[CZ-75]

I see this being run across the ticker on the bottom of the screen.

"Roland" is the model designation.

[CZ-75]

FWIW, the 3rd I.D. is in downtown Baghdad, occupying several govt. bldgs., including the Info Ministry and Presidential Palace.

Greg Kelly is reporting live from the Pres. Palace.

[Coronach]

Rolands are fairly old missiles. As in, they could have been delivered prior to the unpleasantries at the beginning of the '90s. Of course, they could easily have been delivered since then, too. It will indeed be interesting to see, won't it, Chirac?

Mike

[UnknownSailor]

The report I saw on Fox News said they were a year old. Roland is not just a French system, either. IIRC, Germany has them too.

[PATH]

The FRench would never do anything underhanded!:barf:

[Leatherneck]

I think there are going to be A LOT of "interesting" discoveries of French, Russian, and German goods and equipment in the next couple of months. You didn't think they opposed the war out of pure-hearted goodness and compassion, did you? :rolleyes:

TC
TFL Survivor

[Black Dragon]

This morning on Fox, it said that the Brits found a number of French anti-ship missiles. I have not idea how to spell the name of the missiles, but shouldn't these things have been turned over to the UN Weapons people or listed in the 12000 page "No weapon we shouldn't have document"?? Can't wait to see what else they find.

[CZ-75]

Exocet?

[hksw]

To be a little fair, there are also US made weapons there too, and I'm sure the doves will use this information extensively. The French, German, and Russian weapons will, of course, probably be of more recent manufacture.

[hops]

In fairness, these could be remains of weapons not used in the Iraq-Iran war. The west sold billions to Iraq during 1980 - 1988 to Iraq in high quality weapons systems.

[Silver Bullet]

My uninformed opinion on that war (Iran-Iraq) is that we should have sold weapons to whichever side was currently losing;
:evil:

[bountyhunter]

Another one for the "Duhhh!" file. The french have been pouring hardware into the region for many decades. Remember the US missile cruiser ship that was hit by missiles back around 1984? Those missiles were Exocets, and I'll give you two guesses where they were made. BTW: Two hit the ship, only one even went off. We should be grateful for french quality or the death toll would have been higher.

[bountyhunter]

"My uninformed opinion on that war (Iran-Iraq) is that we should have sold weapons to whichever side was currently losing"

WE DID. We allowed Iraq unrestricted weapons purchases as well as gave CIA support when they were losing to Iran. Reagan wanted to stop the spread of Islamic Fundamentalism cold at Iran and overthrow the Ayatollah Khomeni. He also wanted Iran punished for the hostage fiasco.

[hksw]

"In fairness, these could be remains of weapons not used in the Iraq-Iran war."

I have no doubt that is what they are but it is just one more round for the antis to use to say that the US, in particular Republicans, is partly to blame for the predicament we are in.

[UnknownSailor]

FFG-39, USS STARK, a Oliver Hazard Perry class frigate, is the one that was hit by those excocets.

[M1911]

To be a little fair, there are also US made weapons there too, and I'm sure the doves will use this information extensively. The French, German, and Russian weapons will, of course, probably be of more recent manufacture.Very limited. The US simply was not a major weapons supplier of Iraq. We were at least a couple orders of magnitude less than France and the USSR. Every major Iraqi weapon system was French or Soviet.

[Silver Bullet]

We allowed Iraq unrestricted weapons purchases as well as gave CIA support when they were losing to Iran.

Thank you, I realize that. I was making a facetious remark suggesting that we should sell arms to the losing side until they get the upper hand, then start selling arms to the other side until they get the upper hand, thus prolonging the war indefinitely and grinding both countries into the dust.

[hksw]

Very limited. The US simply was not a major weapons supplier of Iraq. We were at least a couple orders of magnitude less than France and the USSR. Every major Iraqi weapon system was French or Soviet.

But they are still present.

[M1911]

hksw: The US was a very, very minor supplier of weapons to Iraq. Iraqi tanks? T55, T62, and T72, all Soviet. Their APCs? BMPs -- Soviet. Their aircraft? Migs (Soviet) and Mirage (French). Their SAMs? Soviet and French. Their small arms? Soviet. Their artillery? Soviet and South African.

The US had a very, very minor role in arming Iraq. We gave them some intelligence help during the Iran-Iraq war (which they reportedly mostly ignored) and not much more. Any implication otherwise is simply false.

[Al Thompson]

I seem to recall that we may have sold them some Hawk missles, but that's about it. Not much in the grand scheme. Anyone who claims we sold more stuff should cite their sources.

[hksw]

M1911,

I am 99.99% sure the amount of armaments and aid given to Iraq during the Iraq-Iran war were so insignificant that the effects of there use (if they were used at all) were negligable. They had more than enough Soviet stuff. The outcome of that war would, IMO, have been the same.

Now whether the roll of the arms sent were negligible or pivotal, there was still a roll. Unfortunately, that roll also helped maintain and spread SH's power whether you or I like it or not.

The current situation, however, could not have been foreseen back then, IMO, and coming off of the Iran hostage situtation helped cloud our vision a little bit in wanting to see a little retribution. I think, back then without knowing what we know now, I probably would have done the same thing (i.e., give aid to Iraq in the Iran-Iraq war).

[Blackhawk]

Bet that was a Roland that took out our A-10 today.... :cuss:

[Jeff White]

Isn't Roland a theater ADA weapon? I seem to remember that we even used it, (one battalion in the New Mexico ARNG) before Patriot came online.

I heard this mentioned the other day and haven't heard another word about it. Guess we don't want to offend the French and Germans :banghead:

Jeff

[Preacherman]

Iraq bought Rolands in the 1980's, when the system was a front-line air defence for France and Germany (it was developed jointly by these countries). I don't know how old the missiles were that were found at the airport... if they dated from the '80's, they were part of the original purchase, but if they were recently delivered, someone in France or Germany is going to have some explaining to do!

[Tommy Gunn]

We should let the French, Germans, and Russians get themselves into a Balkan quagmire by withdrawing our troops from the region.

[4570Rick]

France, Germany, and Russia...

The axis of Weasels? http://www.handykult.de/plaudersmilies.de/lach.gif