentina was the only Latin American
country to accomplish significant developments in rocketry.

During the last years of the military Junta, and the first years of the government of Ral Alfonsn, an
important investment in infrastructure and equipment was made. The training of hundreds of rocket
specialists allowed Argentina to master solid propellant rocket manufacturing, as well as TVC flexible
nozzle design and manufacturing, hypersonic, guidance and control, and more. These dual use
technologies could be utilized for missiles, as well as for space launch systems.

Despite the fact than the Cndor rocket motor was fully developed and operational, in the beginning of
the 1990s the government of Carlos Menem decided to cancel the project and disperse the engineers and
technicians involved. This was done mainly due to international pressures and marked the beginning of a
decade of automatic alignment of Argentine policies with those of the United States.

The cancellation of the Cndor program had long lasting effects in the Argentine space program in
general, and in the development of regional solid rocket propulsion systems in particular.

1. Introduction
During the 1980s a Latin American

launcher,

through

the

technology

country started the development of a

transfer facilitated by a number of

state-of-the-art ballistic missile/satellite

European companies.
1

Most of this technology was later sold to Egypt

examines the history of the project Cndor

and some of it ended in Iraq at the time when

missile, its origin, development and cancellation.

that country was going from being a friendly

This paper has been based on two recent works

quasi-ally and preferred weapons customer to an

by the author on this topic: the first, a doctoral

enemy of the United States.

thesis at the University of San Andrs,

This

missile

was

designed

to

place

Argentina,

titled

El

proyecto

misilstico

or

Cndor: su origen, desarrollo y cancelacin

bacteriological warhead 1,000 kilometers away

and the second, a book titled Historia de la

with a remarkable accuracy and to be virtually

Actividad Espacial en la Argentina, Volume II.

undetected until it hit its target. Being a solid

El Proyecto Cndor (ISBN 978-987-33-7359-

fuel missile, it didnt needed to be fueled in

6). Both were published in Argentina and the

place, could be launched immediately, and using

United States in Spanish.

conventional,

chemical,

nuclear

mobile platforms it could be launched from any

conventional road.

2. Cndor I and II

The Latin American country in charge of this

The Cndor I (Figure 1) and Cndor II (Figure

development was Argentina and had it not been

2) were projects developed by the Argentine Air

for the lack of continued investment from its

Force between 1979 and 1990. After democracy

government and a number of poor political

was reinstated in Argentina in 1983, project

choices taken during its development, this

Cndor II continued under the democratic

missile/launch vehicle would have been able to

elected government of President Ral Alfonsn.

be completed without major issues. Several

[1]

questions arise from this picture. What would

By 1989 the Argentine government had made a

have

if

significant investment in infrastructure and

Argentina completed the Cndor II missile?

equipment, which included the training of

How would have the realization of this project

hundreds

affected

propulsion,

changed

in

international

the

foreign,

technological,

policies

defense,
of

all

politics

industrial,
the

of

specialists

guidance

in

and

solid

rocket

control,

launch

parties

operations and other areas. As such, Argentina

involved? Would the existence of the missile

managed to dominate the cycle of manufacturing

precipitated an arms escalation in the region?

and testing of composite rocket solid fuels,

What would have been the impact on the global

development of nozzles including TVC (thrust

balance of power, in particular in the Middle

vector

East?

aerospace, steel maraging welding, reentry,

These are some of the questions that guided the

hypersonics, and guidance and control. These

research conducted for this study, which

technologies were considered dual use; both

control),

composite

materials

for

allowed for the development of space launchers

of the 1970s. As it was clear during the research

and guided missiles, and as such its transfer is

performed for this study, this project could never

now restricted.

be initiated by a democratic government. The

By the beginning of the 1990s, the government

way in which the project was conceived, the

of

to

processes on the initial decision-making, the

international pressure, ordered the cancellation

extraneous financial compensation mechanisms

of the Cndor project and the dispersion of the

used, the purposes of the sale and transfer of

Carlos

Saul

Menem,

responding

engineers who developed the system.

[2]

propulsion technology to Egypt and the Middle

East, and above all, the secrecy that surrounded
the project from its beginning until today are
necessarily linked to the discretionary decisionmaking of a dictatorship.

Figure 1.Cndor I. Courtesy of Jorge Navesnik.

So far, the Cndor project hasnt been a subject

studied in academia, or a very popular topic
when studying scientific and technological
programs in developing countries. This may be
due the veil of secrecy which surrounded this

Figure 2. Cndor II. Courtesy of Jorge Navesnik.

program. However, in Argentina, the Cndor is

Would it have been beneficial for Argentina to

coveted by the populace as possessing a

have preserved and continued the development

particular mystique since this rocket program

of this technology and the infrastructure it

is seen as one of the national technological

learned to master? Would it have been valuable

projects which was canceled due to international

for this country to reorient the project towards

pressure. [3]

purely peaceful, commercial and scientific

It is next to impossible not to associate the

objectives as rocket launcher of artificial

Cndor program with the Argentine dictatorship

satellites

instead

of

proceeding

to

its
3

cancellation and destruction following the

directives of the United States? Or was the

Was the decision to change the Cndor

cancellation a necessary condition so that

from its original plans as a sounding

Argentina could have access to international

rocket to a ballistic missile a response to

credit and credibility as advocated by the

an evaluation linked to the technological

government of President Menem?

capabilities and defense needs of the

In this context, the case of the Cndor project

country, or was simply a decision linked

represents the first instance in which open and

to corporate interest of the European

public

companies involved?

international

pressures

decided

the

cancellation of a scientific and technological

project developed in a South American nation.

aerospace technology systems requires

While the vast majority of the aerospace and

complex organizational capabilities and

defense projects carried forward by Argentina

were canceled for internal or external reasons,

alignment

that

the

wide

range

of

scientific

and

technological skills, as well as intensive

this case is presented as an example of the

automatic

Considering that the development of

economic and financial capabilities,

Argentine

what were the links of the project with

government kept with its American counterpart

the Argentine scientific, technological

during the 1990s. [4]

and industrial complex, and was there

Some questions in which to respond with this

substantial financial support at the

work are:

governmental level?

