Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Al Qaeda might have feared weapon

Mali manual suggests al-Qaida has feared weapon

By RUKMINI CALLIMACHI | Associated Press – 1 hr 38 mins ago
TIMBUKTU, Mali (AP) — The photocopies of the manual lay in heaps on the floor, in stacks that scaled one wall, like Xeroxed, stapled handouts for a class.
Except that the students in this case were al-Qaida fighters in Mali. And the manual was a detailed guide, with diagrams and photographs, on how to use a weapon that particularly concerns the United States: A surface-to-air missile capable of taking down a commercial airplane.
The 26-page document in Arabic, recovered by The Associated Press in a building that had been occupied by al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb in Timbuktu, strongly suggests the group now possesses the SA-7 surface-to-air missile, known to the Pentagon as the Grail, according to terrorism specialists. And it confirms that the al-Qaida cell is actively training its fighters to use these weapons, also called man-portable air-defense systems, or MANPADS, which likely came from the arms depots of ex-Libyan strongman Col. Moammar Gadhafi.
_________________
EDITOR'S NOTE — This is the fourth story in an occasional series based on thousands of pages of internal al-Qaida documents recovered by The Associated Press earlier this year in Timbuktu, Mali.
_________________
"The existence of what apparently constitutes a 'Dummies Guide to MANPADS' is strong circumstantial evidence of al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb having the missiles," said Atlantic Council analyst Peter Pham, a former adviser to the United States' military command in Africa and an instructor to U.S. Special Forces. "Why else bother to write the guide if you don't have the weapons? ... If AQIM not only has the MANPADS, but also fighters who know how to use them effectively," he added, "then the impact is significant, not only on the current conflict, but on security throughout North and West Africa, and possibly beyond."
The United States was so worried about this particular weapon ending up in the hands of terrorists that the State Department set up a task force to track and destroy it as far back as 2006. In the spring of 2011, before the fighting in Tripoli had even stopped, a U.S. team flew to Libya to secure Gadhafi's stockpile of thousands of heat-seeking, shoulder-fired missiles.
By the time they got there, many had already been looted.
"The MANPADS were specifically being sought out," said Peter Bouckaert, emergencies director for Human Rights Watch, who catalogued missing weapons at dozens of munitions depots and often found nothing in the boxes labeled with the code for surface-to-air missiles.
The manual is believed to be an excerpt from a terrorist encyclopedia edited by Osama bin Laden. It adds to evidence for the weapon found by French forces during their land assault in Mali earlier this year, including the discovery of the SA-7's battery pack and launch tube, according to military statements and an aviation official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to comment.
The knowledge that the terrorists have the weapon has already changed the way the French are carrying out their five-month-old offensive in Mali. They are using more fighter jets rather than helicopters to fly above its range of 1.4 miles (2.3 kilometers) from the ground, even though that makes it harder to attack the jihadists. They are also making cargo planes land and take off more steeply to limit how long they are exposed, in line with similar practices in Iraq after an SA-14 hit the wing of a DHL cargo plane in 2003.
And they have added their own surveillance at Mali's international airport in Bamako, according to two French aviation officials and an officer in the Operation Serval force. All three spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment.
"There are patrols every day," said the French officer. "It's one of the things we have not entrusted to the Malians, because the stakes are too high."
First introduced in the 1960s in the Soviet Union, the SA-7 was designed to be portable. Not much larger than a poster tube, it can be packed into a duffel bag and easily carried. It's also affordable, with some SA-7s selling for as little as $5,000.
Since 1975, at least 40 civilian aircraft have been hit by different types of MANPADS, causing about 28 crashes and more than 800 deaths around the world, according to the U.S. Department of State.
The SA-7 is an old generation model, which means most military planes now come equipped with a built-in protection mechanism against it. But that's not the case for commercial planes, and the threat is greatest to civilian aviation.
In Kenya in 2002, suspected Islamic extremists fired two SA-7s at a Boeing 757 carrying 271 vacationers back to Israel, but missed. Insurgents in Iraq used the weapons, and YouTube videos abound purporting to show Syrian rebels using the SA-7 to shoot down regime planes.
An SA-7 tracks a plane by directing itself toward the source of the heat, the engine. It takes time and practice, however, to fire it within range. The failure of the jihadists in Mali so far to hit a plane could mean that they cannot position themselves near airports with commercial flights, or that they are not yet fully trained to use the missile.
"This is not a 'Fire and forget' weapon," said Bruce Hoffman, director of the Center for Security Studies at Georgetown University. "There's a paradox here. One the one hand it's not easy to use, but against any commercial aircraft there would be no defenses against them. It's impossible to protect against it. ... If terrorists start training and learn how to use them, we'll be in a lot of trouble."
In Timbuktu, SA-7 training was likely part of the curriculum at the 'Jihad Academy' housed in a former police station, said Jean-Paul Rouiller, director of the Geneva Center for Training and Analysis of Terrorism, one of three experts who reviewed the manual for AP. It's located less than 3 miles (5 kilometers) from the Ministry of Finance's Budget Division building where the manual was found.
Neighbors say they saw foreign fighters running laps each day, carrying out target practice and inhaling and holding their breath with a pipe-like object on their shoulder. The drill is standard practice for shoulder-held missiles, including the SA-7.
As the jihadists fled ahead of the arrival of French troops who liberated Timbuktu on Jan. 28, they left the manual behind, along with other instructional material, including a spiral-bound pamphlet showing how to use the KPV-14.5 anti-aircraft machine gun and another on how to make a bomb out of ammonium nitrate, among other documents retrieved by the AP. Residents said the jihadists grabbed reams of paper from inside the building, doused them in fuel and set them alight. The black, feathery ash lay on top of the sand in a ditch just outside the building's gate.
However, numerous buildings were still full of scattered papers.
"They just couldn't destroy everything," said neighbor Mohamed Alassane. "They appeared to be in a panic when the French came. They left in a state of disorder."
The manual is illustrated with grainy images of Soviet-looking soldiers firing the weapon. Point-by-point instructions explain how to insert the battery, focus on the target and fire.
The manual also explains that the missile will malfunction above 45 degrees Celsius, the temperature in the deserts north of Timbuktu. And it advises the shooter to change immediately into a second set of clothes after firing to avoid detection.
Its pages are numbered 313 through 338, suggesting they came from elsewhere. Mathieu Guidere, an expert on Islamic extremists at the University of Toulouse, believes the excerpts are lifted from the Encyclopedia of Jihad, an 11-volume survey on the craft of war first compiled by the Taliban in the 1990s and later codified by Osama bin Laden. Bin Laden, who led a contingent of Arab fighters in Afghanistan at the time, paid to have the encyclopedia translated into Arabic, according to Guidere, author of a book on al-Qaida's North African branch.
However, the cover page of the manual boasts the name of al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb.
"It's a way to make it their own," said Guidere. "It's like putting a logo on something. ... It shows the historic as well as the present link between al-Qaida core and AQIM."
Bin Laden later assembled a team of editors to update the manual, put it on CD-ROMs and eventually place it on the Internet, in a move that lay the groundwork for the globalization of jihad, according to terrorism expert Jarret Brachman, who was the director of research at the Combating Terrorism Center when the al-Qaida encyclopedia was first found.
N.R. Jenzen-Jones, an arms expert in Australia, confirmed that the information in the manual in Timbuktu on the missile's engagement range, altitude and weight appeared largely correct. He cautions though that the history of the SA-7 is one of near-misses, specifically because it takes training to use.
"Even if you get your hands on an SA-7, it's no guarantee of success," he said. "However, if someone manages to take down a civilian aircraft, it's hundreds of dead instantly. It's a high impact, low-frequency event, and it sows a lot of fear."
___
Associated Press writer Lori Hinnant contributed to this report from Paris, and AP journalist Amir Bibawy translated the document. Callimachi reported this article in Timbuktu, Mali and in Dakar, Senegal.
___
The document from al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb in Arabic and English can be seen at http://hosted.ap.org/specials/interactives/_international/_pdfs/al-qaida-papers-dangerous-weapon.pdf
Rukmini Callimachi can be reached at www.twitter.com/rcallimachi

