The North Koreans and the Chinese have provided Iran with the missiles.
Posted on 01/14/2006 12:07:20 AM PST by ScaniaBoy
Britain and America are furious with Austria for exporting to Iran 800 sniper rifles that could be used against their troops in Iraq.
HS50 Steyr-Mannlicher .50 calibre rifles can pierce body armour from up to a mile, shoot down helicopters and penetrate Humvee troop carriers that have not been fully reinforced.
The weapons are highly accurate and fire a round called an armour-piercing incendiary, a bullet that the Iranians manufacture.
There are fears in the Pentagon that some will reach insurgents fighting allied forces in Iraq.
Iran's Revolutionary Guard is suspected of passing on bomb-making technology to Iraqi terrorists responsible for infra-red bombs that have killed 10 British soldiers.
A Foreign Office spokesman said there were "serious concerns" over the rifle sale and London had protested to Vienna.
"Although we did make our worries known, the sale has unfortunately gone ahead and these weapons could now fall into the wrong hands," he said.
Iran allegedly bought the rifles to combat drug smugglers pouring through the borders with Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The order, worth an estimated £8 million, was placed with Steyr last year and the company was given government permission to export the weapons.
A spokesman for Austria's interior ministry said there was no reason to stop the deal.
Iran is said to be re-arming after a £455 million deal with Russia for missiles and radar to ward off any air strikes on its nuclear facilities.
The US has lost three helicopters in Iraq the last week. Coinsidence?
Well, if the Iranians can manufacture the armor-piercing ammo, they could make their own rifles- it is not THAT difficult. But why on earth make their job easier?
Yep, that's a real weapon for combatting drug smugglers. They often wear military grade ceramic body armor and drive reinforced Humvees. The API rounds would be a fine choice as well. Once you get through Achmeds ceramic plate armor you just really want to see him go up in flames.
Sarcasm off.
L
This is a bit old news!
We should "accidentally" bomb the Austrian Embassy in Tehran.
L
First I heard about it. Any earlier links, references?
Or just drive them in through Turkey.
Run by the UN? /sarcasm
There are many days I thank God that there are only 4 other real countries within a hundred miles of the US border. (Yea, I said 4.)
Hey, here's a fun trick question for folks. How far from the US is Russia?
Answer-less than 100 miles. That one gets 'em every time.
L
Iran ain't Cuba.
L
The North Koreans and the Chinese have provided Iran with the missiles.
Tactical neutron bombs are primarily intended to kill soldiers who are protected by armor. Armored vehicles are very resistant to blast and heat produced by nuclear weapons, but steel armor can reduce neutron radiation only by a modest amount so the lethal range from neutrons greatly exceeds that of other weapon effects. The lethal range for tactical neutron bombs can exceed the lethal range for blast and heat even for unprotected troops. Armor can absorb neutrons and neutron energy, thus reducing the neutron radiation to which the tank crew is exposed, but this offset to some extent by the fact that armor can also react harmfully with neutrons. Alloy steels for example can develop induced radioactivity that remains dangerous for some time. When fast neutrons are slowed down, the energy lost can show up as x-rays. Some types of armor, like that of the M-1 tank, employ depleted uranium which can undergo fast fission, generating additional neutrons and becoming radioactive. Special neutron absorbing armor techniques have also been developed, such as armors containing boronated plastics and the use of vehicle fuel as a shield."
"Also called ENHANCED RADIATION WARHEAD, specialized type of small thermonuclear weapon that produces minimal blast and heat but which releases large amounts of lethal radiation. The neutron bomb delivers blast and heat effects that are confined to an area of only a few hundred yards in radius. But within a somewhat larger area it throws off a massive wave of neutron and gamma radiation, which can penetrate armour or several feet of earth. This radiation is extremely destructive to living tissue. Because of its short-range destructiveness and the absence of long-range effect, the neutron bomb would be highly effective against tank and infantry formations on the battlefield but would not endanger cities or other population centres only a few miles away. It can be carried in a Lance missile or delivered by an 8-inch (200-millimetre) howitzer, or possibly by attack aircraft.
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