Clue on RAF crash missile-( six heatseeking SA-18 missiles purchased from Iran...)

Herald Sun ^ | 07feb05 | na

[Flavius]

THE RAF Hercules transport plane that crashed in Iraq killing Australian Paul Pardoel was hit by a Russian-made surface-to-air missile that insurgents obtained from Iran.

Military accident investigators believe the Special Forces plane was hit when at least six heatseeking SA-18 missiles were fired at it.

The multiple firing of the one metre long missiles that travel twice the speed of sound would have confused the plane's defences.

The defences would normally have been able to fire hundreds of small

flares to confuse incoming missiles, according to the Mail on Sunday.

Britain's Ministry of Defence last night was unwilling to talk about what caused the deaths of nine RAF men and a specialist army signaller when the Hercules was shot down on Sunday last week near the town of Taki, 30km northwest of Baghdad.

But first indications from investigators suggest that a new variant of the Russian-made SA-18, a shoulder-launched missile with a range of 6km, was used.

A suggestion that a faulty anti-tank shell exploded on board was being discounted by military sources last night.

A spokesman said: "A board of inquiry has started into the full circumstances of the crash."

[Flavius]

SA-18 GROUSE Igla 9K38 SA-N-10 GROUSE Igla-M

The SA-18 GROUSE (Igla 9K38) is an improved variant in the the SA-7 & SA-14 series of manportable SAMs. As with the earlier SA-14, the SA-18 uses of a similar thermal

battery/gas bottle, and the SA-18 has the same 2 kilogram high-explosive warhead fitted with a contact and grazing fuse. But the missile of entirely new design with substantially improved range and speed,.

The new seeker and aerodynamic improvements extend its effective range, and its higher speed enables it to be used against faster targets.

The SA-18 has a maximum range of 5200 meters and a maximum altitude of 3500 meters. The 9M39 missile SA-18 employs an IR guidance system using proportional convergence logic. The new seeker offers better protection against electro-optical jammers; the probability of kill against an unprotected fighter is estimated at 30-48%, and the use of IRCM jammers only degrades this to 24-30%. The Igla-M [SA-N-10 ] is the naval version of the SA-18. Maximum effective range 5200 meters altitude, (m) 10-3500 Guidance mode passive IR homing emplace/displace time 13 sec

[Jet Jaguar]

BTTT

[AmericaUnited]

Iran has got to get whacked!

[FreedomPoster]

If true, it's time for a Stinger mishap for an Iranian military aircraft.

[Axlrose]

Special forces plane ?

They can't get much right can they ?

It was from a squadron that carries special forces when they need to be transported, but that doesn't make this Herc a special forces plane. It only had one member of the Army on board when it crashed.

[zipper]

If this is true, the Iranians have stooped to a new low. It's likely we'll be stepping up our stealthy special ops campaign in Iran as part of our response.

The SA-18 is a very sophisticated manpad-- it can find a heat target from any angle, and most versions are designed to defeat countermeasures such as the flare system this C-130 had.

[PeteB570]

We also have "Special Forces" planes. Our Air Forces has Special Operations Wings that include many different types and variations of aircraft. The mission of some is to just get teams into where they need to go.

Special Operations includes Special Forces, the Rangers, SEALS, CCT, Para Rescue, Pyops and Civil Affairs. We could also throw in the Marine Force Recon companies. Special Operations also includes the boats and aircraft that get the guys to work in the morning.

[bill1952]

Military accident investigators believe the Special Forces plane was hit when at least six heatseeking SA-18 missiles were fired at it.

I wonder how many actually hit that plane, and how they know they were SA 18s.

[Yehuda]

After many years of concealing and lying about its extensive nuclear programs, Iran has reached an arrangement with three European Union countries--Britain, France, and Germany--to freeze its uranium enrichment efforts while it negotiates a possible future agreement to forgo the development of nuclear weapons in return for a large package of economic carrots, including support for its nuclear program. Heritage Foundation: 11/04

[7.62 x 51mm]

Remember: muslims lie routinely to infidels. They've reached no such agreement.

[Yehuda]

"muslims?"

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1337628/posts?page=39#39

[7.62 x 51mm]

LOL!

[Yehuda]

,(:>)

PS: Veni Veni Velcro:

I came, I saw, I stuck around...(unknown freeper with more wit than me...)

[Yehuda]

PS - please forgive the levity in my post:

RIP, brave allies...

[SubMareener]

As the FBI found out with Flight 800, the SA-18 leaves a distinctive chemical residue.

[Axlrose]

Yes, but this is not a "Special Forces Squadron", its just a normal squadron who spend most of their time transporting cans of corned beef, and this aircraft was not on a "Special Forces" mission, unless the one army guy on board had two jobs.

They bandy about this term implying that they were on some underhand mission and the terrorists have acheived some moral victory over some elite unit, this was by all accounts a daily flight that even BBC journo's used to get themselves around the country.

[Tommyjo]

It means that the source does not know. Dodgy news 'un-named sources' reporters make things up. Add Iran into the equation and bingo a hot news story is born ala Debka, World Tribune etc.

[Tommyjo]

No. 47 Squadron is a Special Forces Flt. The C-130s assigned are specially equipped and the crew are specifically trained for SF missions. That is not to say this the aircraft are always used 24/7 for SF missions. It has already been revealed in his obituary that one of the passengers was a Staff Officer whose job was liaison in Iraq. Looks like he had Royal Corps of Signals assigned to him.