Posted on 01/27/2005 1:44:36 AM PST by Stoat
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(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
The SA-7
B...but...but how can this be? The international inspectors miss nothing! Nothing, I tell you! They're perfect! Reliable! You can bet your country's security on them!
</sarcasm>
That's the Soviet "stinger", isn't it?
Yes. Not nearly as capable, but still more than capable enough for terrorists.
Here's more on the SA-7 :
The SA-7 GRAIL (Strela-2) man-portable, shoulder-fired, low-altitude SAM system is similar to the US Army REDEYE, with a high explsive warhead and passive infrared homing guidance. The HN-5 ( Hong Nu = Red Cherry ) is an improved Chinese version with upgraded capabilities. The SA-7 was the first generation of Soviet man portable surface-to-air missiles. Although classed as "fire and forget" types, the missiles were easily overcome by solar heat and, when used in hilly terrain, by heat from the ground.The SA-7 seeker is fitted with a filter to reduce the effectiveness of decoying flares and to block IR emissions. The system consists of the missile (9K32 & 9K32M), a reloadable gripstock (9P54 & 9P54M), and a thermal battery (9B17). An identification friend or foe (IFF) system can be fitted to the operators helmet. Further, a supplementary early warning system consisting of a passive RF antenna and headphones can be used to provide early cue about the approach and rough direction of an enemy aircraft. Although the SA-7 is limited in range, speed, and altitude, it forces enemy pilots to fly above minimum radar limitations which results in detection and vulnerability to regimental and divisional air defense systems.
The SA-7a (9K32 Strela-2) was introduced for service in 1968, but was soon replaced by the SA-7b (9K32M Strela-2M) which became the most common production model. The SA-7b, differs from the SA-7a primarily by using a boosted propellant charge to increase range and speed. The SA-7a had a slant range of 3.6 km and a kill zone between 15 and 1500 meters in altitude, with a speed of about 430 meters per second (Mach 1.4). The SA-7b has a slant range of about 4.2 km, a ceiling of about 2300 meters, and a speed of about 500 meters per second (Mach 1.75). Both the SA-7a and SA-7b are tail-chase missile systems, and its effectiveness depends on its ability to lock onto the heat source of low-flying fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft targets.
The Anza anti-aircraft missiles give Pakistan a response to India's superiority in modern aircraft -- India has a numerical superiority in modern fighter aircraft of more than 3 to 1 over Pakistan. The Anza MK-1, Anza MK-2, and Anza MK-3 surface to air anti-aircraft missiles have ranges of 4, 6 and 15 km, respectively. The missiles are manufactured by the laboratory named after Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan, the father of Pakistan's nuclear program.
The Anza MKI missiles, which have a range of 4.2 km, were manufactured and handed over to the military forces in 1990. It has been reported that the missile was used during the Kargil incidents between Pakistan and India. Pakistan downed two of India's military planes, a MIG-21 and a MIG-27, with the Anza MKI missiles for violating its airspace on 26 May 1999.
Egyptian technicians have reverse engineered and modified two Soviet SAMs -- the Ayn as Saqr (a version of the SA-7) and the Tayir as Sabah (a version of the SA-2). The Ayn as Saqr [Falcon Eye] anti-Aircraft missile system is designed to counter air-ground attack by all types of aircraft flying at low and very low altitudes due to its simplicity of operation, accuracy, light weight, mobility & versatility (either by one man or to be integrated into other overall A/D systems). Also it can be mounted on any combat vehicle, light or armored. Moreover the basic equipment can be fitted with IFF & night vision units.