end quote from:

Training manual suggests al-Qaida has feared weapon. (AP)

Discovery suggests al-Qaida has feared weapon

A training manual found in Mali adds to evidence of a troubling development, experts say. 'Impossible to protect against it' 
Logically this makes sense. This was the preferred weapon in Afghanistan that Osama Bin Laden and others used to great effect on the Russian Military Helicopters and Jets there during the 1980s war. This was the weapon that ended the Afghanistan war against the Soviets and led to the collapse of the Soviet Union when Chernobyl took place. If you want to see what actually happened imagine Bin Laden as one of the first firers of this type of weapon in Afghanistan in the 1980s in the movie "Charlie Wilson's War" with Tom Hanks.
If Al Qaeda has this weapon expect Assad's Syrian military helicopters and planes to start going down a lot very soon if SA-7's are transported from Mali to Syria that were looted from Qaddhafi in Libya.

repeat quote from above:"The United States was so worried about this particular weapon ending up in the hands of terrorists that the State Department set up a task force to track and destroy it as far back as 2006. In the spring of 2011, before the fighting in Tripoli had even stopped, a U.S. team flew to Libya to secure Gadhafi's stockpile of thousands of heat-seeking, shoulder-fired missiles.
By the time they got there, many had already been looted." end repeat quote from above.

I did some research at Wikipedia using the heading "SA-7 Grail" what came up with this and here it is:

Strela 2

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"SA-7" redirects here. For the Apollo test mission, see A-102 (SA-7).
9K32 Strela-2
NATO reporting name: SA-7 Grail
SA-7.jpg
KBM Kolomna 9K32 Strela-2 missile and canister
Type Man portable surface-to-air missile launcher
Place of origin USSR
Service history
In service 1968–present
Used by See Operators
Production history
Designer KBM (Kolomna)
Designed 1964 approx
Variants See versions
Specifications
Weight 9.8 kg (Strela-2M missile)[1]
15 kg (system, ready to fire)[1]
Length 1.44 m[1]
Diameter 72 mm[1]
Maximum range 3700m (Strela-2)
4200m (Strela-2M)[1]
Warhead weight 1.15kg directed-energy blast fragmentation warhead (Strela-2M),[1] 370g HE content.
Detonation
mechanism		 non-delay impact and grazing fuzes, 14–17 second delay self-destruct.
Wingspan 0.3 m
Flight altitude 50–1500 m (Strela-2)
50–2300m (Strela-2M)[1]
Speed 430m/s (Strela-2)
500m/s (Strela-2M)[2]
Guidance
system		 Proportional navigation logic
The 9K32 “Strela-2” (Russian 9К32 “Cтрела-2” — arrow; NATO reporting name SA-7 Grail) is a man-portable, shoulder-fired, low-altitude surface-to-air missile system with a high explosive warhead and passive infrared homing guidance. Broadly comparable to the US Army FIM-43 Redeye, it was the first generation of Soviet man-portable SAMs, entering service in 1968, with series production starting in 1970.[3]
Described by one expert as being "the premier Russian export line",[4] the Strela and its variants have seen widespread use in nearly every regional conflict since 1968.

