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| Europe |
| Ukrainian arms dealers smuggled 18 cruise missiles to Iran |
| 2005-03-21 |
| Ukrainian weapons- dealers smuggled 18 nuclear- capable cruise missiles to Iran and China four years ago, prosecutors said, revealing new details of an investigation that will test the Government's commitment to cleaning up corruption that critics say flourished under Leonid Kuchma, the former President. An investigation into illicit weapons sales by officials loyal to Mr Kuchma has led to secret charges or arrests of at least six arms-dealers accused of selling missiles to Iran and China. Twelve of the missiles went to Iran and six to China, the prosecutor-general's office said. The Kh55 cruise missiles, which have a range of 2,975km (1,860 miles), were smuggled out of Ukraine four years ago, the prosecutors said. "The proceedings against persons implicated have been forwarded to the Kiev Court of Appeals and are being heard behind closed doors," a statement said. A spokesman named one of the accused as Volodymyr Yevdokimov, whom he said was the director of Ukraviazakaz, a cargo company. Iran does not operate long-range bombers, but it is believed that Tehran could adapt its Soviet-built Su24 strike aircraft to launch the missile, which it received without nuclear warheads. The weapon's range would put Israel and a number of other American allies within reach. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |
| #8 These CM's are prob intended primarily for use ags US aircraft carriers and their CVBG's, then to a lesser extent ags Israel. The Mad Mullahs = Saddam in that they know they can't stop or defeat any US or US-Brits led Allied invasion - the best they can hope for is for them and the anti-USA agendists to PC intimidate US pols and Big Medias vv nuclearized or nuke-potential "Vietnam(s)" or "Quagmire" scenarios. The Commies and Radical Islam are fighting for the same outcome - a PC enslaved world with Global Big Government; Anti-Democracy/Pluralism; deficit-based Left-/Anarchism-based Mass Ultra-Conservatism-Totalitarianism; State-Army-based/centric Materialism, and an over-Regulated, Stratified Society, i.e. Slaves that don't know or believe they're slaves even when they realize they are!? Failed Leftism-Socialism no longer stands for social improvement, Utopian idealism or even Alternatism, only Anarchism for the sake of Anarchism, Dissent for the sake of Dissent, Politics and PC for the sake of Politics and PC, Power and Absolutism for the sake of Power and Absolutism, with no thought as to why, reason, or consequence; Power Thuggery, Power Piggery, and Power Whoring! The Failed Left is fighting for the PC Supremacy of the medieval Rampaging, Uncivilized, Barbarian Hordes of Asia and Antiquity, the Rampage for the sake of Rampage, NOT for Progress or Civilization. Even Attila and Genghis, etal. fought to improve and civilize their nations, not for the sake of rampaging for the sake of rampaging!? |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2005-03-21 9:05:35 PM |
| #7 KH55 is a stolen copy of RantBurgs own first-strike weapon. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2005-03-21 11:12:42 AM |
| #6 Raptor: There are ground (well, sea) launch versions of the KH55 mentioned at this site. It appears to be the Kh55 with a first-stage booster. So, it has that capability, but if you add the booster, it would be larger and heavier. I don't know if you could put the all up round on a truck or not. |
| Posted by: Jackal 2005-03-21 10:05:39 AM |
| #5 Sounds like they could be truck mounted,though. |
| Posted by: raptor 2005-03-21 8:24:54 AM |
| #4 Also, just to recap the earlier comments, it's not an easy task to form-fit a nuclear warhead to these things. Again, not impossible, but not an overnight thing either. |
| Posted by: Glereper Thigum7229 2005-03-21 7:58:24 AM |
| #3 ...Yes, they could adapt them to the Su24 (Soviet equivalent to the F-111). However, this thing is 26 feet long and weighs around 4K pounds - the Fencer can handle the weight, but anything that long will have to be slung under the wings, and since the Fencer is a variable-geometry aircraft, them wings ain't swingin'. Fencer then goes from a very fast strike aircraft to a medium-fast target. Given the range (about 1800 miles), what's more likely is that they rig them on a large cargo aircraft that can get them up to altitude over Iranian territory, then launch them. On the other hand, these missiles - as some of the articles have pointed out - were manufactured in the late 80s, and probably haven't had any decent maintenance in years. (Our AGM-86 ALCM, similar in design and employment, goes back to a depot facility for regular rework and maintenance, and they are constantly being tweaked at their bases.)It's unlikely - not impossible, but unlikely - that the Kh-55s here are fully operational and in the kind of condition they'd need to be in to pull off an attack against USAF, USN, and Israeli defenses. Mike |
| Posted by: Mike Kozlowski 2005-03-21 7:38:33 AM |
| #2 It's the Sunday Times...what do we expect from them? It's not like they're up to the journalistic standards of the New York Times or anything. |
| Posted by: gromky 2005-03-21 3:17:01 AM |
| #1 As of a couple of days ago, that was 12 to Iran and six to China, yes? Can we just copy over all the previous comments? |
| Posted by: Bobby 2005-03-21 12:18:12 AM |