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Posted on 03/02/2013 2:57:01 PM PST by Seizethecarp
An Iranian dhow seized off the Yemeni coast was carrying sophisticated Chinese antiaircraft missiles, a development that could signal an escalation of Iran’s support to its Middle Eastern proxies, alarming other countries in the region and renewing a diplomatic challenge to the United States.
The shipment, which officials portray as an attempt to introduce sophisticated new antiaircraft systems into the Arabian Peninsula, has raised concerns in Saudi Arabia, Oman and Yemen, as the weapons would have posed escalated risks to civilian and military aircraft alike.
Among the items aboard the dhow, according to a review of factory markings on weapons and their packing crates, were 10 Chinese heat-seeking antiaircraft missiles, most of them manufactured in 2005.
The missiles were labeled QW-1M and bore stencils suggesting that they had been assembled at a factory represented by the state-owned China National Precision Machinery Import and Export Corporation, sanctioned by the United States for transfers of missile technology to Pakistan and Iran.
That cargo also included 316,000 cartridges for Kalashnikov rifles, nearly 63,000 cartridges for PK machine guns or the Dragunov series of sniper rifles, more than 12,000 cartridges for 12.7-millimeter DShK machine guns and 95 RPG-7 launchers.
The vessel also carried 10 SA-7 shoulder-fired antiaircraft missiles with two gripstocks for firing them, nearly 17,000 sticks of Iranian-made C-4 plastic explosives, 48 Russian PN-14K night vision goggles, and 10 LH80A laser range finders made, according to their placards, by the state-run Iran Electronics Industries, also under American sanction.
The original provenance of the SA-7s was not clear, though the crates they were in had stenciling in Bulgarian.
Unlike many older shoulder-fired antiaircraft missiles seen in insurgent hands around the world, the QW-1M is believed by analysts to have a seeker head more resistant to countermeasures intended to deceive it.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Jean f’n Kerry, what a f’n joke!
I mean they are going to be used to down commercial airliners.
First Israel is one of the few countries whose commercial aircraft have flare launchers as a counter measure to evil.
Iran also has a score to settle with the USA over our shooting down of an Iranian 747 a number of years ago.
This is going to make me wonder about “aircraft accidents” in the future.
A agree! Also take note of my tagline for another asymmetric threat possibility...
When a Chinese fighter plane brushed against the side of a US Navy surveillance plane, the US Navy plane made an emergency landing on a Chinese air force base. The crew was interned; in luxury, but interned nonetheless. Everybody wondered why President Bush didn’t just call the president of China and demand the crews return. He didn’t because that airbase was owned (the property of) a red general. The President of China has no power over a red general and Bush knew this. Calling with a ridiculous demand would have caused the Chinese president to lose face.
The red generals are the real power in China. The president of china and the Central Committee are like a homeowner’s association. They have some powers, but can’t dictate to the generals. The president of China had to negotiate with the red general. The general probably got a new missile plant or a few million dollars. It took a long time to get the crew back in western terms. But hostage negotiation (and that’s what it was) can take years in China. As long as the negotiation is going okay, the hostage is “an honored guest” (their exact phrase for the Navy personnel.)
If you’d like to be on or off, please FR mail me.
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And then... The USS Chicago entered the port of Sasebo, in south-west Japan, without prior warning on Monday - apparently in contravention of an accord between the two countries....
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/1257673.stm
Nuclear subs don't behave like that, it was a message to China.
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