Posted on 08/18/2002 11:17:05 PM PDT by Axenolith
Two men find live rocket in river
The Associated Press 8/19/02 1:34 AM
MONOCACY STATION, Pa. (AP) -- It was probably the most impressive catch either had ever fished out of the Schuylkill River.
So it wasn't surprising that two fishermen posed for photographs with the live military rocket they found in shallow water on Sunday before taking it to police.
Michael Nagy, of Stowe, and Jeremy Lloyd, of Boyertown, found the rusted, two- foot-long rocket in a shallow area of the river in Berks County and dragged it to shore, police said. There, the men posed to take photographs with the explosive before driving it to police.
"It was confirmed as an active military device, an RPG Rocket," said West Pottsgrove police officer Steven Ziegler. "It had the firing pin still in it. That's how we knew it was live."
The military issue surface-to-air missile was designed to be launched out of a weapon, such as a bazooka, Ziegler said. The Montgomery County Sheriff Bomb Disposal Unit detonated the device at a remote location in Amity.
It's unclear how the missile ended up in the river. A similar explosive device was found in the Schuylkill River about six months ago, police said. That device had been discarded.
"It's not recommended that people who find devices like this transport them anywhere," said Dave Eichelberger, an Amity police officer.
Monocacy Station is about 40 miles northwest of Philadelphia.
The military issue surface-to-air missile...RPG's are not "surface to air missiles", though if you want to pick nits you can take out a helicopter with them if fire enough and the chopper's below about a thousand feet.
It might help to fully read the articles you post.
D'oh! = )
Seriously, if it's 2' long and has a firing pin, it's probably not a SAM.
The US version is a LAW.
Which has a pin.
They are classified as SURFACE-TO-SURFACE anti-Armor Missles.
However, as a earlier poster pointed out, they can be used against low flying aircraft @ in a less effective fashion.
Most likley, the AP writer is clueless as to military acronynims.
AP = Armor Piercing
Link to cool, inferior Russian Hardware http://www.armscontrol.ru/atmtc/Arms_systems/Land/Small_Arms/smarms.htm
LAW = Light Anti-tank Weapon
Perfect for destroying entrenched positions
a quaint little hand held Fuel-Air-Explosive! http://www.armscontrol.ru/atmtc/Arms_systems/Land/Small_Arms/smarms.htm
Zuni, maybe?
I haven't unpacked my books yet after the move. Hell, I can't find my shoes!
Where's the farking picture?
TSS, I know you meant LAWS.............FRegards
Bingo! About all we can be sure about is that some piece of military ordnance was found.
Recapping several posts above and throwing in my own $.02:
An RPG is a Soviet Rocket Propelled Grenade, fired from a smallish bazooka like tube, and generally used for anti-armor or anti-personnel purposes, not anti-air. Worth noting that the Somalis put a timer fuse on them to create a more effective anti-helicopter weapon in Mog (didn't require a direct hit). This was probably responsible for some of the helicopter hits in the events told in Blackhawk Down.
A LAW is a US Light Antitank Weapon and is similar to the RPG, except that the carrier is also a throwaway launcher. Again, not an anti-air weapon.
Given the reporter's level of knowledge (or lack thereof), this possibly could have been a small man-portable SAM, like the Soviet-bloc SA-7 or even a Stinger. Let's hope not.
The U.S. version, for at least the last 12 years has been the AT-4.
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