Path: utzoo!utgpu!watserv1!watmath!att!cbnews!military
From: boulder!snoopy!scottmi@ncar.UCAR.EDU (SCOTT MICHAEL C)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: U.S. Ground Vulnerablity
Summary: Maverick anti-tank missiles (remember them?)
Keywords: Tanks, Iraq
Message-ID: <1990Aug30.025940.28988@cbnews.att.com>
Date: 30 Aug 90 02:59:40 GMT
References: <1990Aug22.025624.16870@cbnews.att.com> <1990Aug28.030655.21474@cbnews.att.com>
Sender: military@cbnews.att.com (William B. Thacker)
Organization: University of Colorado, boulder
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Approved: military@att.att.com



From: boulder!snoopy!scottmi@ncar.UCAR.EDU (SCOTT MICHAEL C)




  One of the things the US has going for it is that the Air Force's Maverick
missile funtions quite well in featureless terrain (the Israelis used it
quite successfully in the 1983 fighting against Syrian armor in Lebanon.)
Apparently, the missile (at least some versions of it) has a tendency to
lose lock-on if there is a lot of crap cluttering up the view of the target
(like trees), but the Saudi desert conditions shouldn't create these kinds
of difficulties.
  Additionally (according to a recent article in the Boulder Daily Camera,)
there should be something like 3,000 M-1 Abrahms tanks in S.A. by the middle
of September.  Iraq has over 5,000 tanks, but it is certain that the majority
of them, which are T-54s and various Chinese developments of them (including
some Type-69s) are not capable of matching the M-1.  The 50 or so Chieftains
(captured from the Iranians) are the best Iraq has.



  
  --don't like snow, miss Deirdre, and wish I was still in Santa Cruz.