When was the plan born to create a

ballistic missile? Was it created during
the military government, or was it a
previous plan devised as a continuation
of the family of solid rockets developed
in Argentina since the 1960s?

Was

the

project

Cndor

designed

purely, as it was said during its public

defense, as a satellite launcher with
peaceful purposes, or was it solely a
ballistic

missile

developed

to

hit

Malvinas and at the same time become a

valuable commodity to Middle East

Was the development of the Cndor

markets?

missile the product of a carefully

conceived plan, or was it an impetuous
military reaction to the defeat suffered
against the U.K. due to the Malvinas
Islands war?

3. Development
Although the development of the Cndor
program took more than a decade, the effective
step to put up a concrete line of development in
that direction materialized in August 1979 when
4

the then Commander in Chief of the Argentine

of

Air Force, Brigadier Omar Graffigna signed the

polybutadiene) rocket propellant with direct

approval for a strictly confidential and secret

motor casting, plus the technology needed to

plan called Plan de Satelizacin.

manufacture the rocket body, the fins, the

The plan was prepared by the then Comodoro

nozzle, and a separation and recovery payload

Edgardo Sthal, an experienced aerospace expert

using parachutes. A final price was another of

and Air Force officer, at the request of the

the requirements. The conditions for the contract

president of the National Commission of Space

were finished after two successful test flights.

Research, Brigadier Miguel Snchez Pea.

This unguided vehicle was named Cndor (later

The plan presented by Sthal was accompanied of

Cndor I). [5]

an initial budget, directed to the development of

During the visit to the Federal Republic of

a solid-propellant sounding rocket, at that point,

Germany,

without military purposes. Since at that time the

(MBB) was very interested in bidding for the

military junta was planning to stay in power just

contract. They wanted to provide the rocket

a few years, the plan had an aggressive schedule

engine and the technology needed for its

instead

manufacture,

of

developing

the

technology

composite

HTPB

(Hydroxyl-terminated

Messerschmitt-Blkow-Blohm

the
nozzles

electronics,

aerodynamics

indigenously. It consisted of the purchase of a

expertise,

construction,

thermal

finished plant including all machinery and

protection, and the launch towers and vehicles.

consumables and all the necessary technology

At least one of the engineer members of the

transfer for the manufacturing of large diameter

Argentine group was not convinced that

solid rocket engines, including the training of

Germany was a solid partner for the technology

the personnel.

transfer contract, arguing that the last German

The plan was geared for the development of a

functional rocket has been the V-2 and their

small satellite launch vehicle that could put an

experience with solid propulsion, in general, was

indigenous satellite in low Earth orbit by 1990.

poor. [6]

Commander Graffigna appointed Sthal as the

The visit to Italy favorably surprised the

project manager for the Cndor.

Argentine team. Despite the aging facilities in

Then, a group of Argentine Air Force specialists

the outskirts of Rome, SNIA BpD (Societ

started to look for interested companies in

Nazionale Industria Applicazione- Bombrini-

France, Italy, Germany (Federal Republic), and

Parodi-Delfino), this company had first level

Israel for the transfer of the technology and

laboratories, static test facilities and produced a

planned visits to all these countries.

top-quality propellant (Figure 3).

The conditions for the bids included the

Finally, there were proposals by France,

provision of a turn-key plant for the manufacture

Germany and Israel. The Israeli proposal did not

5

indicated a fixed price and, for this reason, was

rocket was one of the most innocent objectives

not considered.

in the complicated world of military technology

Argentina requested that the Italian and German

sales. Years later, restrictions on purchases of

bidders form a joint venture. The Italians would

armaments and international conventions against

provide

and

the production and export of arms started. As we

manufacturing transfer while the Germans

will see later, the Cndor would play an

would supply the rest and oversee the entire

important role in raising international awareness

project. The creation of this joint-venture was a

about the dangers of exports of weapons of mass

condition for the contract.

destruction in the particularly sensitive field of

the

propellant

formulation

missile proliferation. [7]

4. The construction of Falda del Carmen

By December of 1979 the construction of what

would be the first and only state-of-the-art
factory for the manufacturing of solid rocket
Figure 3. First Static Test of a Cndor rocket engine
in Colleferro, Italy. Courtesy Brig. Sthal.

propellant in South America, Falda del Carmen,

began.
The new plant was not built in Falda del

At this point, it is necessary to make a comment.

This contract took place in 1980 when the
selling of weapons did not the restrictions it has
today. In the 1980s the absence of controls on
military imports and production allowed any

Carmen, as its name it indicates, but in Falda de

Caete, in the province of Crdoba, on a
property of 474 hectares. The name of Falda del
Carmen was given in an attempt to mislead the
foreign intelligence services.

company to offer virtually any type of weaponry

to almost any country in the world. Military
technology magazines of the time show the
profusion of ads offering ammunition cluster,
grenades, missiles and rockets of various types,
assault rifles, anti-personnel mines, and all
imaginable kinds of weapons. Therefore, the
contracting of two European companies by a
South American government to make a sounding

facilities with remote mixing capabilities, water

transportation,

drains,

sewage

treatment,

underground cabling for lighting, electrical and

communications connections, etc. (Figures 4-5).
Many buildings were made carving directly in
the mountain, among them were the storage
areas for Ammonium Perchlorate to ensure
minimal damage in case of explosions. German
and

Austrian

engineers

worked

in

the

supervision of the civil construction of the plant.

