Monday, August 14, 2006
How about a trade in?
A few weeks ago when it was announced that Venezuela was purchasing some Russian fighter aircraft I criticized the purchase, partly on the basis of it not making sense militarily and partly for the wasteful use of resources.
Well, in case anyone in the Venezuelan defense establishment is having second thoughts here is an idea for what they could do if they manage to get a trade in on the planes:
These little missiles just helped cut down to size what had been viewed as the second best military force in the world. Here is what the Washington Post had to say:
And make no mistake, Israel lost. Remember those two soldiers whose kidnapping supposedly provoked the whole thing and that Israel was demanding be returned? Well so desperate was Israel to get out of this mess they totaly dropped any mention of them from the ceasefire agreement!
So I think Chavez should forget about the airplanes and get some of the missiles. But he better hurry up. You can bet the Iraqi insurgents are on the phone to Moscow right now trying to figure out how they can get some Saggers too. I wonder if the company that makes those things sells stock?
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Well, in case anyone in the Venezuelan defense establishment is having second thoughts here is an idea for what they could do if they manage to get a trade in on the planes:
These little missiles just helped cut down to size what had been viewed as the second best military force in the world. Here is what the Washington Post had to say:
[H]ezbollah's military leadership carefully studied military history, including the Vietnam War, the Lebanese expert said, and set up a training program with help from Iranian intelligence and military officers with years of experience in the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s. The training was matched to weapons that proved effective against Israeli tanks, he added, including the Merkava main battle tank with advanced armor plating.
Wire-guided and laser-guided antitank missiles were the most effective and deadly Hezbollah weapons, according to Israeli military officers and soldiers. A review of Israel Defense Forces records showed that the majority of Israeli combat deaths resulted from missile hits on armored vehicles -- or on buildings where Israeli soldiers set up observation posts or conducted searches.
Most of the antitank missiles, Israeli officers noted, could be dragged out of caches and quickly fired with two- or three-man launching teams at distances of 3,200 yards or more from their targets. One of the most effective was the Russian-designed Sagger 2, a wire-guided missile with a range of 550 to 3,200 yards.
And make no mistake, Israel lost. Remember those two soldiers whose kidnapping supposedly provoked the whole thing and that Israel was demanding be returned? Well so desperate was Israel to get out of this mess they totaly dropped any mention of them from the ceasefire agreement!
So I think Chavez should forget about the airplanes and get some of the missiles. But he better hurry up. You can bet the Iraqi insurgents are on the phone to Moscow right now trying to figure out how they can get some Saggers too. I wonder if the company that makes those things sells stock?
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