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The Mysterious Missing Missiles
The Strategy Page ^ | 3/04/2010 | The Strategy Page

Posted on 03/04/2010 10:12:52 PM PST by ErnstStavroBlofeld

In the last few years, intelligence analysts have noted that very few portable anti-aircraft missiles have been discovered in any of the thousands of Taliban and al Qaeda weapons caches found in Afghanistan. It is generally believed, at least by the mass media, that there are thousands of these portable missiles, particularly the Russian SAM-7 (and some later versions) on the black market. Maybe, but not really. Part of the reason is that it is easy to track a missile, used in a successful attack on military or commercial aircraft, to the country (or even factory) or origin. For that reason, few of these missiles apparently make it into the black market, and many of those that are there, are too old to be useful. The manufacturers do not want to take the heat for a crashed airliner. It's bad for business. While the SAM-7 is still made, many of those available to terrorists are old and basically useless. Some later model Russian missiles have been recovered in anti-terrorist raids in Iraq, and some of these also had become inoperative due to age or poor handling. There are still some American Stinger missiles from the 1980s Afghan war out there, but their batteries have long since died, rendering the missiles useless. Russian made missiles suffer from the same problems, and all these missiles have other components, like the rocket motor, that do not age well.

(Excerpt) Read more at strategypage.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: afghanistan; alqaeda; fim92; manpads; portablemissiles; sa7; sa7grail; sam7; stingermissiles; taliban
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To: Spktyr

I am sorry. The information I used said SA-14 was a copy.


21 posted on 03/04/2010 10:46:26 PM PST by ErnstStavroBlofeld ("I have learned to use the word "impossible" with the greatest caution."-Dr.Wernher Von Braun)
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To: sonofstrangelove

Not necessarily. Many of the clones have been humorously bad.


22 posted on 03/04/2010 10:47:20 PM PST by Spktyr (Overwhelmingly superior firepower and the willingness to use it is the only proven peace solution.)
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To: Spktyr

Soviets stole design data and Stinger components from the Greek army and used the information to build the SAM-14 Gremlin, which is said to be a virtual copy of the Stinger


23 posted on 03/04/2010 10:47:40 PM PST by ErnstStavroBlofeld ("I have learned to use the word "impossible" with the greatest caution."-Dr.Wernher Von Braun)
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To: sonofstrangelove

The Stingers weren’t even built in 1974, when the SA-14 was first issued, HOW THE HELL COULD THEY STEAL SOMETHING THAT DIDN’T EVEN EXIST!


24 posted on 03/04/2010 10:51:23 PM PST by Spktyr (Overwhelmingly superior firepower and the willingness to use it is the only proven peace solution.)
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To: sonofstrangelove

Sort of off topic, but missile related. Remember the 1980’s Missile Command arcade game by Atari?

Take a look at the current the National Weather Service National Radar. (odd radar returns from 2 dozen sites)

http://radar.weather.gov/Conus/full.php


25 posted on 03/04/2010 10:51:34 PM PST by Molson Labe
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To: Spktyr

The information I am using is obviously bad. So please forgive me


26 posted on 03/04/2010 10:52:29 PM PST by ErnstStavroBlofeld ("I have learned to use the word "impossible" with the greatest caution."-Dr.Wernher Von Braun)
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To: Spktyr

However,initial work on the missile was begun by General Dynamics in 1967 as the Redeye II. It was accepted for further development by the U.S. Army in 1971 and designated FIM-92; the Stinger appellation was chosen in 1972.Because of technical difficulties that dogged testing, the first shoulder launch was not until mid-1975.


27 posted on 03/04/2010 10:55:19 PM PST by ErnstStavroBlofeld ("I have learned to use the word "impossible" with the greatest caution."-Dr.Wernher Von Braun)
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To: sonofstrangelove

Yup - it raised hell with the Hinds and the Soviet strike A/C as well.


28 posted on 03/04/2010 10:58:05 PM PST by ASOC (In case of attack, tune to 640 kilocycles or 1240 kilocycles on your AM dial.)
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To: sonofstrangelove

It wasn’t based on the Stinger’s predecessor, the Redeye, either, because the Redeye sucked badly and while the SA-14 isn’t great, it’s a big improvement over the Redeye. The SA-14 is what drove Stinger development, actually.