Figure 4. Buildings fortified against explosions in
Falda del Carmen. Courtesy Museo Universitario de
Tecnologa Aeroespacial.

All of the work was finished by the middle of

1983 [8]
By then the Argentines were able to fully

The Argentine-Italian Techint company along

operate the plant. The training at the engineer

with the local construction company Delta,

level was provided in Germany and Italy, where

working with drawings from and under the

many Argentines spent several months in

supervision of the German-Austria company

completing their programs. The training for the

Bowas AG, the subcontractor of MBB, began

technicians was done in Argentina, in many

the construction of Falda del Carmen.

cases, by European engineers.

The total of this contract was $35 million U.S.
dollars to MBB, and 40 million U.S, dollars
more for the construction of the Falda del
Carmen plant.

5. CONSEN is Born
Despite the fact that the initial contracts were
signed with MBB, by early 1980 the Air Force
signed a new contract with a newly formed
company
Figure 5. Satellite image of the Falda del Carmen
facility. Source: Google Maps.

The construction consisted of almost 50

different buildings with a total of 12,000 square
meters

of

covered

areas,

paved

roads,

called

CONSEN

(Consulting

Engineers) to provide technical expertise in the

development of the Cndor. CONSEN was a
supposedly independent company, but it shared
staff and physical address with MBB.

laboratories made to prevent explosions, mixing

7

CONSEN initially hired ten rocket specialists,

Ammonium Perchlorate, and 20% of aluminum

(all of them MBB engineers) for the Cndor

powder. The formula is practically the same as

contract.

CONSEN

the one was used during the Space Shuttle

employed 100 engineers and technicians, all

program, and today is still one of the most

European, and mostly on a part-time basis. A

efficient solid rocket propellants ever produced.

subsidiary of MBB, Transtechnica Gesellschaft

On April 2, 1982, Argentine troops by order of

fr Technologie Transfer GmbH (known as

the

Transtechnica) assisted with the technology

Galtieri, recovered the Malvinas Islands (called

transfer to Argentina as it was getting difficult to

Falkland by the British). This desperate military

obtain machinery from various countries.

adventure was carried out with the sole purpose

From 1980 onwards, the European participation

of repairing the sagging image of the military

in the Cndor project increased with Bolhen

government and to try to galvanize the

Industries,

another

Argentine public opinion in a perceived heroic

technology provider. Bolhen was associated

gesture at a time where the dictatorial faced

with Bowas and specialized in explosives and

fierce opposition. [10]

solid propellants. [9]

Finally, on June 14th of the same year, the

Later, other companies were created as part of

Argentine

the so-called CONSEN Group. Among them

Argentino (called Stanley by the British) ending

were

the short war for the islands with the result of

In

its

an

busiest

Austrian

CONSEN

SA,

years,

firm,

IFAT

as

(Institute

for

de-facto

President,

forces

General

surrendered

Leopoldo

in

Puerto

Advanced Technology, an Egyptian-European

649 Argentine and 258 British casualties. [11]

company), Desintec AG (a subsidiary of IFAT).

Concluded the Malvinas conflict, the Argentine

All of these companies were formed specifically

Air Force assessed that the British victory over

to transfer technology to the Cndor project.

the islands was given largely by its technological

CONSEN, for the purpose of reducing the

superiority and availability of modern weapons.

identification with MBB, moved to Zug,

A group of high and medium officers, veterans

Switzerland, which became the neural center of

of the conflict, developed a plan to equip the

technology transfer. CONSEN also had bases in

force with a series of technical systems that

Switzerland,

would reduce these differences. During the

Austria,

Germany,

Monaco,

England, Argentina and the United States.

Malvinas conflict, most of the nations providers

From the beginning of the program, the

of aircraft and high-tech weapons refused sales

Argentine Air Force decided to obtain the best

and spare parts to Argentina. From the lessons

available solid rocket propellant at that time.

learned by the Air Force came one of its goals to

The selected propellant was composed of 12%

reduce its technological dependency during an

of HTPB as fuel mixed with a binder, 68% of

armed conflict. [12]

8

Before the end of 1982, the Air Force contacted

CONSEN to request a change of plans in the
original contract. While the contract original
concluded with the realization of two successful
launches of unguided vehicles with a recovery
system, it was amended to modify the design of
the Cndor from a one stage vehicle to a guided
rocket. At this time is when the project is
converted from a sounding rocket of dubious
military use, to a ballistic missile. [13]
A key document which helps to understand the
modifications that the original contract would
undergo is a technical study dated on April
1983, authored by CONSEN and titled The
Concept Definition & Design, and Outline
Planning

for

Subsequent

Development,

Fabrication and Flight Testing of a Ballistic

Missile Type. The confidential document was
prepared in English, and although not explicitly
stated, its sole recipient was the Argentine Air
Force.
The report, basically, contained a technical
proposal for the definition and design of a

Figure 6. First drawing of the Cndor II produced by

CONSEN, where sub munition can be seen in the
ojive. From: CONSEN S.A.M., The Concept
Definition & Design, and Outline Planning for
Subsequent Development, Fabrication and Flight
Testing of a Ballistic Type Missile 1983,page 7.

ballistic missile based on the engine of the

Cndor as a first stage with the addition of a

CONSEN called this new Cndor, Cndor BM

vector control nozzle, (Figure 6) also known as

(Ballistic Missile). The name Cndor II would

TVC (Thrust Vector Control), which in the 80s

be given later by the Air Force.

was considered the most advanced technology in

This was a fundamental switch point in the

rocket solid-fuel motors (Figure 7).

