The topic of this article is the use of man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS) in Afghanistan. Afghanistan was the first conflict in which portable air defense systems from around the world were employed.
First MANPAD in Afghanistan was not Stinger
Contrary to popular belief, "Stinger" was not the first MANPAD used by Mujahideens against Soviet aviation. These weapons were employed first:
American "Redeye"
British "Blowpipe"
Chinese "Hongying" (based on the Soviet "Strela-2")
In addition, the enemy employed standard, Soviet-made "Strela-2" systems against Soviet aircraft. These were not captured by the Mujahideen in Afghanistan, but were sold to them by the Egyptian government, which had obtained them from the USSR during Egypt's pro-Soviet stance.
Operating principles
MANPADS from the Soviet Union, China, and the United States operated on an infrared homing head system, which detected heat emissions from aircraft. Radio-command systems, first known as the "Blowpipe" and then the "Javelin," were only employed by the British and required personal guidance from the operators. The "Javelin" functioned very well, but the "Blowpipe"'s manual assistance was incredibly ineffective. Because of its semi-automatic guidance system, the operator was always required to direct the missiles toward the target.
The "fire and forget" concept was used by the American, Chinese, and Soviet systems, which all featured infrared homing heads. When the infrared guidance system latched onto the target, the operator would aim the MANPADS tube at it and wait for a tone to sound in their headset before firing.
And then Stingers arrived...
While "Redeye" MANPADS proved to be incredibly ineffective, "Stingers" were the opposite. "Stingers" were first used by the Mujahideen in 1986. About 250 of the approximately thousand "Stingers" that the Americans sent to Afghanistan were used by the Mujahideen.
At first, there were a lot of Soviet aircraft and helicopter losses. But the Soviet designers were quick to provide personal defenses against these infrared guided missiles. First, the "Stingers" would target aircraft and helicopters that were firing bogus flares.
Furthermore, optical-electronic countermeasure stations known as "Lipa" were utilized. When in place, these stations produced an infrared light beam above the helicopter that the "Stingers" would aim at using a system of mirrors and a very bright lamp.
However, the "Okhota" mine complex, which was initially deployed in Afghanistan, proved to be the most successful countermeasure against the "Stingers" than either the "Lipa" system or thermal decoys. Five basic anti-personnel mines and a mine control unit that weighed a mere four kilograms made up the "Okhota" complex. This small, underground cylinder was wired, up to a distance of twenty meters, to the mines. At a distance of up to 120 meters, the control center's seismic sensor could identify the approach of enemy soldiers.
The technology would distinguish between a soldier, a goat, or any other animal at a distance of 90 meters while taking wind noise and other variables into consideration. The "Okhota" system would identify the direction in which the adversary was moving and set off one or all five mines in response. For instance, a mine would go off if a caravan of Mujahideen happened to pass by. One mine would pop, then another as they sprinted to save their gear and save the injured. This can lead to the eradication of the entire group. Soldiers in the special forces and chopper pilots said they frequently discovered significant numbers of dead animals. The Mujahideen's bodies were either taken out or left behind. Two containers of "Stingers" were found in a caravan; our "Okhota" systems totally destroyed the caravan. This is a documented case. Our losses would have been far less if the Soviet forces had made greater use of other mines and the "Okhota" system.
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