Contents

Development

The end of World War II saw a major shift in Soviet defense policy. The advent of long range, high altitude, nuclear-armed American bombers, capable of penetrating Soviet airspace at heights and speeds unreachable and unmatchable by anti-aircraft guns and most interceptors, appeared to render every conventional weapon obsolete at a stroke. Numerous long-range, high-altitude SAM systems, such as the SA-1 "Guild" and SA-2 "Guideline", were rapidly developed and fielded to counter this large vulnerability. Due to the apparent 'obsolescence' of conventional arms, however, relatively little development took place to field mobile battlefield air defenses.
This direction was soon changed with the beginning of the Korean War. An entirely conventional conflict, it proved that nuclear weapons were not the be-all and end-all of warfare. In the face of a powerful and modern American air force, carrying non-nuclear payloads, the Soviet Union invested heavily in a multi-tier air defense system, consisting of several new mobile SAMs, to cover all altitude ranges and protect ground forces. The new doctrine listed five requirements:
  • Front-level medium-to-high-altitude area defense system 9K8 Krug (NATO designation SA-4 “Ganef”)
  • Army-level low-to-medium-range area defense system 3K9 Kub (NATO designation SA-6 “Gainful”)
  • Division-level low-altitude short-range system 9K33 Osa (NATO designation SA-8 “Gecko”)
  • Regiment-level all-weather radar-guided gun system ZSU-23-4 “Shilka” and very-short-range missile systems Strela-1 (NATO designation SA-9 "Gaskin")
  • Battalion-level man-portable Strela-2 (NATO SA-7 “Grail”)

A Soviet soldier posing with a Strela launcher.
Both Strela-1 and Strela-2 were initially intended to be man-portable systems. As the Strela-2 proved to be a considerably smaller and lighter package, however, the role of the Strela-1 was changed, becoming a heavier, vehicle-mounted system with increased range and performance to better support the ZSU-23-4 in the regimental air defense role.
As development began in the Turopov OKB (later changed to Kolomna), detailed information on the design of the US FIM-43 Redeye became available. While it was by no means a simple reverse-engineered copy, in many ways the Strela design borrowed heavily from the Redeye, which had started development a few years earlier. Due to the comparatively primitive Soviet technical base, development was protracted, and many problems arose, especially in designing a sufficiently small seeker head and rocket. Eventually the designers settled for a simpler seeker head than that of the Redeye, allowing the initial version, the 9K32 “Strela-2” (US DoD designation SA-7A, missile round 9M32) to finally enter service in 1968, five years behind schedule.

Improvements

The initial variant suffered from numerous shortcomings: it could only engage targets flying at relatively slow airspeeds and low altitudes and then only from rear hemisphere, it suffered from poor guidance reliability (particularly in the presence of natural or man-made background IR radiation sources), and even when a hit was achieved, it often failed to destroy the target.[5][6] Poor lethality was an issue especially when used against jet aircraft: the hottest part of the target was the nozzle behind the actual engine, which the missile therefore usually hit - but there its small warhead often failed to cause significant damage to the engine itself.
In order to address the shortcomings, two improved versions were ordered already in 1968; as an intermediate stop-gap the slightly improved 9K32M “Strela-2M” (NATO reporting name SA-7b) to replace the original, as well as the more ambitious Strela-3.
As the modifications introduced with the Strela-2M were relatively minor, the process was fast and it was accepted in service already in 1970.[6] The Strela-2M replaced Strela-2 in production lines immediately. Improvements were made particularly to increase the engagement envelope of the new system:[5]
  • higher thrust propellant increased slant range from 3.4 to 4.2 km and ceiling from 1.5 to 2.3 km
  • improved guidance and control logic allowed the engagement of propeller-driven and helicopter aircraft (but not jets) approaching at a maximum speed of 150 m/s
  • maximum speed of receding targets was increased from 220 m/s to 260 m/s
  • more automated gripstock provided a simplified firing method against fast targets: a single trigger pull followed by lead and superelevation replacing the separate stages of releasing the seeker to track, and launching the missile (see Description below)
Contrary to what was at first reported in some Western publications, more recent information indicates that while lethality on impact had proven to be a problem, the warhead remained the same 1.17 kg unit (including 370 gram TNT charge) as in the original.[7] This in fact remained the warhead of all Soviet MANPADS up to and including most Igla variants; to address the problem of poor lethality, a more powerful HE filling than TNT, improved fuzing, a terminal maneuver, and finally a separate charge to set off any remaining rocket fuel were gradually introduced in later MANPADS systems, but the original Strela-2/2M warhead design of 370g directed-energy HE charge in a pre-fragmented casing remained.
The seeker head improvements were only minor changes to allow better discrimination of the target signal against background emissions.[5][7] Some sources claim that the seeker sensitivity was also improved.[6] The only defence against infra-red countermeasures remained the seeker head's narrow field of view, which could be hoped to help the rapidly slowing flare fall off the missile field of view as it was tracking a fast-moving target.[5] In practice, flares proved to be highly effective countermeasure against both versions of the Strela-2.
The seeker is commonly referred to as a hot metal tracker. The seeker can only see infrared energy in the near infrared (NIR) spectrum, emitted by very hot surfaces only seen on the inside of the jet nozzle. This allows only rear-aspect engagement of jet targets, earning the weapon its other moniker as a revenge weapon, since the missile has to "chase" an aircraft after it has already passed by.
The Strela-2M was also procured for use on-board Warsaw Pact warships;[8] installed on four-round pedestal mounts[8] aboard Soviet amphibious warfare vessels and various smaller combatants, the weapon remained unchanged, but was assigned the NATO reporting name SA-N-5 'Grail'.[8]

