Surface-To-Air Missiles Looted From Libyan Arms Depot (SA-24)

outsidethebeltway.com ^ | Sept 7, 2001 | Doug Mataconis

[bayouranger]

Well, this is something that could be a problem: A potent stash of Russian-made surface-to-air missiles is missing from a huge Tripoli weapons warehouse amid reports of weapons looting across war-torn Libya. They are Grinch SA-24 shoulder-launched missiles, also known as Igla-S missiles, the equivalent of U.S.-made Stinger missiles. A CNN team and Human Rights Watch found dozens of empty crates marked with packing lists and inventory numbers that identified the items as Igla-S surface-to-air missiles. The list for one box, for example, written in English and Russian, said it had contained two missiles, with inventory number “Missile 9M342,” and a power source, inventory number “Article 9B238.” Grinch SA-24s are designed to target front-line aircraft, helicopters, cruise missiles and drones. They can shoot down a plane flying as high as 11,000 feet and can travel 19,000 feet straight out. Fighters aligned with the National Transitional Council and others swiped armaments from the storage facility, witnesses told Human Rights Watch. The warehouse is located near a base of the Khamis Brigade, a special forces unit in Gadhafi’s military, in the southeastern part of the capital. The warehouse contains mortars and artillery rounds, but there are empty crates for those items as well. There are also empty boxes for another surface-to-air missile, the SA-7. Peter Bouckaert, Human Rights Watch emergencies director, told CNN he has seen the same pattern in armories looted elsewhere in Libya, noting that “in every city we arrive, the first thing to disappear are the surface-to-air missiles.” The most obvious destination for items like this would obviously be the world’s weapons black market, where they could fall into the hands of terrorists and other assorted rogues. Perhaps we ought to ask our “friends” in the NTC about this.

[bayouranger]

General information The SA-24 Grinch (Russian name Igla-S 9K338) is the latest generation of Russian portable air defense missile system. The SA-24 Grinch Igla-S is a further development of the Igla family systems (SA-18 and SA-16). In 2004 the Russian army adopted the new MANPADS - Igla-S (sometimes called "Igla-Super") which is much more sophisticated and efficient in countering air threats. Serial production of the "Igla-S" ("Needle-S") portable antiaircraft missile complex (PAAMC) is conducted at the Degtyarev factory in the city of Kovrov. The "Igla-S" PAAMC by its capabilities is significantly superior to the "Igla" PAAMC, which entered service in 1983.

[Pecos]

And somehow I’m supposed to b surprised that the AQ-backed rebels now have lots of shoulder-fired surface-air missiles. /s/

[MetaThought]

Come on! Everyone knows a good civil rights movement needs Surface to Air firepower!

[Captain7seas]

Wonder if the instructions were packed with them...hmmmmm

[NoLibZone]

Hope it was the CIA first then the Mossad 2nd

[Captain7seas]

Wonder if the instructions were packed with them...hmmmmm

[moovova]

geez...coming to an airport near you...

[null and void]

A few should be a part of everyone’s Bug Out Bag...

[JoeFromSidney]

Same thing happened in Iraq, with anti-US forces looting Hussein's armories before US troops could secure them. Apparently no MANPADs there, but lots of artillery shells that ended up as IEDs.

This should have been expected.

[Fedupwithit]

Coming soon to an in-flight airplane near you...

[The Sons of Liberty]

When is 0bama going to Tripoli to declare victory?

FUBO GTFO ! 499 Days until Noon Jan 20, 2013 - Hell Yes, change is coming!

[bert]

My guess it might have been Brits. They have been there since before the beginning.

[bert]

PS: It raises the issue....how many planes have we lost we don’t know about?

If the weapons were there, why were they not used?

[Mr. Wright]

G. W. Bush’s fault!!!!

[blueunicorn6]

So we used our airpower to provide radical moslems with the weapons to shoot down our airliners. Brilliant! The Democrats are absolutely brilliant! What’s next from the Democrats?
“Let’s give chemical warheads to the kids at the elementary schools to play with!”
“If we get a campaign donation!”

[Datom]

These weapons were not taken by Brits, CIA, or Mossad. They would have either — set explosives and blown them up — called in a n air strike — trucked them out to a secure location. The one thing they would not have done is take them out of the crates and leave the manifests. These were taken by people who intend to use them in the very near future.

[gaijin]

[Little Ray]

Well, if you were going to steal something to sell, would you steal ammo, guns, or MANPADS worth $50,000+ a pop?

[mad_as_he$$]

I have seen some chatter on other sites saying there may be several hundred missiles “missing” not just a few as is being reported. I hope that is wrong.

[Joe Boucher]

Ohhh,
Wionder if I can pick one of these suckers up off Ebay?