development of project Cndor, since for the

Another modification is the use of an inertial

first time, the decision was made by the Air

maneuvering unit (IMU) and a second stage

Force commanders to change the course of

where a heat-protected re-entry module would

action in the development of a sounding rocket

be able to incorporate a number of warheads.

and turn it into a ballistic missile. This decision

bought severe consequences for all the parties

the rest for the thermal shield, the guidance

involved.

system, reaction control, fins, etc. [14]

It was stated that it also would have the space
for the installation of submunition and its
guidance would be optimized for fixed high
value targets, or moving targets during heavy
attack with more than 500 kilometers of range,
The Argentine Air Force would have the
Malvinas within its reach launching from the
mainland. [15]

6. Return to Democracy
Figure 7. TVC designed for the Cndor II.
Courtesy of Carlos Cavallini.

During the design of the Cndor I, a warhead of

submunition was considered; however, due to
the dispersion of the point of impact and the lack
of precision of the initial configuration, any
military value was greatly reduced. The original
configuration had a range of 500 kilometers with
an error of at least 500 meters using a 500
kilograms warhead.
These initial values were never tested, since
there were never an actual flight test of a Cndor
rocket system, but were based on calculations
and the static tests. Clearly, those numbers were
not apt to the new needs of the Argentine Air
Force.
The new CONSEN proposal claimed that in the
period of four years, the program could be
finished. Under this program the precision of the
point of impact will be increased to 50 meters,
using 500 kilograms of warhead/payload. From
this 500 kilograms, 300 could be explosive, and

After the defeat in the Malvinas, the days of the

government

of

the

military

junta

were

numbered. With the imminence of Argentinas

return to democracy in 1983, the Air Force
recognized that the financing of the Cndor
program would be untenable once the military
handed power to the constitutional government,
which was scheduled for the end of the year.
That same year, SNIA delivered to Argentina
the three vertical mixers (of US origin) for the
production of the solid propellant, which will be
used in the manufacture of the rocket motors for
the Cndor. This was a fundamental piece of the
puzzle for the manufacture of rockets. [16]
After elections, and once Ral Alfonsn was
named President of Argentina, it was clear that
due to the absence of funds to continue the
program, (Argentina was at the brink of
bankruptcy due to the mismanagement by the
military government.) the only choice was to
cancel it before it could be completed. This was
when the Air Force proposed to the new
10

democratic government to obtain funding from

From this decree it was clear that the

international customers in order to continue its

government of Alfonsn's (most likely based on

development.

[17]

the information given by the Air Force

In March 1985, Brigadier Ernesto Crespo was

Commander-in-Chief) considered the Cndor

appointed as the new head of the Air Force, and

program as a space launch vehicle and not a

he became a fierce defender of the Cndor

missile (Figure 8).

program. Just one month after the appointment

of Crespo, President Alfonsn signed a secret
decree that later would bring many problems to
the Argentine government. The (Secret) Decree
604 of the 9th of April of 1985 stated that the Air
Force had been developing the so-called Plan
Satelital known as Cndor since 1981 which
was devoted to develop a vehicle to launch a
satellite into orbit was soon to be completed.
The decree also stated that due to the situation of
the Argentine economy, it was necessary to find
other ways to finance the project. To achieve
this mission, the Argentine Air Force developed
the Cndor II program, which would employ an
exchange mechanism for the export of space
technology products.
Then

the

decree

authorized

Figure 8. Cndor II inside a service tower.

Courtesy Machtres.

CONSEN,

DESINTEC and IFAT Corp. as the companies

What did the government knew about the true

that would provide technical assistance, required

purposes of the Cndor II? By not mentioning

equipment and purchase part of the production

the potential customer or customers, the decree

for export purposes.

left the door open for any other country who

President Alfonsn also authorized the Air Force

wanted to purchase the Cndor technology. Did

to pay for any expenditures that would generate

the government know this was a possibility? If

funds for the project by this exchange

the purpose was a vehicle to launch satellites,

mechanism produced the sale of these space

why

systems. Finally, the Cndor 1 and Cndor 2

government of Alfonsn had a policy against

programs were declared to be of national

international arm sales and was in favor of

interest.

[18]

was

secret

decree

needed?

The

disarmament, so why did he blindly trust this

11

arrangement? These are some of the questions

Argentine project and later provided the way for

still unanswered.

the Iraqi connection. On February 1984, the

From the moment of the signing of the decree,

Egyptian Ministry of Defense signed a contract

the now-Brigadier Sthal was tasked to look for

with the CONSEN group for the construction of

potential customers for the Cndor technology.

a plant for the manufacture of solid fuel rocket

Almost

motors as well as the design and development of

immediately,

Sthal

contacted

the

military in Saudi Arabia, but was told that they

a conventional 1,000-km range missile. [20]

were interested only in developed systems and

At the same time, CONSEN, using the

showed little interest on a missile which was still

Argentine facilities, was going to provide

under development.

finished

Still, as a result of those meetings Sthal got a

training of the Egyptian technical staff. Falda del

contact in Egypt and traveled to a plant for the

Carmen and the Air Force were just one end of

production of solid propellants on the outskirts

the business, with its facilities and personnel

of Cairo. The proposal Sthal made to the Egypt

being rented by the CONSEN group to

military consisted of the sale of finished rocket

provide the technology to Egypt with practically

motors and later the technology transfer to Egypt

no oversight from the Argentine government.

motors,

technology

transfer,

and

so they could manufacture their own motors.

This proposal was presented to the Defense
Ministry in Argentina and approved by the

8. Iraq

Presidency.