Description

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The missile launcher system consists of the green missile launch tube containing the missile, a grip stock and a cylindrical thermal battery. The launch tube is reloadable at depot, but missile rounds are delivered to fire units in their launch tubes. The device can be reloaded up to five times.[9]
When engaging slow or straight-receding targets, the operator tracks the target with the iron sights in the launch tube and applies half-trigger. This action "uncages" the seeker and allows its attempt to track. If target IR signature can be tracked against the background present, this is indicated by a green light and a buzzer sound. The shooter then pulls the trigger fully, and immediately applies lead and superelevation. This method is called a manual engagement. An automatic mode, which is used against fast targets, allows the shooter to fully depress the trigger in one pull followed by immediate lead and superelevation of the launch tube. The seeker will uncage and will automatically launch the missile if a strong enough signal is detected.
Manufacturer lists reaction time measured from carrying position (missile carried at soldier's back with protective covers) to missile launch to be 13 seconds, a figure that is achievable but requires considerable training and skill in missile handling. With launcher on the shoulder, covers removed and sights extended, reaction time from fire command to launch reduces to 6–10 seconds, depending greatly on target difficulty and shooter's skill.
After activating the power supply to the missile electronics, the gunner waits for electricity supply and gyros to stabilize, puts the sights on target and tracks it smoothly with the launch tube's iron sights, and pulls the trigger on the grip stock. This activates the seeker electronics and the missile attempts to lock onto the target. If the target is producing a strong enough signal and the angular tracking rate is within acceptable launch parameters, the missile alerts the gunner that the target is locked on by illuminating a red light in the sight mechanism, and producing a constant buzzing noise. The operator then has 0.8 seconds to provide lead to the target while the missiles on-board power supply is activated and the throw-out motor ignited.
Should the target be outside acceptable parameters then the light cue in the sight and buzzer signal tell the gunner to re-aim the missile.
On launch, the booster burns out before the missile leaves the launch tube at 32 m/s, and rotating the missile at approximately 20 revolutions per second. As the missile leaves the tube the two forward steering fins unfold, as do the four rear stabilizing tail fins. The self-destruct mechanism is then armed, which is set to destroy the missile after between 14 and 17 seconds to prevent it hitting the ground if it should miss the target.
Once the missile is five and half meters away from the gunner, approximately 0.3 seconds after leaving the launch tube it activates the rocket sustainer motor. The sustainer motor takes it to a velocity of 430 meters per second, and sustains it at this speed. Once it reaches peak speed at a distance of around 120 meters from the gunner, the final safety mechanism is disabled and the missile is fully armed. All told, the booster burns for 0.5 second and the driving engine for another 2.0 seconds.[9]
The missile's uncooled lead sulphide passive infra-red seeker head detects infrared radiation at below 2.8 μm in wavelength. It has a 1.9 degree field of view and can track at 9 degrees per second. The seeker head tracks the target with an amplitude-modulated spinning reticle (spin-scan or AM tracking), which attempts to keep the seeker constantly pointed towards the target. The spinning reticle measures the amount of incoming infrared (IR) energy. It does this by using a circular pattern that has solid portions and slats that allow the IR energy to pass through to the seeker. As the reticle spins IR energy passes through the open portions of the reticle. Based on where the IR energy falls on the reticle the amount or amplitude of IR energy allowed through to the seeker increases the closer to the center of the reticle. Therefore, the seeker is able to identify where the center of the IR energy is. If the seeker detects a decrease in the amplitude of the IR energy it steers the missile back towards where the IR energy was the strongest. Unfortunately, the seeker's design creates a dead-space in the middle of the reticle. The center mounted reticle has no detection capability. This means that as the seeker tracks a target as soon as the seeker is dead center, (aimed directly at the IR source) there is a decrease in the amplitude of IR energy. The seeker interprets this decrease as being off target so it changes direction. This causes the missile to move off target until another decrease in IR energy is detected and the process repeats itself. This gives the missile a very noticeable wobble in flight as the seeker bounces in and out from the dead-space. This wobble becomes more pronounced as the missile closes on the target as the IR energy fills a greater portion of the reticle. These continuous course corrections effectively bleed energy from the missile reducing its range and velocity.
The guidance of the SA-7 follows proportional convergence logic, also known as angle rate tracking system or pro-logic. In this method as the seeker tracks the target, the missile is turned towards where the seeker is turning towards - not where it is pointing at - relative to the missile longitudinal axis. Against a target flying in a straight-line course at constant speed, the angle rate of seeker-to-body reduces to zero when the missile is in a straight-line flight path to intercept point.

Combat use

As a consequence of their widespread availability and large numbers, the Strela system has seen use in conflicts across the globe.

Middle East

Egypt

Jane's credits the first combat use of the missile as being in 1969 during the War of Attrition by Egyptian soldiers. The first 'kill' was claimed on 19 August 1969. A 102 Squadron A-4H Skyhawk was hit with a shoulder-fired missile 12 miles west of the Suez Canal and pilot SqL Nassim Ezer Ashkenazi captured. Between this first firing and June 1970 the Egyptian army fired 99 missiles resulting in 36 hits. The missile proved to have poor kinematic reach against combat jets, and also poor lethality as many aircraft that were hit managed to return safely to base. The missile was used later in the Yom Kippur War, where Strela were fired in the hundreds, scoring not many hits and few kills (A-4s had their exhaust pipes lengthened, in order to avoid fatal damages to the engine, a solution made in the previous war, together with flare launchers) but, together with Shilka and SA-2/3/6s they caused very heavy losses to the Israeli Air Force in the first days, after that the Arab SAMs firings were so high, that they almost depleted their weapon stocks. SA-7s were not that effective against fast jets, but they were the best weapon available to Arab infantry at the time.

