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Britain buys Russian surface-to-air missiles in fight against terrorism
By Thomas Harding, Defence Correspondent
(Filed: 13/12/2005)
Britain has secretly bought dozens of sophisticated Russian surface-to-air missiles, some of which are believed to have fallen into terrorist hands, to develop counter measures against them.
There are significant fears that the weapon, which can be packed into a golf bag and assembled and fired very rapidly by one person with minimal training, will be targeted at civil and military aircraft.
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There are fears that insurgents in Iraq are armed with the missilesDefence experts have spent the past year experimenting with the shoulder-launched missile in order to protect British aircraft and service personnel.
The Daily Telegraph knows the exact make of the missile but has withheld the information on the advice of the D-Notice committee.
The weapon has reportedly been purchased by Libya in a multi-million dollar deal. Both Syria and Iran are in negotiations to buy hundreds and Vietnam, Brazil, India and Ukraine already have it in their armoury.
But there are worries that in Iraq the missile has already fallen into the hands of insurgents who could use it to devastating effect against British or American transport planes carrying hundreds of troops.
It would also have a dire impact on the economy if terrorists were able to use it to bring down a passenger aircraft in Europe or America.
Britain used arms dealers experienced in the Russian market to approach a state-owned arms manufacturer to purchase the system. The missiles and launchers were imported into Britain in an estimated £2.8 million deal.
Ministry of Defence scientists and gunners from the Royal Artillery have test-fired them at UK bases. Britain is thought to be trying to buy another batch of missiles and the test results will be pooled with the Americans.
The SAM flies higher, farther and faster and homes in on images as well as heat, making it capable of taking out Cruise missiles in flight.
It is very rugged, able to survive being submerged in water for 30 minutes or dropped on to a concrete surface from six feet. It is the ideal weapon for terrorists, who "no doubt" have some in their armoury, according to defence sources.
In January a London businessman, Hemant Lakhani, was jailed for 47 years in America after he attempted to buy 50 missiles in a sting operation that involved the CIA and Russian security services.
There have been reports in the Russian press that the SAM has been passed to French terrorists intent on attacking a civilian aircraft in France or elsewhere in the European Union. There has also been intelligence that up to 150 missiles were stolen from a Georgian military depot.
Earlier versions of the SAM were responsible for destroying at least eight American and British aircraft in the 1991 Gulf war, an American F16 in Kosovo in 1999 and a Russian Mi-26 helicopter, killing 121 troops it was carrying in Chechnya in 2002.
The American government has begun tests on a laser device that can be bolted on to an airliner to disrupt heat-seeking missiles.
Fear of flying could cripple the commercial aviation industry and paralyse the economy if an American airliner is destroyed by a shoulder-launched missile, the Rand Corporation, an independent think-tank, reported this year.
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13-12-2005, 15:25
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