Video shows nearly dozen militants in strike on DHL cargo jet

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

BAGHDAD (AFP) — A video showing a masked militant firing the missile that hit a DHL civilian cargo jet over Baghdad, setting its engine ablaze in the first successful hit on a plane of the seven-month-old insurgency, was delivered to a French journalist and shown to AFP Monday.

The six-minute-long footage, received by Sara Daniel, correspondent of Paris-based weekly Le Nouvel Observateur, shows 10 militants, with their faces concealed by checkered keffiyeh headdresses or white scarves, carrying out the attack from scrubland south of the capital.

The shoulder-launched missile is seen shooting up into the sky after being fired by one of the cell and then homing in on the Airbus-300 freighter.

The vapor trail makes a sharp U-turn as the missile homes in on the infrared or radio signals from the scheduled Baghdad to Dubai courier flight.

The militants are then seen making their get-away in a car. The 11th, who presumably shot the footage, films his own lap in his haste to get into the vehicle.
<snip>

[alcuno]

1. Do you have to aim these things much?

Or just shoot toward the general vicinity?

[TexasMexican]

3. not sure on the SA-7s

but for Stingers, from what I've seen on several history channel and discovery channel shows, and from what I've read, you aim it at the aircraft and it should automatically try to lock onto its heat signiture. When it locks on it gives off an audible growling noise then you just pull the trigger and it goes off to its target.

If you want to see a video of some Chechens shooting down a Russian helo with an SA-7 you can download this.
http://video.kavkazcenter.com/fight_in_chechnya/helicopter.wmv

Its from site someone linked on another forum.
http://kavkazcenter.com/eng/video/

I would imagine the process is quite similar to what has happened to us.

If I remember correctly that Russian helo was one that was reported in the news several months ago, it too was fully loaded with russian soliders.

[NickB79]

13. An ABC News link about the SA-7's

snip -

"When operating the missile, the gunner aims at a target, starts the missile's power supply and pulls a trigger to activate the missile's target lock system.

The total time required to fire the missile is six seconds.

To strike its target, the SA-7 uses a heat-detection system to pursue a plane."

http://abcnews.go.com/sections/scitech/DailyNews/samissile_FAQ.html

On edit: Reading further down, I found this:

"Pakistan is the only country where production of the basic SA-7 is still in place."

Well, we know where terrorists get current SA-7 missiles now. Ah, with friends like these, who needs enemies, eh?

[alcuno]

20. Didn't we give Pakistan a lot of money for "the war on terror?"

We're probably paying for them.

[Racenut20]

2. What ? no agent orange on those shrubs yet????

[saigon68]

18. NOT YET BUT COMING SOON

and a lot of birth defects in the offing too.

[izzie]

4. We will have to get rid of that Fr, Tv station for puttung that on.

Nerve of them

[Robb]

5. Here's a link

Link, and there's this still. What're we looking at, military experts?

http://www.news.com.au/common/imagedata/0,3600,304305,00.jpg

[TexasMexican]

6. a missile flying out of a launcher.

[Turley]

7. I think it's an '85 Buick. nt

.

[snooper2]

8. It's a GM

But I think it's a caprice...

[HFishbine]

9. Here's the video

http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/videonews/jnn/20031125/20031125-00000019-jnn-int.html

[sam7]

10. Interesting...

The video doesn't really show the rocket that was fired hitting the plane. The iraqis could have been filmed at some other location.

[newyawker99]

11. Hi sam7!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

12. Thanks for the link. That really impresses how lucky the DHL

crew was.

[Papa]

14. they were very lucky

I have a friend at the airbase that witnessed the landing, and it looked like the plane was going to careen into them and some parked aircraft. It landed in the dirt blowing out a couple of tires and threw up a huge dust cloud. The crew hugged each other after they got off the plane. They had no hydrolics and had a difficult time keeping the plane on an even keel coming in for a landing.

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

17. Wow! I hadn't read anything with that particular info. Thanks for

letting us know.

[45th Med]

15. SA-14's!

These missiles shown on the tape were SA-14 Shoulder Fired Surface to air missiles! These are highly advanced SAM's and very difficult to defend against. You could see a contrail of an aircraft very high, most likely the DHL flight.

Of course, Rummy says it is a standard TERRORIST tactic.....UMMMM SORRY! These are GUERILLA's! RESISTANCE FIGHTERS! These men are fighting the occupation of their country as any American would fight a foreign enemy occupation......

Also.....there was a tape of an American GI filming a holiday greeting at the time of an attack on the CPA's HQ. Very compelling to show and hear the nearness of the explosions.

WE ARE NOT WINNING THIS WAR!

[45th Med]

16. Here is an information link on the SA-14.....

http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/missile/row/sa-14.htm

[pinniped]

19. I saw the video on the new last night...

and it looked like everyone in the field was carrying shoulder fired launchers.

There will definitely more of these rocket attacks but don't worry, BULLshyt, Rummy the Dummy, Bremer POS and crew say to focus on the good things that have been accomplished.