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Myanmar boosts defence with Igla su
- Subject: Myanmar boosts defence with Igla su
- From: darnott@xxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Wed, 14 Feb 2001 13:02:00
Jane's Defence Weekly
January 17, 2001
Myanmar boosts defence with Igla surface-to-air missiles
BYLINE: Robert Karniol JDW Asia Editor
DATELINE: Bangkok
Myanmar has obtained through international dealers at least 100
Igla-1E (SA-16 'Gimlet') low-altitude surface-to-air missile
systems, according to Bangkok-based intelligence sources.
The Igla-1E acquired by Myanmar is manufactured in Bulgaria by
Vazovski Machinostroitelni Zavodi, which is based in Sopot. It is a
licensed version of the improved second-generation Kolomna KBM Igla-
1E, a variant of the Russian-designed Igla-1.
The Igla-1E uses a passive infrared seeker. It can engage targets to
a maximum range of 5,200m and altitude of 11,500ft, or minimum range
of 500m and altitude of 33ft. The two-stage system weighs 16.65kg in
the firing position.
The missiles were obtained in mid-1998, but the contract has only
now been confirmed. They were trans-shipped through Thailand,
together with small arms and related material such as mortar fuzes
and rocket-propelled grenade fuzes. It is not known whether the
Bulgarian supplier was aware of the shipment's ultimate destination.
The dealers who brokered the sale are not based in Thailand, but
have previously used the country to cloak their activities.
Myanmar's air-defence capability has so far been mainly based on
anti-aircraft artillery systems, with guns ranging from 20mm to
94mm. It may have obtained the BAe Dynamics Bloodhound Mk II
surface-to-air missile system from Singapore in 1994, after this was
phased out of the inventory there; and could have about 60 HN-5A
manportable missile systems acquired from China in 1990, although
these have never been seen by reliable observers. Regardless of
whether the Bloodhound and HN-5A are operationally deployed by
Yangon, acquisition of the Igla-1E is a significant improvement to
its air-defence capabilities.