Specifications |
|
| Date of Introduction | 1972 |
| Proliferation | Worldwide |
| Crew | 1 |
| Launcher Name | 9P54M |
| Length (m) | 1.47 |
| Diameter (mm) | 70 |
| Weight (kg) | 4.71 |
| Reaction Time | 5-10 seconds (acquisition to fire) |
| Time Between Launches (sec) | INA |
| Reload Time (sec) | 6-10 |
| Missile Name | 9M32M |
| Max. Range | 5,500 meters |
| Min. Range | 500 meters |
| Max. Altitude | 4,500 meters |
| Min. Altitude | 18 meters |
| Length (m) | 1.40 |
| Diameter (mm) | 70 |
| Weight (kg) | 9.97 |
| Missile Speed (m/s) | 580 |
| Propulsion | Solid fuel booster and solid fuel sustainer rocket motor. |
| Guidance | Passive IR homing device (operating in the medium IR range) |
| Seeker Field of View | 1.9° |
| Tracking Rate | 6°/sec |
| Warhead Type | HE |
| Warhead Weight (kg) | 1.15 |
| Fuze Type | Contact (flush or grazing) |
| Self-Destruct (sec) | 15 |
| FIRE CONTROL | Launcher has sighting device and a target acquisitionindicator. The gunner visually identifies and acquires the target. |
| Gunner Field of View | INA |
| Acquisition Range (m) | INA |
| VARIANTS | SA-N-5 Naval version HN-5A Chinese version Strela 2M/A Yugoslavian upgrade Sakr Eye Egyptian upgrade Mounted in several types of vehicles in four, six, and eight-tube launcher varieties. Can be mounted on several helicopters (Mi-24, S-342 Gazelle) |
Ok... so it is more in line with the redeye, which was a more primitive and less capable system.
True, but as FreedomPoster said, it's still plenty effective.
A weapon like this might have trouble catching up to modern combat aircraft, but commercial jetliners will be no challenge at all for an SA-7. I fear that we are in for a very long, hot summer in 2005.
God forgive me, but bring it on.
It seems to me that America is going back to sleep in the face of gathering threats.
Maybe another terrorist attack in what we need to shake the complacentcy and "rouse the sleeping giant to anger and fill him with a terrible resolve".
Agreed, but one problem in this sort of scenario is in identifying the source of the attack. There have been at least one or maybe two 'crashed' jetliners in American airspace that are suspected of actually having been downed by shoulder-fired missiles. I believe that both occurred before 9/11. At the time, there was conjecture which was largely poo-poohed by the MSM, as one would expect. I don't know if the social climate now is so different that a downed jet with suspicious radar traces and witness testimony would be taken seriously....I hope so.
Even if there's definite proof, I'm wondering also how likely the Gov't will be to acknowledge the truth? Doing so would completely destroy the entire commercial aviation industry for decades and wreck the economy.
There, I have to disagree. The only people that are likely to attack a civilian airline with shoulder-fired missles are Islamofacists.
I am of the opinion that the USA will never again be safe until we have eradicated Islamic extremists completely.
I thought 9-11 would have done the job. I was wrong. Maybe a couple hundred more dead innocents will finally convince the hand-wringers that appeasement doesn't work. As to the airline industry, didn't we manage to have a growing economy before commercial air travel?
Sorry, when I said that it would be difficult to identify the source of the attack I was unclear. When I referred to identifying the source, I was meaning the cause of the 'crash' in terms of causes such as pilot error, inclement weather, structural failure, shoulder fired missile, etc. etc.. In the matter of the two jetliner 'crashes' that I recall as having a significant amount of conjecture swirling about them with some suggesting that shoulder-fired missiles were the cause, finding physical proof was very difficult (or at least we were told it was difficult) with the only 'proof' that proponents of the missile theories had were some ground eyewitnesses and a tower worker who said that he saw 'suspicious traces' on the radar. Forgive me if I'm leaving out some details; these events occurred several years ago and I may not be including every single detail due to failing stoat-memory :-)
Of course I agree with what you say about the Islamofascists....if it could be shown that a downed jetliner was indeed shot down, everyone would naturally look first at them.
We did indeed have a growing economy before air travel, but since air travel's inception a great segment of the economy has come to be dependent upon it. The dynamic has changed, unfortunately. I'm not saying that we'd all starve, but losing commercial aviation would hit us very, very hard.
There. That's better.
Hopefully, the motive is to maintain an appropriate level of urgency in this matter of defense to islamofascist terror.
In any case, it is yet another instance of why any perceived lowering of threat expectations in the U.S. is faulty and potentially lethal.
Agreed. Vigilance, despite the efforts of the Dems/Socialists, Hollywood, and the media apologists for islamofascism is essential to our survival.
And since El Presidente Jorge Boosh insists on keeping the southern border open, the terrorists are already here.