Meanwhile, in 1984 Lieutenant General Amer

7. The Egyptian connection

The Defense Minister of Egypt, General

Rashid, second in the Ministry of Industry and

Ghazala, was highly popular in his country and

then-President Saddam Hussein to start a

was considered as the second in line to replace

program to develop a missile which could reach

President

Tehran, capital of Iran, in a war with the first

Hosni

Mubarak.

Ghazala

was

Militarization of Iraq, receives the order from

determined to provide an indigenous defense

one. [23]

industry for Egypt rather than relying on foreign

To reach the Iranian capital, the Iraqis needed a

weapons which, as in the case of Argentina,

missile of at least 580 kilometers of range.

sometimes were not available when needed.

Knowing the Condor technology was up for

Despite being a nationalist and industrialist

sale, the Iraqis contacted the Egyptians without

military officer, he was well considered in the

making any contact with the Argentine military

United States mainly due his modern and

at that point (Figure 9).

relatively secular vision.

[19]

General Ghazala

was a major player in Egypts interest in the

12

Wall Street Journal newspapers during April

1987. In the three cases the mention of the
Cndor was related to the creation of the Missile
Technology Control Regime (MTCR) and, in
particular,

exposed

the

technology

transfer

Washington

Post

to

MBB

and

SNIA

Argentina.

commented

that

The
...the

[Cndor II] missile could reach the Falkland

Figure 9. Cndor II with general dimensions. The
sub munition head and the liquid-propellant second
stage can be seen in this drawing. Protected source.

[Malvinas] islands from the South American

Mainland.

[31]

A few months later, the British

newspaper Financial Times also echoed the

To maintain secrecy, the Iraqis suggested that

news naming Egypt as a partner of Argentina

Egypt act as the contracting country with

and blaming the governments of Federal

Argentina. Iraq provided the funds via Egypt.

Germany and Italy for allowing the proliferation

Iraq, like Egypt, would receive in return the

of missile technology. [32]

transfer of technology to build its own missiles

By mid of July of the 1987, the government of

as well as receive finished missiles.

Iraq, directly contracted with another CONSEN

At this point, the UK began to closely monitor

spinoff based in Zug, Switzerland, Condor

the

Argentine

development.

[27]

Margaret

Projekt

A.G.

(later

renamed

as

Projekte

Thatcher started to put pressure on the German

Conchem A.G. to reduce the connection with the

Chancellor, Helmut Khl, to stop any further

missile) for the design, development and

technology transfer to Argentina regarding the

construction of their Cndor II missile version,

missile.

[28]

Also in 1984, the first article about

the BADR-2000 and the construction of

the Cndor II appeared in the Sunday Times of

manufacturing plants in their country. From that

London,

moment, Iraq began to cut its ties with the

quoting

government.

[29]

sources

in

the

English

Despite the growing pressure,

Argentine development and with Egypt. [33]

between late 1985 and early 1988, Argentina

The reasons for the cancellation of their

exported 12 Cndor loaded solid rocket motors

involvement with Argentina and Egypt are not

to Egypt in a total of six flights, using Hercules

clear. Either the Iraqis became tired of waiting

C-130 of the Argentine Air Force.

[30]

after numerous slips in the promised schedules,

The US media took longer to notice the Cndor.

or they wanted to work directly the providers of

The first public signs of the Argentine missile

the technology in Europe. In any case, CONSEN

project appeared within of a few days difference

still needed the Falda del Carmen plant to

in the Washington Post, New York Times and

produce motors and train personnel at least until

13

the new plants in Iraq were operational, but it

anonymous source said that while the Cndor II

was clear that the end of the project was near

was capable of carrying a nuclear warhead, it

due to increasing international pressure.

was not

At the beginning of 1988, Brigadier Crespo and

the

government.

intention of

the Argentine

[39]

the CONSEN CEO Ekkehard Schrotz traveled to

the SNIA-BPD plant in Italy to negotiate the
delivery of the TVC nozzles required for the
Cndor II. The SISMI, Italian Intelligence
Service, discovered four full TVC nozzle
systems ready for shipment to Argentina and
they were destroyed under pressure of the
United States. [34]
In June 1988, Egyptian diplomats were arrested
in Baltimore when they tried to take off in a
military plane with a cargo of carbon-carbon for
the manufacture of the Cndor rocket nozzles.
This generated an international scandal that
ended with the removal of the General Ghazala
as minister of Defense. [36]
The pressure of the US Department of State was
felt immediately in Egypt. In September 1989
this country canceled their work on the Cndor
II. [37]
By September 1988, during the first plenary
group of the MTCR in Rome, the representatives
of seven countries members identified to the
Cndor II as a project of particular attention
and special priority was given to block the
export of sensitive technology. [38] Sources in the
Argentine Air Force said that the project taking
place at Falda del Carmen was directed towards
the development of a satellite carrying vehicle
and denied that Argentina had any plans to see it
abroad (Figure 10). In the same interview, the

Figure 10. View of the Cndor II inside the vertical

service tower. Protected source.

9. The cost of the Cndor

The Cndor II was an advanced missile project
due to its level of sophistication and by its heavy
dependence on foreign technology was never
tested in flight. According to estimates by US
sources, the total cost of the project Cndor I
and II/Vector/DOT/BADR-2000 (according to
the designations of each country), adding the
Argentine,

Saudi,

Egyptian

and

Iraqi

contributions, would have mounted to a total of

around five billion dollars spent between 1979
and 1991. The lower figures were spent by
Argentina which was approximately 150 million
on the construction of Falda del Carmen,
machinery, and consumables. How much of the
14

total amount spent in the Cndor projects went

United States, Dan Quayle, told the press that

to actual development, and how much went to

his country would continue to pressure countries

commissions for the parties involved is

that were cooperating in the Cndor, especially

unknown, but it is estimated that at least half of

Germany and Italy, saying that these pressures

the amount was profit for the companies

had already been successful. [42]

involved.

