ISIS May Have MANPADS Now
Remember that Syrian airbase that ISIS overran the other day? Well, it looks like they might have obtained a few useful things when they took it.
What kind of useful items? Try advanced MANPADS, for starters. The Washington Post is reporting that a cache of MANPADS were among the items ISIS obtained when they took that Syrian base. The MANPADS obtained were reportedly SA-16s, although at least one photo released may be that of an SA-18.
Along with MANPADS, ISIS reputedly obtained MIG-21s and AIM-9 Sidewinders as well when it captured the base.
They’ll need qualified pilots, facilities, and maintenance personnel to use the latter two items of course. But MANPADS aren’t that difficult to use – and if they captured the systems, presumably ISIS also captured a number of Arabic-language manuals as well. And they’re, well, man-portable.
If true, this is not good news.
Category: Foreign Policy, Military issues, Terror War
We need to carpet bomb that base post haste.
You guys are just FULL of good news!
Don’t worry, Obama is going to issue a harshly worded statement to the press before his next round of gold and I hear he’s going to start a hashtag campaign too! No ice bucket challenge though – he doesn’t want to be seen as an extremist.
Golf, not gold
Considering what the US taxpayer spends on his and his family’s vacations, Instinct – I think you had it right the first time.
If anyone is looking for decisive action out of this administration, stand by to be disappointed. ET1 is right. We need to turn that airfield into a smoking rubble field.
How the hell would the Syrian air force have been in possession of AIM-9 Sidewinders?
Dunno, Hayabusa. But that’s what the linked article says.
Hondo:
The press always gets everything right, eh? /sarc/
The Aim-9 Sidwinder first entered service in 1956, ‘busa.
They keep this up I’ll be diverting to Antartica to redeploy. Course they pose no threat and are only the J.V. team right?
Sticky part to the whole bombing plan in Syria: We bomb ISIS. Assad considers that to be an act of aggression against Syria. Syria, who has a mutual defense pact with Iran, calls Iran and states that the United States has committed an act of war against Iran. Suddenly, the Syrian conflict becomes regional and threatens to become global via Iranian alliances with North Korea, Venezuela and Cuba.
Assad was smart. He left ISIS in check and focused his attention on killing moderate militants. He knows the world would step in eventually and have to stop ISIS. When it does, Iran will be there to co-opt the ISIS territory and create their own caliphate.
It’s Serbia vs. Austro-Hungary 1914 all over again. It’s not good.
Read “The Guns of August” to see what I am referring to.
Just goes to prove that, sadly, we military types will never be out of a job.
ISIS now just has to wait for Iran to send them some trained pilots and they have an air force.
Flagwaver…I thought Iran hated them too? But then again, money talks and bullshit walks. So enough scratch in the right hands and yes, I see Iranian pilots there. Hell I even see some turn coat, cowardly Iraqi pilots going over for money and to be on the “winning side” in their minds. Hell, there are so many factions and flavors of Muslims there you can’t tell who’s playing for whom even if you bought a pregame program.
Iran doesn’t like ISIS and vice versa. ISIS is Sunni. Iran is Shia and is not only backing the Shia Iraqi Goverment but has committed troops to help Iraq fight ISIS.
Yet another reason to bomb the living shit out of every facility IS has control of. If they want to get them in a contained area, then an air base is a pretty good target. And screw the Syrian “dick in charge” about, “uncoordinated airstrikes being considered an act of hostility” (paraphrased) Well yea, numb nuts, any airstrike is an act of hostility, it’s a no brainer. It’s because we’re being “hostile” towards IS and YOU for promoting and aiding which ever side has the most money in their pocket that day. So go fuck yourself and either help kill them or get the hell out of the way. Your choice but if you think we’re giving you an intel “heads up” so you can warn the ass holes ahead of time, again, GFY and then GFY again. You’re as bad as IS, just a different flavor of radical Muslim in book.
But knowing the Obama and Kerry, “Fuck Up By The Numbers”, play book so well, I’m sure we will tell them everything. Including where the airstrike will be coming from so the IS murderers with their new MANPADS will be ready. I think it is time for some rebellion from the Pentagon. Start these actions and DON’T tell Obama shit about it till it’s over. But that would take will power, guts and balls on the part of the Joint Chiefs, things none of them have anymore. Michelle has their man junk in her purse as well.
By the way and on a completely different subject. Is it just me or does anyone else think Obama is a closet queer? Just asking.
I kinda doubt that he’s gay, but I wouldn’t be surprised (horrified–yes, nauseated–yes, disgusted–yes, surprised–no) if a post-2016 memoir by somebody in the Secret Service reveals that Moochelle has a closet full of strap-ons. X(
Well if so, he’s a catcher and NOT a pitcher. I’ve seen him throw on the TV.
I guess Obummer and his boys will screw around until ISIS knocks a jet out of the shy.
But it will of course be Bush’s fault.
Wouldn’t it be ironic is ISIS took down Obama.
I’m sure it would somehow be Bush’s fault…
Heh. Greenthumb and I are on the same wavelength.
Keeping my fingers crossed for many negligent discharges resulting in many, many isissy casualties.
Am I the only one that sees ‘MANPADS’ and automatically thinks of the old SNL skit for ManPons?
Yeah, I’m not sure I’m grateful for the link explaining what they are. I’d rather have stuck with my original mental image.
Doubt they are AIM-9s, they’re probably AA-2 ATOLLs. The Russians reverse engineered early Sidewinders to develop it, and it’s the standard AAM for MiG-21s. Any ‘reporter’ worth anything would’ve done something called ‘research’ and figured that out.
jjak: the story was from the Washington Post, fer cryin’ out loud. What, you want them to employ professional journalists who know how to do research and fact-check their stories before publication now?
Now, that’s just crazy talk right there, Hondo!
Well, isn’t that special?!
The Hussein response;
#Bring Back Our SA-18’s!
The only suggestion I have is to simultaneously remove anyone and everyone who contributes to ANY US weapon systems falling into enemy hands while removing the threat of said weapon systems. Of course, taking out Soviet weapon systems is fine, too.
Obviously none of that is going to happen because the decision makers cannot define anyone other than their political opponents as “enemy.”
I think I read an article just yesterday where Assad will welcome any and all help to eradicate ISIS from his borders. The enemy of my enemy is my friend after all.
As long as you never forget he is still your enemy.
ISIS had manpads 2 years ago. That why Chris Stevens was in Benghazi running them to the “Syrian Freedom Fighters”. One Chinook has been brought down by them in Afghanistan already IIRC
Don’t any of these “regimes” have an emergency destruct plan? How can these armories and weps dumps be allowed to fall into the hands of this ilk? (unless the fix was in)
ISIS captured an Iraqi base in Tabqa the other day. I believe that we have supplied AIM-9Ls to the IAF.
All that shit we manufacture and supply to anyone in that part of the world, be it MANPADS, AAMs, etc. needs to have a remotely activated dead man swich built in to it. Meaning, if you try to use it against us, you’re a dead man.
Starting to feel like we should just let USIS have whatever they want, tell the Moslem world “they’re your bastard children, clean up your own mess. Oh, and by the way, if they do anything against the US, Israel, the West, or any of their citizens: say good-bye to Mecca. Then Qom, etc. The list goes all the way down to your corner mosque.” Bet they run out before we do.
Honestly, the MiG-21 is such a common aircraft (just look at the operators of it on wikipedia, for heaven’s sake: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikoyan-Gurevich_MiG-21#Operators) that it wouldn’t surprise me in the least if ISIS was able to recruit mercenary pilots and flight crews to maintain them. The Taliban did it, after all.