More than 2,000 SA-7 missiles remained in the Nicaraguan arsenal at the start of 2004.
I heard Scarborough on the Lars Larson show (www.larslarson.com great show) talking about this. It deserves more attention.
Nicaragua seeks stash of missiles
Jan. 28, 2005
By Rowan Scarborough
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
The State Department said yesterday it has asked Nicaragua to investigate whether its military is hiding stashes of SA-7 missiles capable of downing commercial airliners.
The Nicaraguan government later announced it was conducting a "thorough investigation."
The statements came the same day The Washington Times reported that Nicaraguan police seized one of the Soviet-made missiles from black marketeers during a U.S.-assisted sting operation in Managua, Nicaragua.
State Department spokesman Richard Boucher yesterday confirmed to reporters that Nicaraguan authorities seized the missile.
"There are allegations or suspicions that there might be some stockpile that's held by the military or other parties," Mr. Boucher said. "We have asked the government of Nicaragua to look into that and to investigate and find out whether indeed there might be some of these that have gone missing or might be in the wrong hands."
Of the missile seizure on Jan. 11, Mr. Boucher said, "We commend Nicaraguan authorities for successfully recovering one of their Manpads [man-portable air defense systems], in this case a Russian-made SA-7, during a criminal investigation that culminated this month. Our Drug Enforcement Administration assisted them with that investigation."
Salvador Stadthagen, the Nicaraguan ambassador to Washington, told The Times yesterday that "this is an extremely serious matter and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has informed me that the president has ordered a thorough investigation."
The Times reported that the United States has intelligence that indicates elements of Nicaragua's military have hidden about 80 SA-7s for possible sale on the black market to terrorists.
The arrested men believed they were selling missiles, for several hundred thousand dollars each, to Colombian terrorists and were willing to provide them to Islamic militants, a Bush administration official told The Times.
The seizure has set off alarm bells among Bush administration officials because, to them, it confirms intelligence reports that elements of the Nicaraguan military have stashed SA-7s and that some could already be in terrorists' hands.
The seized missile did not match the serial number of any of the 1,000 SA-7s in Nicaragua inventoried by the Organization of American States. The non-match is further evidence of a secret stash, an administration official said.
The official said it is not hard to imagine what terrorists could do with SA-7s procured in Nicaragua. From there, the missiles could be smuggled through Central America into Mexico and then across the porous border into the United States.
The heat-seeking SA-7s have a maximum range of about 15,000 feet, or three miles. Terrorists could use them to down aircraft on airport approaches or takeoffs.
Pro-U.S. President Enrique Bolanos of Nicaragua's ruling Liberal Constitutional Party has pledged to the Bush administration to destroy the country's inventoried stock.
"In Nicaragua, we have worked with the government of President Bolanos," Mr. Boucher said. "He gave assurances to President Bush and former Secretary of State [Colin L.] Powell in 2003 that Nicaragua would destroy all of its man-portable air defense systems."
But some Bush officials believe Mr. Bolanos is being double-crossed by officers loyal to the opposition Sandinista National Liberation Front, which opposes destroying the weapons. The Sandinistas are re-emerging as a powerful force in Nicaragua after losing the elections in 1990. The left-wing Sandinistas have loyal officers well-placed in the army.
The Bush administration official said intelligence agencies have identified one particular officer as being linked to a secret stash of SA-7s and the Jan. 11 aborted sale.
The sting occurred at an air conditioner repair shop, with Nicaraguan police and U.S. officials present. A Nicaraguan general appeared at the scene and asked for the missile, but the police retained custody of the weapon.
The Sandinistas acquired thousands of SA-7s from the Soviet Union in the 1980s to battle the U.S.-supplied Contras.
In 2002, terrorists fired two SA-7s at an Israeli airliner taking off in Kenya. Both missiles missed.
Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda and other terror groups are actively seeking acquisition of SA-7s, especially now that new security procedures make it difficult to execute a September 11-style hijacking.
"Worldwide, the United States has been very concerned about the issue of Manpads and we've had a number of programs, whether it's with individual countries or in organizations like [the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation], where we're looking to control these missiles that can be used against aircraft," Mr. Boucher said.
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