Lebanon

On June 24, 1974, Palestinians in southern Lebanon fired 2 SA-7s against invading Israeli aircraft, though no hits were scored.[10]
The Strela was deployed by Syrian forces occupying the country along with other Soviet air-defense systems that challenged U.S, French and Israeli airpower in the aftermath of the 1982 Lebanon war and the deployment of the Multinational Force in Lebanon during that year. On November 10, 1983 a French Super Etendard escaped from being hit by an SA-7 near Bourj el-Barajneh while flying over Druze positions and, on December 3, more Strelas were fired at United States Navy F-14 Tomcats flying a reconnaissance mission.[11]
The Americans responded with a large strike package of 12 A-7 Corsairs and 16 A-6 Intruders (supported by a single E-2C Hawkeye, two EA-6B Prowlers and two F-14As) launched from the carriers USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67) and USS Independence (CV-62) sailing in the Mediterranean. The aircraft were to bomb Syrian instalations, anti-aircraft sites and weapons depots near Falouga and Hamman, some 16km north of Beirut-Damascus highway, when they were received by a volley of Syrian SAMs, one of which hit a Corsair (AE305 of the VA-15) and forcing the pilot to eject over the sea before being rescued by a USN search and rescue mission.
The attack formation broke, every pilot attacked each objective on its own and it prompted the shooting down of the second U.S aircraft: an Intruder from VA-85 was hit either by an SA-7 or an SA-9 and forced the navigator, Lieutenant Bobby Goodman to eject near a village surrounded by Syrian positions while the pilot of the A-6, Lt. Mark Lange, ejected too late and died from his wounds soon after being captured by Syrian soldiers and Lebanese civilians. Goodman was captured by the Syrians and taken to Damascus before being freed in January 1984.[12][13]
A second A-7 searching for the downed Intruder crew was later hit by an SA-7 but the pilot, Cdr. Edward Andrews, managed to eject over the sea near Beirut and was rescued by a Christian fisherman and his son who in turn handed him over to the U.S Marines.[14][15]
Hezbollah has also reportedly fielded some Strelas and fired 2 against Israeli warplanes on June 12, 2001 near Tyre, but these too failed to hit.[16]

Iraq

In the early dawn of January 31, 1991, during the Battle of Khafji in Operation Desert Storm, an Iraqi soldier shot down an American AC-130H gunship, AF Serial No. 69-6567, with a Strela 2, killing all 14 crewmembers.[17]
Strela-2 missiles have been used against Turkish Army helicopters by the PKK in Northern Iraq. During Operation Hammer; on May 18, 1997 a Strela-2 missile was used to shoot down an AH-1W Super Cobra attack helicopter. Only a couple of weeks later, on June 4, 1997; another Strela was used to down a Turkish Army AS-532UL Cougar transport helicopter in the Zakho area, killing the 11 occupants.[18][19] [20] The video of the first attack was used extensively for PKK propaganda and eventually released to the Internet. Greece and Serbia's inteligence services, as well as Iran, Syria, Armenia, and Cyprus were traced as possible sources of the missiles.[21][22]
Strelas have been used, along with other MANPAD systems, by insurgent groups during the Iraq War, however, as in previous conflicts, they are only effective against rotary-winged aircraft.
A Strela-2 missile is said to have been used in April 2005, when members of the insurgents shot down an Mi-8 helicopter operated by Blackwater, killing all 11 crew members. The Islamic Army in Iraq took responsibility for the action and a video showing the downing was released in the Internet.[23] The missile launcher is not visible on the video, however, making it impossible to confirm the type of MANPADS used.
The spate of helicopter shoot downs during 2006 and 2007 in Iraq has been partly attributed to the prevalence of the Strela amongst Sunni insurgent groups of that time [1]; while al Qaeda is said to have produced an hour-long training video on how to use SA-7s.[16]

Saudi Arabia

In May 2002, a Sudanese man with links to Al-Qaida fired an SA-7 at an American F-15 Eagle fighter taking off from Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia. The missile missed the target and was not detected by the pilot or anyone at the base. Saudi police found the empty launcher in the desert, and a suspect was arrested in Sudan a month later. He led police to a cache in the desert where a second missile was buried.[24]

Gaza

During October 2012, militants in Gaza fired a Strela in an attempt to down an IDF helicopter.[25] During Operation Pillar of Defense, Hamas released a video purporting to be a launch of Strela missile at an IAF target.[26] One was also reportedly fired in March 2013 from Gaza at a IAF helicopter.[25]

South-East Asia

The Strela-2 system was also given to North Vietnam forces, where along with the more advanced Strela-2M it achieved 204 hits out of 589 firings against US aircraft between 1972 and 1975 according to Russian sources.[7] (Some sources such as Fiszer (2004)[6] claim it was used already from 1968 onwards).
A total of approximately 40–50 kills are attributed to Strela-2/2M hits between 1970 and the fall of Saigon, all but one TA-4 Skyhawk against helicopters and propeller-driven aircraft. As in the War of Attrition, the missile's speed and range proved insufficient against fast jets and results were very poor: only one US Skyhawk and one South Vietnamese F-5 are known to have been shot down by with Strela-2s during the conflict.
US fixed-wing losses are listed in the following table.[27] The internet site Arms-expo.ru[7] states 14 fixed-wing aircraft and 10 helicopters were shot down with 161 missile rounds used between April 28 and July 14 of 1972; the difference in fixed-wing losses may be at least partly due to South Vietnamese aircraft shot down by the weapon.
Date Type Unit Altitude
when hit (ft)		 Casualties Mission Location
01-05-1972 O-2A 20th TASS  ? 0 FAC Quang Tri
01-05-1972 A-1H 1 SOS 3500 0 SAR Quang Tri
02-05-1972 A-1E 1 SOS 5500 0 SAR Quang Tri
02-05-1972 A-1G 1 SOS 6500 1 WIA SAR Quang Tri
14-05-1972 O-1
4000 0 FAC An Loc
26-05-1972 TA-4F H&MS-15 4500 0 armed recce Hue
18-06-1972 AC-130A 16 SOS
12 KIA armed recce A Shau
29-06-1972 OV-10A 20 TASS 6500 1 KIA FAC Quang Tri
02-07-1972 O-1

