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Myanmar boosts defence with Igla su



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.