Just a few days later, during one of the many

According to the same estimates, the Cndor II

encounters between President Menem and

still needed additional one billion dollars to be

President George H.W. Bush, Bush specifically

completed and become an operational system.

asked Menem cancel the development of the

[40]

Cndor project. It was the first time where

While Argentina only considered the use of the

Menem and his powerful minister Domingo

missile with a sub munition warhead, the

Cavallo realized that the missile development

Cndor II only made sense with a nuclear,

was endangering the relations between the

chemical or biological warhead. Chemical and

Argentina and the United States and it was going

biological warheads were probably within the

to hamper any possibility of financial aid or

reach of Saddam Hussein.

renegotiation of the delinquent payments of the

external debt.
The new Chief of the Air Force Brigadier Juli
met during the same week with Pentagon

10. The Death of the Cndor

Near the end of the Alfonsn presidency, the

officials and members of the US Congress, and

elections results called for a new president.

was also asked about the Cndor. Juli informed

Carlos Menem, a Peronist, reached office in July

them that Argentina had developed the rocket

1989 in the midst of an economic crisis of

engine and fuel system but that the guidance

enormous

annual

system was far from operational and that the

inflation, 4 billion dollars in default of payment

development was paralyzed due to lack of funds.

of the external debt, and a total of 64 billion

This reflected the reality of what was happening

dollars of foreign debt. It was a crisis in great

with the Cndor. Not a single motor had been

part inherited from the years of military

produced in the Falda del Carmen plant since

governance. [41]

1987. Juli tried to broker an agreement to offer

As soon as Menem reached office, the United

the IA-63 Pampa, the advanced training airplane

States government decided to apply immediate

developed in Argentina, to take part in the

pressure for the termination of the Cndor. At

JPATS program as a tool of exchange for the

the same time, in what certainly was a

continuance of the missile program to no avail

coordinated operation, the Vice President of the

(Figure 11).

proportions:

3.080%

of

15

Menem assured Bush that the Cndor program

had been totally dismantled. At a press
conference, the US Secretary of State Bernard
Aronson said that the US government believed
in the sincerity of President Menem in respect to
the deactivation of the missile and described it
as a great success in the reduction of missile
proliferation. Aronson said that Iraq and Libya
were potential customers for the Cndor II. [44]
On a military ceremony in Argentina, President
Menem said that the Cndor II project had been
completely cancelled, denying any pressure
from the United States or Europe. Menem also
denied that there was any tension with the armed
Figure 11. Satellite launch vehicle based on the
Cndor rocket motors. Courtesy Carlos Cavallini.

forces for its suspension. [45]

Two days later, Erman Gonzalez, the Defense

Juli also met with Nancy Dorn, Undersecretary

Ministry announced the deactivation of the

of the Army, who said: if [Argentina] does not

Cndor II project on national television. In his

ends with the missile program there will never

speech, Gonzalez said that the decision of the

be any granting of new credits or aid for your

Executive was to "dismantle, reconvert and/or

country. Clearly the US government raised a

disable all the elements, parts and components

linkage of political issues where any help to

of the missile Cndor II, according to the

Argentina in concept of credits or support to

possibilities of use in applications and peaceful

international agencies was tied to the immediate

purposes.

ending of the Cndor. It was clear that the

during his talk was the transfer of Falda del

Argentine

hard

Carmen to a new civilian agency, and the

predicament, a hyperinflationary economy and

decision to adhere to the MTCR. He concluded

few elements for discussion or exchange, while

by saying that the Cndor II, "far from

it was essential for them to reach an economic

contributing to our safety, made us more

and financial agreement with the United States,

vulnerable, creating an increased instability in

which firmly demanded the cancellation of the

other regions of the world and putting in doubt

missile.

the prestige of the country. [47]

On October 1, 1990, in a new meeting at the

The episode so feared by the staff of scientists,

White House between the two presidents

engineers and technicians of Falda del Carmen

government

was

in

[46]

Other of the points indicated

16

materialized a few days later when the Brigadier

this project since 1997, the progress in this area

Juli ordered that the plant be abandoned by the

have been very modest.

Air Force personnel and closed.

[48]

Finally, most

Up to the date of completion of this work,

of the critical machines for the production of the

Argentina is still far from having its own

propellant

satellite

were

dismantled,

and

all

the

launcher,

or

even

reaching

any

remaining motors and hardware produced was

capabilities near the ones the country had by

delivered to first Spain, and later to the US for

1989

its study and destruction.

conducted with prototype vehicles--the VeX-1A

under

the

Cndor

program.

Tests

which failed to leave the ramp and the VeX-1B

which reached the height of less than 3,000

11. Conclusions
Today, at more than 25 years after its

meters--are still weak imitations of a space

cancellation, the Cndor project has not left

launcher

practically any expertise, knowledge, or a

Argentina had before the cancellation of the

significant organizational background for the

project. Its lack of a conversion to a peaceful

management of complex aerospace projects. On

space vehicle was a consequence of the absence

the other hand, the countries that managed its

of political strategists and professional diplomats

cancellation proved once more the effectiveness

who could resist and negotiate in response to the

of political pressure, espionage, and covert

external pressures by the United States.

attacks

Rather than purchasing a black box from

in

European providers, if Argentina had invested

to

technological

twist

wills--in

this

project--tilting

case,

policies

compared

to

the

capacity

that

diplomatically weak countries.

more time indigenously developing the Cndor

Since then, Argentina has devoted its space

(and in particular the Cndor II) instead of

efforts to the development of scientific satellites

depending so much on foreign suppliers, it

in cooperation with NASA. With the creation of

would not have been so susceptible to the

the National Commission for Space Activities

pressures exerted on Germany and Italy.

