Exclusive: U.S. Finds Radioactive Missiles in Iraq

NewsMax ^ | 3/9/04 | Charles R. Smith

[Tumbleweed_Connection]

U.S. Army troops operating at a former Iraqi air base recently made a startling discovery: Russian-made missiles marked with radioactive warning signs. Army bomb disposal troops confirmed using Geiger counters that the missiles are indeed radioactive.

The discovery is not, however, considered the long-sought "smoking gun" of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction.

The missiles appear to be part of a cache of weapons supplied to Iraq before the 1991 Gulf War.

The Russian-made R-60, NATO code name AA-8 Aphid, air-to-air missiles are part of a huge stockpile of former Iraqi Air Force munitions uncovered in over a dozen concrete bunkers.

The Russian-made missiles are more than 6 feet long. Each carries 1.6 kilograms or about 3.5 pounds of radioactive uranium wrapped around a high explosive warhead.

The uranium is not pure enough nor in large enough quantity to be a nuclear warhead but it is dangerous enough, as you can see from the label:

U.S. bomb experts noted the R-60 warheads are similar in design and content to a so-called "dirty bomb" that could contaminate a small area with radioactive materials.

Difficult Disposal

The discovery of the uranium-laced R-60 missiles illustrates the difficulty that coalition troops have in trying to dispose of the billons of dollars of Iraqi weapons left behind after the second war.

The R-60 missiles cannot simply be destroyed because the uranium-laced warheads could pose a health hazard to coalition troops and Iraqi civilians.

Army bomb-disposal experts have gathered up all the R-60 missiles found at the site and quarantined them at a single, heavily guarded location.

The R-60 has a very small 6-kilogram (13.2-pound) explosive warhead. The R-60 missiles supplied to Iraq by Russia contained uranium in their warheads to assist the small explosive charge in destroying targeted aircraft.

Russian weapons designers added the uranium belt to the missile in order to knock-out western aircraft using the dense metal as a way to punch through heavily armored sections of U.S. made jets.

U.S. troops also found a small number of advanced R-60M warheads at the site. The R-60M missiles are equipped with an advanced laser destruct system that detonates the warhead when it passes close to a target aircraft.

More Russian Missiles

In addition, U.S. troops uncovered several large air-to-surface Kh-28 missiles, NATO code-named AS-9 Kyle.

The Kh-28 is a Russian-made, anti-radar, air-to-surface missile with a top speed of more than 2,000 miles an hour.

The missile is approximately 19.5 feet long, 17 inches in diameter, has a wingspan of 5.5 feet and weighs more than 1,500 pounds. It carries a conventional 340-pound high-explosive warhead and has a range of 54 miles.

U.S weapons experts are also handling the Kh-28 missiles carefully, but not because of its electronic radar-seeking warhead.

The Kh-28 is powered by a liquid-propellant propulsion system that consists of a fuel tank and an oxidizer tank. The oxidizer is a dangerous chemical known as "red fuming nitric acid" or IRFNA. Each missile carries approximately 20 gallons of IRFNA.

The oxidizer is considered to be highly dangerous and a possible carcinogen. U.S. Air Force disposal squads dismantled a Kh-28 found after the 1991 Gulf War using full Hazmat suits and special anti-chemical gear.

Again, U.S. forces are taking great care in the disposal of the missiles for fear of exposing coalition troops and local civilians to hazardous chemicals such as the oxidizer found in the Kh-28 missiles.

[Saturnalia]

But why waste GOOD uranium on an air-air missle?
I still don't get that, no USAF aircraft has enough armor
to require DU in the warhead.

[Indie]

NOT smoking gun evidence of WMD??????????????????
DIRTY BOMBS????????????????????????

Charles R. Smith (newsmax)
-direct descendant of Karl Marx!

[Indie]

I guess my feeling is that with all of this hardware and hazardous material laying around for us to pick up, what must have been in the convoys that left the country before we attacked???

Needed to be stated again for the cynics here on FR. Syria needs to be next..

[Destructor]

Destructor will rub it in with some of his liberal co-workers tomorrow!

[Arrowhead1952]

Not good enough to be the smoking gun.

There was no signed/notarized confession in Saddam's hand-o-write.

There were no CNN war sluts on the scene when the munitions were manufactured.

Besides, THEY say - and you all know what THEY say - that WE put those hot missiles there, from our own stockpiles.

Moreover, it's all GWB's Fault!

I have a feeling we are getting closer to finding something that will create another TDIDS situation.

[mware]

Lets see the half life of uranium is 245,000 years. Wonder where it got too?

[Tumbleweed_Connection]

I'm curious, not only from your experience, but others who have participated in the military, during the last 3 decades, how many times have the left been on America's side?

[Tommyjo]

"Maybe .. but I'm going take a guess and say that Saddam wasn't suppose to have them"

The APHID air-to-air missile was exported to many nations in their thousands. Think of all the nations that have MiGs in their inventories and you'll find that they had or still have the APHID in their inventories. It was perfectly legal for Iraq to have them in their inventory the same as for an army to have depleted uranium anti-tank rounds.

[Tommyjo]

The APHID is an air-air-missile and exported to nations in their thousands. It was perfectly legal for Iraq to possess them. Think depleted uranium armour piercing rounds used in tank warfare. The APHID is small and short-ranged and was designed to pack a punch on proxmity / contact with an aerial target. That aerial target could have been a fighter or helicopter. The APHID was a standard weapon in the Iraqi arsenal and known about since their delivery. The APHID along with the ATOLL (essentially Soviet SIDEWINDER) was exported in their thousands to MiG operators world-wide.

