Posted on 02/07/2010 8:20:06 PM PST by ErnstStavroBlofeld
Call it a case of defense-press diplomacy: An Iranian colonel this week spoke publicly about a "special weapon" that was tailor-made to destroy U.S. Apache attack helicopters. The government-run Iranian news agency also released images of the shoulder-fired surface-to-air missile.
In the photo, the launcher is to the left, in green, and the grey missile is also to the left, with a white cap covering the seeker at the tip. The straight black piece sticking out is a simple aiming device, similar to those found on other shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles.
"The enemy should not assume that if it attacks Iran, its Apache helicopters will perform as satisfactorily as they do in Iraq and Afghanistan," Col. Nasser Arab-Beigi says in the release.
All helicopters are vulnerable to missiles fired from air or ground because they are slow targets that fly close to the ground, limiting their maneuverability. Missile sensors also easily detect spinning rotors and hot exhaust. U.S. helicopter fleets are built to minimize these risks, and are equipped with missile-jamming hardware, but the constant improvement of tech on both sides makes the cat-and-mouse game lively.
Pentagon officials won't speak about the Iranian weapon on the record. But one defense-industry countermeasures designer implied that the new missile wasn't too threatening: When asked about the alleged Iranian Apache-killer he told us we should "sleep well."
(Excerpt) Read more at popularmechanics.com ...
Apaches have been downed by ak-47 fire, so any missile is a threat. Helicopters have been over-relied upon for precision strikes. If you have a specific target to ventilate, use an A-10. Otherwise, it’s time to stop risking our men and just go back to carpet bombing. In Iran, it’s much easier than Iraq - shoot anything over 25.
Oops. Guess we’ll just have to nuke them.
Apaches are now controlled by Zer0, so yes, they will be in trouble...
I have a feeling we are just humoring Iran into thinking their technology is so special. It is like a cat letting a mouse run a few inches to think it has escaped.
Must have been a slow week at Popular Mechanics.....piss poor article, imho.
I didn’t know Apaches where deep penetration strike fighters, thanks PM!
Which are highly vulnerable to IR MANPADS as the Air Force learned in Desert Storm.
Hell yes they are, a well placed RPG is a real threat also. But the missiles will have more range.
There is a reason all this is coming out now that they know the end game is coming vis a vis their nuke program and the rest of the major UN players. It looks like Iran has done well at keeping their sh** under wraps.
By 'similar' do they mean Russian-made? Some day those Ruskies are going reap what they keep sowing. Might come from the Chinese instead of Americans too or any number of other countries. My sympathy for their losses will be very limited.
Yep, they nearly blew off the wings of a couple of them. I never have been able to retrieve the most dramatic photos of a A-10 with a large sections of the inboard upper and lower wing skins blown off and two of the five spars severed.
While Iran leaders are looking toward “big Satan” maybe “little Satan” will bloody their rear. They are about in panic mode by not knowing when,what,where and how. Beside that they are stupid to think that Hussein will attack his
brothers !
We don’t need to use Apaches in Iran. We have a very clear objective there that can be achieved with a limited use of helicopters.
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