(CONAE) in 1990 to replace the military-

In summary, the road that would lead to

managed space program, Argentina stopped its

autonomy in this technology was not conceived

solid propulsion rocket program and some years

as a national development, but as an integrator

later started timid efforts with liquid propulsion.

of foreign components and outside manufactured

While

multiple

parts. When the providers chain failed, the

announcements regarding the development of a

project fell with it. This was the biggest

new satellite launcher, the Tronador, and

weakness of the design process of the Cndor,

hundreds of millions of dollars were devoted to

and then it became an orphan that even the

Argentina

has

made

17

hundreds of millions of dollars of outside

Laura Cucchi and Germn Graiff. Finally I want

funding could not keep it alive.

to thank Pamela Nielsen for her editing and

Without too much technical complexity and

valuable comments and to the Department of

need of further transfer of technology, a large

Space Studies, University of North Dakota.

part of the development performed as part of the

project Cndor could have been converted to a
civilian small satellite launcher. With Argentina

References

being a member of the MTCR, it had no reason

to disable facilities and relinquish all the
produced hardware. Under the civilian control
by CONAE and with transparency in its goals,
the Cndor could have been reoriented as a
satellite launcher in a few years.
The Cndor II project failed, not because of its
technical complexity, but from successive errors
in its organizational and technical structure, and
the financial dependence that shackled the
country into a set of dangerous decisions, which
precipitated its fall and led to the waste of the
resources

invested,

all

the

installed

infrastructure, and the training of its experts.

Acknowledgements
The author want to acknowledge the cooperation
of many Argentine Air Force officers, engineers
and technicians who worked in the Cndor
program and shared their experiences under the
condition of anonymity. Also, many thanks to
Diego Hurtado, Hctor Brito, Edgardo Sthal,
Carlos Cavallini, Ricardo Maggi, Abel Gontero,
Lucio Lafata, Arnaldo Guevara, Roberto Petrich,
Ral Pardo, Horacio Jaunarena, Anabella Busso,
Rut Diament, Gustavo Marn, Ernesto Crespo,

S decrees no. 604 of date April 9, 1985 and

Decree s No. 1315 of August 13, 1987.
Presidencia de la Nacin.
[2]
On April 21, 1990 the then Defense Minister
Humberto Romero, publicly announced the
freezing of the Cndor project. See: Anabella
Busso, Relaciones Argentina-Estados Unidos in
the 1990s: El caso Cndor II, Rosario, CERIR
1999, p. 67. Despite this official announcement,
the Cndor would take almost two years more in
disappear from the political scene.
[3]
To see more about the mystique as it relates
to Argentine aerospace projects, see the reaction
to the Pulqui II airplane see the documentary
Pulqui, un instante en la patria de la felicidad,
by Alejandro Fernndez Moujn and Daniel
Santoro, 2007.
[4]
The controversial phrase was coined by the
Minister of Foreign Affairs Guido Di Tella in
1991. Di Tella said it in Washington DC, at a
meeting at the Inter-American Development
Bank, trying to explain the policy that Argentina
planned to maintain with the United States. We
don't want to have Platonic relationships: want
abject and carnal relations, Guido Di Tella.
Subsequently, in 2001 repented publicly of the
phrase. See Pgina 12, 1-1-2001. Available at:
http://www.pagina12.com.ar/2001/01-01/01-0125/pag10.htm. Accessed on 2-8-2012.
[5]
Ibid. .
[6]
Interview with member of the Commission to
Europe and Israel, Crdoba, 28-12-2009.
[7]
Can be seen, for example, the magazine
Tecnologa Militar, in Spanish but edited in
Federal Germany, February 1979 where in a
total of 78 pages, 38 are dedicated to
commercials of anti-personnel land mines,
assault rifles, grenades, cluster bombs, artillery
[1]

18

rockets and others. Tecnologa Militar

magazine, publishing group Mnch, Bonn,
1979. ISSN 0722-2904.
[8]
Interview with Mr. Ral Aldo Pardo, Falda
del Carmen, Crdoba, plant manager, May 2012.
[9]
NTI Argentina Missile Cronology James
Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies.
Monterey Institute of International Studies. May
2010. www.nti.org visited 2-12-2011.
[10]
Novaro, Vicente, Marcos, Palermo. La
Dictadura Militar 1976-1983. Edit. Paids,
Buenos Aires, 2003. PAGs.322-338.
[11]
Rattenbach, Benjamin. Reporte de la
Comisin de anlisis y evaluacin de las
responsabilidades polticas y estratgico
militares en el conflicto del Atlntico Sur.
(Report of the Commission's analysis and
evaluation of the political responsibilities and
strategic military in the conflict in the South
Atlantic, Rattenbach Report). Available at:
http://www.casarosada.gov.ar/component/conten
t/article/108-gobierno-informa/25773-informerattenbach. Addressed the 9-11-2012.
[12]
ibid., p. 19.
[13]
Interview with Brigadier (Ret.) Edgardo
Sthal. Buenos Aires. May, 2010.
[14]
Later the Air Force decided against the
system of liquid propulsion and began to work
on a solid second stage using HTPB. This was
about the end of the project and it was never
concluded.
[15]
CONSEN S.A.M., The Concept Definition &
Design, and Outline Planning for Subsequent
Development, Fabrication and Flight Testing of
a Ballistic Missile Type, April 1983, p. III.
[16]
White paper handed over to the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs of Argentina by Vann Van
Diepen, officer of the Embassy of the United
States in Argentina. Originally marked secret,
undated but released in 1992. Posted in
Granovsky, Martin. Misin Cumplida. La
Presin norteamericana sobre la Argentina, de
Braden a Todman (Mission accomplished: the
American pressure on the Argentina, Braden a
Todman). Buenos Aires. Planeta, 1992, p. 345.
[17]
Interview with the Brigadier (Ret.) Edgardo
Sthal. Buenos Aires, May, 2010.
[18]
Several authors, as Barcelona and Villalonga,
Relaciones Carnales..., p. 28, claim that the
Decree states that Argentina must deliver to