0 FAC Phum Long (Cambodia)
19-12-1972 OV-10A 20 TASS
1 KIA FAC Quang Tri
27-01-1973 OV-10A 23 TASS 6000 2 MIA FAC Quang Tri
The table shows heavy losses particularly in the beginning of May, with especially lethal results on 1st-2 May, where the shootdown of the O-2 FAC led to further losses when a rescue operation was attempted. After these initial losses, changes in tactics and widespread introduction of decoy flares helped to counter the threat, but a steady flow of attrition[clarification needed] and necessity of minimizing time spent in the Strela's engagement envelope nonetheless continued to limit the effectiveness of US battlefield air operations until the end of US involvement in South-East Asia. The United States lost at least 10 AH-1 Cobras and several UH-1 Hueys to Strela-2/2M hits in South East Asia.
In the late 1980s, Strela-2s were used against Royal Thai Air Force aircraft by Laotian and Vietnamese forces during the numerous border clashes of that period. A RTAF F-5E was damaged on 4 March 1987 and another F-5E was shot down on 4 February 1988 near the Thai-Cambodian border.

Afghanistan


An Afghan Mujahid with a Strela 2
Strela-2M was used also in Afghanistan during the Soviet war in Afghanistan by the Mujahiddeen. The missiles were obtained from various sources, some from Egypt and China (locally manufactured Sakr Eye and HN-5 versions of the SAM), and the CIA also assisted the guerrillas in finding missiles from other sources.
Results from combat use were not dissimilar from experiences with the Strela-2/2M from Vietnam: while 42 helicopters were shot down by various Strela-2 variants (including a few Mi-24s until exhaust shrouds made them next to invisible to the short-wavelength Strela-2 seeker) only 5 fixed-wing aircraft were destroyed with the weapon. Due to its poor kinematic performance and vulnerability to even the most primitive infra-red countermeasures, the guerrillas considered the Strela-2 suitable for use against helicopters and prop-driven transports, but not combat jets.
However the recent studies and interviews after the Cold war, say that most of Strela sold to the Mujahiddeen on the black market, were broken/damaged or faulty. This is possibly another reason why the Soviet army in Afghanistan didn't expect working anti-aircraft missiles like Stinger to be used.[28]
On July 22, 2007 the first reported attack of the Taliban against a coalition aircraft using MANPADS was reported. The weapon was reported to be an SA-7 allegedly smuggled from Iran to the Taliban. The missile failed after the crew of the USAF C-130, flying over the Nimroz province, launched flares and made evasive manouvers.[29]
However most of the Strelas operated by al-Qaeda in Afghanistan are probably inherited from fighters that used it during the Soviet invasion. Most are probably faulty, broken or in other ways not usable (even from beginning) against military helicopters, with the intercepts of NATO aviation by Stingers (acquired also during 80s) or other missiles.[citation needed]

Africa

There are many reports of SA-7s being used in Africa; it must be made clear, however, that it is not easy to say which types of Russian (or Chinese) MANPADS were used, be they SA-7a, -b or newer types, such as the SA-14.

Guinea-Bissau

When PAIGC rebels in Guinea began to receive SA-7s in early 1973, these immediately became a threat to Portuguese air superiority. On 23 March 1973, two Portuguese Air Force (FAP) Fiat G.91s were shot down by SA-7s, followed six weeks later by another Fiat, and a Dornier Do 27.[30]

Mozambique

FRELIMO fighters in Mozambique were also able to field some SA-7s with Chinese support, although the weapon is not known to have caused any losses to the FAP, even if it forced Portuguese pilots to change their tactics. In one case a Douglas DC-3 carrying foreign military attaches and members of the senior Portuguese military command was hit by an SA-7 in one of the engines. The crippled plane managed to land safely and was later repaired.[31]

Angola/Namibia

In Angola and Namibia many were fired against the South African Air Force with limited success. The SAAF lost Atlas Impalas to SA-7s on 24 January 1980 and 10 October 1980. Another Impala was hit by a SA-7 on 23 December 1983, but the pilot was able to fly the aircraft back to Ondangwa AB.[32] UNITA also reportedly obtained 50 SA-7s that Israel had captured, via the CIA. The first one was fired at a Cuban aircraft by French mercenary contracted by the UNITA on 13 March 1976, but the missile failed to hit the target. The missiles were found to be in poor condition none scored a hit.[33] Additionally, it is claimed that they used SA-7s to shoot down two Transafrik International Lockheed L-100-30 Hercules flying UN charters, on 26 December 1998[34] and 2 January 1999,[35] both near Huambo.[36]

Sudan

Using a SA-7, the Sudan People's Liberation Army shot down a Sudan Airways Fokker F-27 Friendship 400M taking off from Malakal on 16 August 1986, killing all 60 on board.[37] On 21 December 1989, an Aviation Sans Frontières Britten-Norman BN-2A-9 Islander (F-OGSM) was shot down by a SA-7 while taking off from Aweil Sudan, killing the four crew on board.[38] .

