The recent rash of helicopter shoot downs in Iraq seems to point towards either bad luck, bad tactics or better weapons used by the insurgents. What is clear is that the United States has focused on Iran as an instigator, supporter and trainer of Shia militias. But once again looking closer reveals that the helo shoot downs were in Sunni neighborhoods not Shia areas. The claims of shoot downs have come from Sunni organizations like the Feb 7 from the Islamic State in Iraq, an umbrella group of Iraqi insurgent organizations. Beirut via Syria would be a likely entry point for Russian made made weapons that can be used by Sunnis. Iran has supplied the shia Hizbullah in Beirut with surface to air missiles against Israel. Weapons could also be flown in via Kurdistan, smuggled northward from Kuwait and just about anywhere on Iraq's porous borders.
Secondly a new Surface to Air missile has already been brought into battle against Israel when Hizbullah claimed a shoot down of an Israeli helicopter using a "Waad" or "Promise" named man-portable air-defence system (MANPAD).
Despite the Arabic name, the Waad is actually Chinese in origin, not Iranian. So sourcing the weapons is not as easy as pointing to Iran. Just as the Americans sold captured Egyptian weapons supplied by the Soviets to the muhahadeen in Afghanistan to attack the Russians, the Iranians need only supply the cash through intermediaries to remove any direct link. Beirut, the home of Hizbullah is one of the world's largest arms markets. So is Dubai, Amman and other middle eastern centers.
in the 80's it is not unusual for point of origin to be obscured. The tradition continues today since The Waad is more than likely the QW-2 "Qianwei" or "Vanguard" and is made by and marketed by a large Chinese government owned consortium.
The weapon developed in 1998 is considered to be superior to the American Stinger and is sold to Iran. Who in turn may be selling them to Sunni groups. The Chinese variant is considered a copy and improved version of the Russian 9K310 Igla-1 (NATO codename: SA-16 Gimlet). Unit cost for the advanced versions run around $80,000 and the Vanguard can shoot down an aircraft in an 5,000 to 10,000 meter range. Most U.S. helos fly at around 3,000 feet (about 1000 meters) but come in low over urban areas to reduce time to target. For years the Royal Jordanian flight from Amman has been using a cork screw approach over Camp Victory (BIAP) from 30,000 feet to specifically avoid this exact threat.
The state-owned (part of the "Great Wall Industry Corporation) group Xinshidai Group ("New Era") manufactures the Vanguard and has been sanctioned by the U.S. in September 2004 for proliferation of missile technology . .
A year later in October of 2005 the Xinshidai Group was accused of illegally exporting Chinese missiles to the United States through organized crime groups. On June 13, 2006, the U.S. Department of the Treasury designated Xinshidai in the list of entities whose assets in the U.S.A. are blocked on account of so called the groups’s provision of support to Iran’s missile program.
The QW-2 or Qianwei (Vanguard)-2 is a new generation of Man-Portable Air-Defense system (MANPADS) missile. The QW-2 is characterized by passive homing, high portability, and infrared guidance. The system is designed for ground combat troops to use against airborne threats such as helicopters and low-flying aircraft.
* Effective Range: 5000m * Maximum altitude: 3500m * Reaction time: 5 seconds * Maximun velocity: Mach 2 * "Fire and Forget" Infrared seeker * Missile weight: 11.32 kg * Warhead weight: 1.42 kg * Storage Life: 8 years
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According to Wikipedia (which borrows from Janes) The missile is similar in many respects to the FIM-92 Stinger and SA-18 Igla missile systems. The missile is operated by a two man team. Once a target is visually detected the assistant selects the launch site and removes end caps from the front and back of the launcher. The gunner then partially depresses the trigger, which activates the electronic battery and opens the coolant bottle, cooling the seeker to operating temperature.
The gunner tracks the target visually, until the missile locks onto the target, indicating this with both a flashing light and an audio tone. The gunner then provides target lead and depresses the trigger all the way. This triggers the booster section of the missile, which projects the missile a safe distance away from the operator before the sustainer motor ignites.
The missile is guided by proportional navigation to the approximate impact point, before switching to a terminal guidance mode that attempts to steer the missile to the most vulnerable point of the target.
The Russian version, the 9K38 Igla or Needle is also suspected as being a potential weapon capable of defeating U.S. anti missile systems. The problem once again is that Shia militias and Mehdi Army has taken a passive aggressive role during the new crackdown while the Sunni and foreign elements have kept up their pressure on the U.S. military.
The lesson is that arms can be shipped in from anywhere in the middle east and money or loyalty is the key element in the acquisition of weapons by insurgent groups. Safe houses and training is also required to fire sophisticated weapons that normally require a crew of two. It is the Sunnis that perfected the car bomb or VBIED and even the IED. It would appear that the Sunnis are once again pushing the envelope in ramping up the war with the U.S. Whether they are getting support from Saudi Arabia (who has threatened to support Sunni groups publicly) or Iran (who denies any support) or Syria who has neither the military might or motivation to encourage a U.S. attack. The Middle East is land of proxy wars, where intentions and direct links are difficult to nail down. A proxy war also gives smaller players disproportionate negotiating power like Iran and Syria with Hezbollah and Israel with Kurdistan. Loyalties and moralities are not shaded in black and white.