Egypt a total of 44 engines and others 4 for

testing.
[19]
Stevenson, Richard. Egyptian Minister
Named in Missile-Parts Scheme. New York
Times,25-10-1988.Available at:
http://www.nytimes.com/1988/10/25/us/egyptia
n-minister-named-in-missile-parts-scheme.html.
Accessed on 7-7-2012.
[20]
United States versus Abdelkader Helmy and
others. S 88 201 RAR (1989). Accessed at
http://174.123.24.242/leagle/xmlResult.aspx?xm
ldoc=19892135712FSupp1423_11931.xml
&
docbase = CSLWAR2-1986-2006. Accessed the
30-12-2011.
[21]
Burrows, William, Robert Windrem. Critical
Mass: The Dangerous Race for Superweapons
in a Fragmenting World. New York, Simon &
Schuster, 1994, p. 201.
[22]
Honeywell implicated in AEDs work."
Flight
International
12-12-1990.
www.lexis.nexis.com. consulted 12-11-2011.
[23]
Timmerman, The Death Lobby..., p. 202.
[24]
Ibid. The date cited by Timmerman can be
wrong by a year.
[25]
According to Walker, Gowers and Buchan,
Iraq is who finances the operation. See Walker
Tony, Andrew Gowers, Buchan David Egypt
and Argentina in long-range Missile Plan.
Financial Times, 21-12-1987, p. 28. www.lexisnexis.com, accessed 30-12-2011. See also Elfin,
Mel Behind the Cndor carbon-carbon
Smuggling Scam US News and World Report.
25-7-1988, page 38. www.lexis-nexis.com.
accessed on 30-12-2011.
[26]
Walker Tony, Andrew Gowers, Buchan
David Egypt and Argentina in long-range
Missile Plan Financial Times, 21-12-1987, p.
28. www.lexis-nexis.com. accessed the 30-122011.
[27]
Barcelona and Villalonga, Relaciones
Carnales..., pp. 40-41.
[28]
Santoro Daniel. Operacin Cndor II, p. 32.
[29]
Ibid., p. 32.
[30]
Interview with the Brigadier General (RE)
Ernesto Crespo. Buenos Aires, May 2010.
[31]
Goshko John, Seven Nations Bar Sales of
Missiles: Agreement Intended to Limit Potential
for Nuclear Warfare, Washington Post, 17-41987. Mentioned in Friedman, p. 225. See also
Fialka John, Allies to Curb Flow of Missile
Technology, Wall Street Journal and John H.
19

Cushman, Tightening the Reins in Ballistic

Missile Race, New York Times, 19-4, 1987.
[32]
Walker Tony, Gowers Andrew, Buchan
David, Egypt and Argentina in long-range
missile plan, Financial Times, 21-12-1987.
[33]
Declassified documentation about the Cndor
by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
project, under FOIA (Freedom of Information
Act). Requested by the author the 26 of October
of 2010. REF. F-2011-00193, p.24.
[34]
Barcelona and Villalonga, Relaciones
Carnales..., pp. 97-98.
[35]
Busso, Relaciones Argentina-Estados
Unidos..., p. 23.
[36]
Justia.com. United States of America against
Abdelkader Helmy and James E. Huffman.
Court of appeals of the United States. Circuit
Nine.951 F.2d 988. Accessed on October 28,
1991. Available at:
http://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellatecourts/F2/951/988/258234 accessed 2-10-2012
[37]
Santoro, Operacin Cndor II, p. 42.
[38]
U.S. Seeks to Curb Argentine Missile
Project, Washington Post, 19-9-1988, p. 6.
[39]
Military Source says Cndor II Intended for
Peaceful Purposes. Thelma, 20-9-1988.
Mentioned in: BBC Summary of World
Broadcasts, 22-9-1988. www.lexis-nexis.com.
accessed on 1-6-2012
[40]
Sirrs, Owen L., Nasser and the Missile Age in
the Middle East. New York, Routledge, 2006, p.
191.
[41]
Figures of 1989. See Corts Conde,
Economa Poltica, p. 321.
[42]
Santoro, Operacin Cndor II, p. 50
[43]
Ottaway, David, Egypt Drops Out of Missile
Project, State Department Official Offers No
Details on Iraqi Program. Washington Post, 2012-1989, p. A32.
[44]
Bernard Aronson, Transcript of Briefing,
Federal News Service, 1-10-1990.
[45]
Menem: Cndor 2 project. Totally
cancelled, Thelma, 6-5 - 1991. Cited in FBISLAT-91-088. 7-5-1991, p.22.
[46]
Busso, Relaciones Argentina-Estados
Unidos..., p. 82.
[47]
Barcelona and Villalonga, Relaciones
Carnales..., pp. 198-199.
[48]
Ibid, p. 213.
[49]
Today, at more than 25 years of its
cancellation,
the
Gendarmera
Nacional

Argentina still guards and secures Falda del

Carmen.

Further Reading
De Len, Pablo. Historia de la Actividad
Espacial en la Argentina. Volume I (Spanish)
Lulu, Paperback, 2010 ISBN 978-0557017829.
De Len, Pablo. Historia de la Actividad
Espacial en la Argentina. Volume II. El
Proyecto Cndor.(Spanish) Lulu, Paperback,
2015 ISBN 978-9873373596.

20