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| Afghanistan |
| US still searching for Afghan Stingers |
| 2006-03-21 |
| The U.S. military says it is on the lookout for Stinger antiaircraft missiles in Afghanistan following media reports the Taliban may be trying to use them. U.S. military spokesman Colonel James Yonts said no Stingers have been found so far. Stingers are highly accurate antiaircraft missiles that were supplied by the United States to mujahedin rebels in Afghanistan fighting Soviet forces in the 1980s. Not all of the Stingers from those days have been recovered. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |
| #13 look µÍÎÂÊÔÑéÏä |
| Posted by: Ulaigum Angailet7896 2006-03-21 23:34 |
| #12 Ed- Please believe me, those numbers are overoptimistic by a couple orders of magnitude. Even something as thoroughly simple as a 2.75" FFAR rocket motor has a remarkably short shelf life, and they are kept in climate controlled mags by skilled, trained technicians who have access to equally skilled technical support. The Afghan Stingers had none of that. After a year or two at MOST they were significantly degraded; after 20+ years they are effectively useless and more of a danger to the shooter than an aircraft. Mike |
| Posted by: Mike Kozlowski 2006-03-21 19:34 |
| #11 As to the "dancing" mentioned above, think of a Maypole dance and how it intertwines the ribbons into a braid. Same basic idea. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2006-03-21 13:53 |
| #10 Since we're talking about rug making, here's an interesting little snippet or two. The intricate weaving patterns of a fine rug require rather complex alternations between selected colors. Rather than come up with a lengthy "knit two, purl one, drop three" sort of mnemonic, instead, the color threads are unspooled to a short distance from the loom and individuals (usually children) actually dance the pattern into the rug. The footwork is more easily remembered than a complicated verbal sequence. In a truly fine hand-loomed tribal rug that is made with vegetable dyes, one should be able to detect, along the rug's length, variations within a given color's intensity as harvesters have returned to a seasonal settlement and collected new batches of the same berries or flowers used in making the dyes. If someone is trying to sell you a rug as "tribal" and the colors are entirely consistent from end to end, it is most likely a fake or does not use vegetable dyes. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2006-03-21 13:50 |
| #9 The author of the articles links to his ebay auctions. He seems to be a quality seller, with genuine interest and expertise in the field. |
| Posted by: Seafarious 2006-03-21 12:46 |
| #8 Fascinating sites, Seafarious. I wonder, are those rugs made mainly for personal use, or for the tourist trade? Or are collecters so avid for novelty that even the poorer qualities fly off the shelves? /just wondering. I wouldn't have such a thing in my house, no matter how historical. But it might appeal to Mr. Wife's Uncle Peter, who was a Green Beret in Viet Nam.... Oh dear. This could become an expensive Christmas, 'cause if we start with one of the many uncles... |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2006-03-21 12:27 |
| #7 Nice, thanks! |
| Posted by: anonymous5089 2006-03-21 12:08 |
| #6 Here's a more detailed site. |
| Posted by: Seafarious 2006-03-21 11:42 |
| #5 Here's an interesting site about Afghan war rugs, with Soviet troop carriers, tanks, weapons, and Stinger launchers woven in. |
| Posted by: Seafarious 2006-03-21 11:38 |
| #4 This was posted yesterday, from Strategypage (there were similar articles over the past couple of years too) : The Stinger Missile Myth. |
| Posted by: anonymous5089 2006-03-21 11:28 |
| #3 I've read 10 years for the battery/coolant pack. That can be easily replaced. I've also read 15 years before the propellant degrades below spec (hot climates and rough handling speeds degradation). |
| Posted by: ed 2006-03-21 11:23 |
| #2 whats the shelf life on that missile? |
| Posted by: Cyber Sarge 2006-03-21 11:01 |
| #1 Your Stingers are usually found around blasting caps. |
| Posted by: 6 2006-03-21 09:25 |