[Tommyjo]

"Part of the cache they claimed to have destroyed right Blix?"

No. There is nothing illegal in their possession of a short-range air-to-air missile as the APHID. Since it was first exported by the Soviets thousands have been in service with numerous nations. Think MiG operator and you will find APHID have been or are still are in service with many of them. Today the missile is generally considered old hat and replaced in service with more effective short-range missiles such as the R-73 ARCHER.

[HenryLeeII]

Thank you for the info. I'm not doubting what you say, but is the APHID specifically mentioned in the 1991 cease fire agreements or subsequent UN agreements as being legal for Hussein to possess? It seems that with the constant shooting at Coalition aircraft that was going on for years in the No Fly Zones that this type of armament would have been banned, no?

[Tommyjo]

No. APHID is a an air-to-air missile. The Iraqi’s were allowed to possess all of these types of weapons. It was the surface-to-surface missiles that exceeded a 93 mile limit that was illegal for Iraq to own. Every single air defence weapon that the Iraq had pre 1991 did not fall under this category and Iraq could legally own as long as they stuck to the 93 mile range limit. They were even allowed to convert SA-2 GUIDELINE surface-to-air missiles to surface-to-surface mode as long as they didn’t attach boosters to exceed the set 93 mile limit. The Iraqi’s used lots of various missile types and large caliber mortars in the No Fly Zones in an attempt to shoot down Coalition aircraft. They even used converted SA-6 GAINFUL with APHID infra-red seekers attached to the nose along with other ad-hoc munitions. Pictures of the APHID noses GAINFULs were released as the Coaliton forces advanced into Iraq. In similar fashion Yugoslavia used such ad-hoc weapons. The following is an APHID mounted on a launcher and used as a surface-to-air weapon during 1999.

[null and void]

A "heavily armored" jet? Heavily armored and jet are mutually exclusive because of weight restrictions. It takes a relatively small explosion to bring down a jet. Something doesn't jive here.

The A-10 is a jet. The A-10 has a very heavly armored crew compartment. (Since many of the hog drivers are female, I hesitate to call it a cockpit)

[null and void]

P.S. So knowing that pilots took longer to train than it did to build an aircraft, could the idea have been to kill the pilot so he couldn't eject and mount up in another jet?

Ummm, yes. Kill people and break things, remember?

[Tommyjo]

The following is one of the Iraqi ad-hoc weapons discovered by Coalition forces as they over-ran Iraqi positions. This is an SA-6 GAINFUL SAM fitted with an AA-8 APHID infra-red seeker in the nose.

[null and void]

Kim Campbell's hog:

[Old Sarge]

during the last 3 decades, how many times have the left been on America's side?

Help me recollect the answer, Gentlemen.

Lessee from 1974 - 2004...

1980: Iran, Desert One - no mention made...

1982: Falklands War, UK v. Argentina. USA supported UK with intel/logistics, Left said nothing.

1983: Urgent Fury, Grenada. Left screamed.

1983: Beirut USMC attack. After initial shock, Left blamed US for not bowing to terrorists.

1986: Libya strikes. Left blamed US for not bowing to terrorists.

1978 thru 1988: Afghanistan, USSR v. Mujahedin. Left constantly screamed about staying out of regional dispute.

1981 thru 1988: Nicaragua, culminating in Iran/Contra. Left tried to take down sitting GOP President.

1989: Just Cause, Panama. Noriega taken down, Left made usual cries.

1990-1991: Desert Shield/Storm. Nation was overwhelmingly behind sitting GOP President, and world opinion. No whining room available to any but the most fanatical Leftists in Congress.

1993: Restore Hope, Haiti. First deployment of 187 under Socialist US President Clinton. Put Voodoo-boy Aristide in power.

1993: Somalia and First WTC Bombing. US forces cut and run in the field, and do nothing but legal briefs on bombers, therafter emboldening al-Qaeda.

1994: Bosnia. Start of ten-year peacekeeping commitment with no exit strategy, which is only now, being drawn down. Nothing ever said by Left.

1998: Desert Fox. Socialist US President deploys units and orders missile attacks to divert world attention from domestic scandal.

2001: 11 SEP 2001. Afghanistan. Taliban regime ousted form power in initial campaign of GWOT. Nation is almost wholly united behind effort, touted by Left as justified retaliation.

2002: Philippines. US/Philippino joint efort beheads Abu Sayef splinter of al-Qaeda. No mention by Left.

2003: Iraqi Freedom. Removal of terror-harboring regime, and neutralization of threat to US security interests. Left begins worldwide insurrection to attempt to force sitting GOP President from power.

Two out of sixteen times, has the Left been supportive of American military operations. NOT because it was the right thing to do; rather, it was politically expedient to cut their losses, and wait for a better opportunity to diminish the Right.

[Blood of Tyrants]

Hen's nest?

[Blood of Tyrants]

P.S. The A-10 is discussed further down the thread. I rember in boot camp my CC telling us forget the crap about the mission of the Navy is to keep the sea lanes open for safe trade. The mission of the Navy and the other branches is to break things and kill people.

[Tailgunner Joe]