Western Sahara

The Polisario Front has used SA-7s against the Royal Moroccan Air Force and Mauritanian Air Force during the Western Sahara War over the former Spanish colonies of the Spanish Sahara. The Mauritania Air Force lost a Britten-Norman Defender to a SA-7 fired by the Polisario on 29 December 1976.[39] Between 1975 and 1991, the Royal Moroccan Air Force has lost several Northrop F-5A Freedom Fighters and Dassault Mirage F1s to SA-7s fired by the Polisario.[40] In a case of mistaken identity, a Dornier Do 228 owned by the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research was shot down over the Western Sahara near Dakhla on 24 February 1985. Two Dornier 228s named Polar 2 and Polar 3 were on a return flight to Germany following a South Pole expedition. After having taken off from Dakar, Senegal, en route to Arrecife, Canary Islands, flying 5 minutes behind Polar 2 and at a lower altitude (9,000 feet), Polar 3 was shot down by a SA-7 fired by the Polisario.[41] The crew of three were killed. In another incident, on 8 December 1988, two Douglas DC-7CFs flying at 11,000 feet from Dakar, Senegal to Agadir, Morocco for a locust control mission there, had SA-7s fired at them by the Polisario. One aircraft, N284, was hit and lost one of its engines and part of a wing. This led to the aircraft crashing, killing the crew of five.[42] The other aircraft, N90804, also was hit and lost an engine along with suffering other damage, but it was able to land safely at Sidi Ifni Morocco.[43]

Airliner attacks

During the Rhodesian Bush War, ZIPRA insurgents used the Strela against unarmed civilian aircraft and brought down two Vickers Viscount passenger aircraft belonging to Air Rhodesia. There was great loss of life in both instances as the flights were returning from Kariba, a well known tourist attraction.
  • Vickers Viscount, Flight RH825, 3 September 1978 — shot by down Strela missile near Kariba Dam. 18 of the 56 passengers survived the crash, but ten of them were murdered on the ground by ZIPRA guerrillas.
  • Vickers Viscount, Flight RH827, 12 February 1979 — shot by down Strela missile near Kariba Dam; all 59 people on board killed.
In the first incident the fighters of ZAPU, ZIPRA, were accused of following up the crashed aircraft and systematically murdered survivors from the aircrash as they lay in the wreckage. The Archbishop of Mashonaland described this act as the most barbaric act of the war in a well publicised sermon that subsequently saw him removed from his post.
UNITA claimed that they used one to shoot down a TAAG Boeing 737-2M2 taking off from Lubango on 8 November 1983.[44]
A Lignes Aériennes Congolaises Boeing 727-30 taking off from Kindu was shot down by a SA-7 fired by rebel forces in 1998, killing all 41 on board.[45]
Two missiles were fired at a Boeing 757 during the 2002 Mombasa attacks. Neither missile struck its target.[46][47]

Latin America

Argentina

Strela-2M missiles were available to Argentinian troops in the Falkland Islands during the Falklands War. War Machine Encyclopedia gives no launch recorded, but several missiles were captured.[48] The missiles were supplied by Libya.[49]

Nicaragua

On 5 October 1986 a Corporate Air Services C-123 Provider (HPF821, previously N4410F and USAF 54-679, (c/n 20128))[50] conducting a covert drop of arms to Contra fighters in Nicaragua was shot down by a Sandinista soldier, using a SA-7. CIA pilots Wallace "Buzz" Sawyer and William Cooper were killed in the crash. Loadmaster Eugene Hasenfus parachuted to safety and was taken prisoner. He was later released in December 1986.[51]

El Salvador

FMLN rebels acquired SA-7 missiles in 1989 and employed them extensively in the closing years of the Salvadoran Civil War, dramatically increasing the combat losses of Salvadoran Air Force aircraft. At least 2 O-2 Skymasters, one A-37 Dragonfly (shot down on November 23, 1990), one Hughes 500 helicopter, and two UH-1Hs were lost to SA-7s. One of the UH-1Hs (shot down on January 2, 1991) was crewed by US Army personnel, while the other was operated by the Honduran Air Force.[52][53]

Colombia

In late December 2012 a video showing FARC rebels attempting to shoot down a Colombian Air Force Arpía helicopter with an SA-7 in the Cauca raised the alarm in the Colombian military, though the missile failed.[54] [55]
During the same month, a Strela was captured by the Colombian military. It is believed that they might came from Cuba, Nicaragua or Peru; the only American operators of the type.[56]

Europe

Yugoslav wars


Confiscated SA-7s awaiting destruction in Bosnia, 1996
The system was used on a large scale during the wars in former Yugoslavia by all Yugoslav successor states and factions. Among Strela's victims in these conflicts were military jets and helicopters.
On 8 March, 1994 a Spanish Air Force CASA C-212 was hit in the tail by a Serbian SA-7 missile over Gvozd (then Vrginmost) when ferrying UNPROFOR personnel from Sarajevo. The aircraft was part of the Ala 37 deployed in Vicenza, Italy. A Croatian MiG-21 had been shot down over the same area on 14 September 1993. The tail control surfaces were damaged, the left engine failed and several passengers were injured. The crew managed to land the aircraft at Rijeka, Croatia. Spanish technicians were able to repair the damage and have the aircraft back in service in 48 hours.[57][58][59]

Northern Ireland

The Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) acquired some missiles that were reported to have been fired at a British Army Air Corps Lynx in 1991 in South Armagh, however it missed its target. To counter the new threat the British helicopters flew in pairs below 50 feet or above 500 feet.

Spain

In 2001, the Basque separatist group ETA tried on three occasions to use a Strela 2 missile to shoot down the Dassault Falcon 900 aircraft with the then Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar on board. The missile failed to launch every time. Some Strela 2 missiles were bought from IRA in 1999, while Libya was tracked as the original source used by IRA.[60]

Versions

  • 9K32M Strela-2M — "SA-7b Grail"
  • Strela 2M2J Sava — Yugoslav version
  • CA-94 and CA-94M — Romanian versions
  • HN-5 — Hongying 5, Chinese version
  • Anza MKI — Pakistani version
  • Ayn al Saqr (Known as hawk Eye " عين الصقر ")  — Egyptian version[61]
  • Hwasung-Chong — North Korean version