29 posted on 03/04/2010 10:58:19 PM PST by Spktyr (Overwhelmingly superior firepower and the willingness to use it is the only proven peace solution.)
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To: sonofstrangelove

Yup, and it wasn’t issued to ANYONE until 1981. So, how exactly would they steal the tech and get it issued before the US did?

The SA-14 is a clear outgrowth of the earlier SA-7. It doesn’t resemble the Stinger or the Redeye at all.


30 posted on 03/04/2010 11:00:00 PM PST by Spktyr (Overwhelmingly superior firepower and the willingness to use it is the only proven peace solution.)
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To: Spktyr

The reason why the Stinger was not issued until 1981 wasa because of technical problems. The first Stinger launch was not until 1975.


31 posted on 03/04/2010 11:02:55 PM PST by ErnstStavroBlofeld ("I have learned to use the word "impossible" with the greatest caution."-Dr.Wernher Von Braun)
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To: sonofstrangelove
They shot the stingers are Russian helicopters. The Russians lost enough aircraft to prove it...
32 posted on 03/04/2010 11:03:23 PM PST by JasonC
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To: Spktyr

The Soviets/Russians got technical specs from anything including when it is still on the drawing board.


33 posted on 03/04/2010 11:04:11 PM PST by ErnstStavroBlofeld ("I have learned to use the word "impossible" with the greatest caution."-Dr.Wernher Von Braun)
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To: JasonC

Actually the Russians got the point where they grounded air activity because of the missile.


34 posted on 03/04/2010 11:04:59 PM PST by ErnstStavroBlofeld ("I have learned to use the word "impossible" with the greatest caution."-Dr.Wernher Von Braun)
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To: Spktyr; JasonC


Stinger Missile
35 posted on 03/04/2010 11:11:04 PM PST by ErnstStavroBlofeld ("I have learned to use the word "impossible" with the greatest caution."-Dr.Wernher Von Braun)
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To: sonofstrangelove

Yeah, so you’re now saying the Soviets were able to overcome the technical problems in a couple of years and field it when it took us half a decade. Riiiiight.


36 posted on 03/04/2010 11:33:25 PM PST by Spktyr (Overwhelmingly superior firepower and the willingness to use it is the only proven peace solution.)
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To: Spktyr

I dropping this. But the Soviets were very industrious. The KGB had the Third Chief Directorate (Armed Forces) – military counter-intelligence and armed forces political surveillance and the Sixth Directorate that dealt with these matters


37 posted on 03/04/2010 11:37:27 PM PST by ErnstStavroBlofeld ("I have learned to use the word "impossible" with the greatest caution."-Dr.Wernher Von Braun)
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To: Imperialist

They made them in to poppy fertilizer.


38 posted on 03/04/2010 11:49:30 PM PST by dila813
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To: sonofstrangelove

Yes but they haven’t been used as of yet which is the point of the article.


39 posted on 03/05/2010 11:25:43 AM PST by Eagles6 ( Typical White Guy: Christian, Constitutionalist, Heterosexual, Redneck.)
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To: AdmSmith; Berosus; bigheadfred; Convert from ECUSA; dervish; Ernest_at_the_Beach; Fred Nerks; ...
Part of the reason is that it is easy to track a missile, used in a successful attack on military or commercial aircraft, to the country (or even factory) or origin. For that reason, few of these missiles apparently make it into the black market, and many of those that are there, are too old to be useful. The manufacturers do not want to take the heat for a crashed airliner. It's bad for business. While the SAM-7 is still made, many of those available to terrorists are old and basically useless. Some later model Russian missiles have been recovered in anti-terrorist raids in Iraq, and some of these also had become inoperative due to age or poor handling. There are still some American Stinger missiles from the 1980s Afghan war out there, but their batteries have long since died, rendering the missiles useless. Russian made missiles suffer from the same problems, and all these missiles have other components, like the rocket motor, that do not age well.
That's good, because a large and growing portion of the air war is conducted by UAVs (they're easier to shoot down). Thanks sonofstrangelove.
40 posted on 03/08/2010 12:06:34 PM PST by SunkenCiv (Freedom is Priceless.)
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