Posted on 04/02/2003 12:01:33 AM PST by elenchus
David Bloom is live on MSNBC now, with the news that captured soldiers have revealed to his battalion that Russians and French companies have been supplying NightVision goggles and that former Russian military officers are advising the Iraqis on how to fight American forces.
Remind me. What kind of Jordanian mil equipment, exactly? Originating where? How old?
As it is, there's ample evidence of Russian equipment being given to Iraq within the last couple of years, certainly after the UN sanctions.
And then you have the adamant resistance to any action against Iraq, by Russia, France and Germany. What do you think that signifies?
The Kornets too? And then you have the missiles found early on dated, I think, 2001....
No. But they are undeniably Russian equipment. We'll find out how they got to Iraq, eventually. Just as we'll find out how crates marked "Jordan" got there (actually, I think this might be a relic from the Iraq/Iran war if it's old stuff).
Then you have the curious case of antiship cruise missiles that seem to have come from Russia in 2002 (not 2001, my bad) - and also some larger Russian missile stuff found along with the cruises.
Then why so quick to judgment?
Not exactly calling a judgement - yet. But the Russian stand on action against Iraq makes me very, very suspicious.
It's pretty hard to make a case that the U.S. government itself wasn't involved in the transfer of US materiel and technology to the Chinese when their sales representative was residing in the White House at the time.
It's not even certain that the missiles used were Kornet AT-14s, since the missile strikes involved hits to the rear engine compartment of the Abrams tanks resulting in *mobility kills* of their turbine engines, rather than the top-attack flight profile that would be expected had the 9M133/Kornet-E missile had been used, much more likely to have resulted in crew casualties.
What'll be MUCH more telling is whether or nor Saddam's forces have 9M133 *Refleks* 125mm guntube-launched missiles for use in the Iraqi T-72 and 125mm gun upgunned T55 and T-69 tanks, and whether the even newer KBM 9M123 Khrizantema system capable of firing six-kilometer-range supersonic missiles, incorporating both radar and laser command guidance receivers is in use by the Iraqis, perhaps on a limited real-world *field test* empirical tryout basis.
I'd reserve judgement until that question, at least, is definately answered....<p. -archy-/-
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