Operators

Former Operators

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Переносной зенитно-ракетный комплекс 9К32М "Стрела-2М", http://www.new-factoria.ru/missile/wobb/strela_2m/strela_2m.shtml. Retrieved: May 5th, 2009
  2. ^ http://www.new-factoria.ru/missile/wobb/strela_2m/shema.htm. Retrieved: May 5th, 2009
  3. ^ Jane's Land Based Air Defence 2005-2006.
  4. ^ Twentieth Century Artillery (ISBN 1-84013-315-5), 2000, Ian Hogg, Chapter 6, P226.
  5. ^ a b c d Lappi,Ahti: Ilmatorjunta Kylmässä Sodassa, 2003
  6. ^ a b c d On arrows and needles: Russia's Strela and Igla portable killers. Journal of Electronic Defense, January, 2004. Michal Fiszer and Jerzy Gruszczynski
  7. ^ a b c d http://www.arms-expo.ru/site.xp/049051049050124052050050.html
  8. ^ a b c War Machine, Issue 64 (Magazine), 1984, Orbis Publications, P1274.
  9. ^ a b http://www.bellum.nu/armoury/SA7Grail.html
  10. ^ See US State Department Cable Beirut 7015, Jun. 20, 1974
  11. ^ http://www.acig.org/artman/publish/article_278.shtml
  12. ^ http://www.acig.org/artman/publish/article_278.shtml
  13. ^ http://www.ejection-history.org.uk/PROJECT/YEAR_Pages/1983.htm
  14. ^ http://www.acig.org/artman/publish/article_278.shtml
  15. ^ http://www.ejection-history.org.uk/PROJECT/YEAR_Pages/1983.htm
  16. ^ a b "Terrorists known to possess SAMs". CNN. 2002-11-28. Retrieved 2010-05-24.
  17. ^ Spirit 03 and the Battle for Khafji
  18. ^ http://www.friedenskooperative.de/themen/turkhg52.htm
  19. ^ http://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=75609
  20. ^ http://arsiv.sabah.com.tr/1997/06/07/p01.html http://arsiv.sabah.com.tr/1997/06/07/p01.html
  21. ^ http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/security/01/12/black-market-missiles-turkey.html
  22. ^ http://www.friedenskooperative.de/themen/turkhg52.htm
  23. ^ http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/23/international/middleeast/23iraq.html
  24. ^ "TRACES OF TERROR: THE DRAGNET; Sudanese Says He Fired Missile at U.S. Warplane". New York Times. 14 June 2002. Retrieved 19 May 2011.
  25. ^ a b http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/for-first-time-palestinians-in-gaza-fire-missile-at-iaf-helicopter.premium-1.470387
  26. ^ http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2012/11/19/small_arms_big_problems
  27. ^ Vietnam Air Losses, Christopher Hobson, 2002
  28. ^ "Roads of terror", ep. 1 Planete documentary film
  29. ^ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/majornews/1558756/Taliban-in-first-heat-seeking-missile-attack.html
  30. ^ http://s188567700.online.de/CMS/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=220&Itemid=47
  31. ^ http://s188567700.online.de/CMS/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=139&Itemid=47
  32. ^ Angola: Claims & Reality about SAAF Losses Retrieved 4 October 2011.
  33. ^ Angola since 1961 Retrieved 4 October 2011.
  34. ^ Criminal Occurrence description Retrieved 4 October 2011.
  35. ^ Criminal Occurrence description Retrieved 4 October 2011.
  36. ^ Man-Portable Air Defence Systems Retrieved 4 October 2011.
  37. ^ Criminal Occurrence description Retrieved 4 October 2011.
  38. ^ Criminal Occurrence description Retrieved 4 October 2011.
  39. ^ Morocco, Mauritania & West Sahara since 1972 Retrieved 4 October 2011.
  40. ^ Western Sahara war 1975-1991 Retrieved 4 October 2011.
  41. ^ Criminal Occurrence description Retrieved 4 October 2011.
  42. ^ Criminal Occurrence description Retrieved 4 October 2011.
  43. ^ Criminal Occurrence description Retrieved 4 October 2011.
  44. ^ Criminal Occurrence description Retrieved 4 October 2011.
  45. ^ Criminal Occurrence description Retrieved 4 October 2011.
  46. ^ Proliferation of MANPADS and the threat to civil aviation - Jane's Security News
  47. ^ Microsoft PowerPoint - présentation bolkcom
  48. ^ War Machine, italian version printed by De Agostini, Novara, 1983, p.155
  49. ^ Reference to O Estado de São Paulo, November 12, 2006
  50. ^ Omang, Joanne, and Wilson, George C., "Questions About Plane's Origins Grow", Washington Post, Washington, D.C., Thursday, October 9, 1986, pages A-1, A-32
  51. ^ Intrusions, Overflights, Shootdowns and Defections During the Cold War and Thereafter Retrieved 24 September 2011.
  52. ^ Cooper, Tom. "El Salvador, 1980-1992". ACIG.org. Retrieved 30 January 2013.
  53. ^ http://fdra.blogspot.com/2011/10/conflictos-americanos-el-factor-aereo_28.html
  54. ^ http://analisis24.com/misiles-tierra-aire-sa-7-en-posesion-de-las-farc/
  55. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBnlqFU-aqU&NR=1&feature=endscreen
  56. ^ http://www.webinfomil.com/2012/12/incautado-misil-antiaereo-en-el-cauca.html
  57. ^ Vinuesa, Arturo. El conflicto de los Balcanes y la seguridad común europea (Spanish). Editorial Fundamentos, 2002, p. 190. ISBN 84-245-0927-7
  58. ^ Destacamento C-212 en Vicenza / 1993–2002 (Spanish)
  59. ^ "Ala 37" (Spanish) ejercitodelaire.mde.es. Retrieved: 21 April 2012.
  60. ^ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/spain/7018862/Spanish-PM-saved-by-faulty-IRA-missile.html
  61. ^ http://www.aoi.com.eg/aoieng/military/rockets/sakr_eye.html
  62. ^ http://www.arms-expo.ru/049057052048124053055049056.html
  63. ^ http://en.rian.ru/world/20081208/118747764.html

External links

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