The Scud, an obsolete Soviet missile, proved to be an important political, if not military, weapon for Saddam Hussein. It is a liquid fueled, 20-foot long missile that can be armed with either a 100 kiloton nuclear warhead or 1,802 pounds of conventional explosive. They can also be used to deliver chemical or biological weapons, a possibility threatened by Hussein.

The Patriot was the first successful anti-missile missile ever used in combat. It consists of a mobile launch unit which can simultaneously track up to eight missiles. When the Patriot gets close enough to an attacking missile, a proximity fuse detonates the explosive charge, destroying the attacking missile with shrapnel. Patriots travel at Mach 3.

The MLRS is designed to fire rockets over enemy lines and strike at artillery and armored units. The MLRS can fire 12 rockets to a range of 18 miles in under one minute. When the rocket reaches the target area, a black-powder charge ignites, peppering the target with submunitions, which explode on contact.