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The Myth of America’s Friend – Saddam

12th July 2007, 06:57 am

The following is a comment posted at Dean’s World by denizen and all-around cool dude Martin Shoemaker that refutes the myth of Saddam, America’s best-buddy. Dean himself is pretty livid about the legs this myth has.

Martin writes:

Here’s the chart.

Here’s the original from the Frogman.

And here, courtesy of that notorious buncha neocons at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, is the source data.

Their other insidious propaganda tool is even more informative: the trade register. It lets you track arms deals by country and type. For the pre-Gulf War Saddam era, the USA supplied:

  • 30 Hughes-300/TH-55 Light helicopters.
  • 30 MD-500MD Defender Light helicopters.
  • (31) Bell-214ST Helicopters.
  • 26 MD-530F Light helicopters.

As best I can tell, a number in parens means the exact number is unclear.

For that same period, the USSR supplied:

  • (184) SON-9/Fire Can Fire control radars.
  • (250) BRDM-2 Reconnaissance vehicles.
  • (250) BTR-50 APCs.
  • (250) BTR-60PB APCs.
  • (100) T-12 100mm/2A19 Towed guns.
  • (100) ZSU-57-2 AAVs.
  • (550) 5V27/SA-3B Goa SAMs.
  • (6) Osa/Type-205 FACs.
  • (6) P-12/Spoon Rest Air surv radars.
  • (48) P-15U/SS-N-2B Styx Anti-ship missiles.
  • (30) S-125M/SA-3B SAM systems.
  • (15) Mi-6T/Hook-A Helicopters.
  • (90) Mi-8T/Hip-C Helicopters.
  • (60) Su-7B/Fitter-A FGA aircraft.
  • 12 Tu-22/Blinder-A Bomber aircraft.
  • (250) 3M11/AT-2a Swatter Anti-tank missiles.
  • (20000) 9M14M/AT-3 Sagger Anti-tank missiles.
  • (200) BMP-1 IFVs.
  • (100) BRDM-2 Tank destroyers.
  • (60) MiG-21MF/Fishbed-J Fighter aircraft.
  • 8 Osa/Type-205 FACs.
  • (64) P-15/SS-N-2A Styx Anti-ship missiles.
  • (1260) R-13R/AA-2C Atoll-C SRAAMs.
  • (80) Su-20/Fitter-C/F FGA aircraft.
  • (300) T-55 Tanks.
  • (100) T-62 Tanks.
  • (200) ZSU-23-4 Shilka AAVs.
  • (12) 9P117/SS-1 Scud TEL SSM launchers.
  • (20) MiG-23MF/Flogger-B Fighter aircraft.
  • (48) R-17/SS-1c Scud-B SSMs.
  • (20) 2K12 Kvadrat/SA-6A SAM systems.
  • (840) 3M9/SA-6 Gainful SAMs.
  • (50) D-20 152mm Towed guns.
  • (100) R-23R/T/AA-7 Apex BVRAAMs.
  • (6500) Strela-2/SA-7 Grail Portable SAMs.
  • 2 An-26/Curl Transport aircraft.
  • 70 MiG-23BN/Flogger-H FGA aircraft.
  • (600) T-62 Tanks.
  • (24) 9K52 Luna-M/FROG-7 SSM launchers.
  • (100) BM-21 Grad 122mm MRLs.
  • (33) Il-76M/Candid-B Transport aircraft.
  • (40) Mi-24D/Mi-25/Hind-D Combat helicopters.
  • (5) P-14/Tall King Air surv radar.
  • (50) 2S1 122mm Self-propelled guns.
  • (50) 2S3 152mm Self-propelled guns.
  • 10 Long Track Air surv radars.
  • (25) MiG-25P/Foxbat-A Fighter aircraft.
  • (8) MiG-25RB/Foxbat-B Reconnaissance ac.
  • 5 PRV-9/Thin Skin Height-finding radar.
  • (450) R-40/AA-6 Acrid BVRAAMs.
  • 50 T-72 Tanks.
  • (160) 9K31/SA-9 Gaskin Mobile SAM systems.
  • (10) BMD-1 IFVs.
  • (25) M-240 240mm Mortars.
  • (2500) Strela-1/SA-9 Gaskin SAMs.
  • (750) BMP-1 IFVs.
  • (576) M-46 130mm Towed guns.
  • (400) T-55 Tanks.
  • (10) 2S4 240mm Self-propelled mortars.
  • (50) 9K33 Osa/SA-8 Mobile SAM systems.
  • (1300) 9M33/SA-8 Gecko SAMs.
  • (10) 9P117/SS-1 Scud TEL SSM launchers.
  • (200) BM-21 Grad 122mm MRLs.
  • (576) D-30 122mm Towed guns.
  • (250) Kh-28/AS-9 Kyle Anti-radar missiles.
  • (750) MT-LB APCs.
  • (40) R-17/SS-1c Scud-B SSMs.
  • (2150) T-62 Tanks.
  • (500) T-72 Tanks.
  • (36) KSR-5/AS-6 Kingfish Anti-ship missiles.
  • (12) Mi-24D/Mi-25/Hind-D Combat helicopters.
  • (30) Mi-8/Mi-17/Hip-H Helicopters.
  • (61) MiG-21bis/Fishbed-N Fighter aircraft.
  • (50) MiG-23BN/Flogger-H FGA aircraft.
  • (30) MiG-25P/Foxbat-A Fighter aircraft.
  • (200) PT-76 Light tanks.
  • (1080) R-13S/AA-2S Atoll SRAAMs.
  • (60) 9K35 ZREB-BD/SA-13 Mobile SAM systems.
  • 15 Mi-2/Hoplite Helicopters.
  • (1500) Strela-10/SA-13 Gopher SAMs.
  • (37) Mi-8/Mi-17/Hip-H Helicopters.
  • (41) MiG-29/Fulcrum-A Fighter aircraft.
  • (800) R-17/SS-1c Scud-B SSMs.
  • (175) R-27/AA-10 Alamo BVRAAMs.
  • (582) R-60/AA-8 Aphid SRAAMs.
  • (500) Strela-3/SA-14 Gremlin Portable SAMs.
  • (46) Su-22/Fitter-H/J/K FGA aircraft.
  • 84 Su-25/Frogfoot-A Ground attack ac.
  • (180) 2A36 Hyacinth 152mm Towed guns.
  • (100) 2S1 122mm Self-propelled guns.
  • (100) 2S3 152mm Self-propelled guns.
  • (3000) 9M111/AT-4 Spigot Anti-tank missiles.
  • (360) BM-21 Grad 122mm MRLs.
  • (200) BMP-2 IFVs.
  • (40) Kh-29/AS-14 Kedge ASMs.
  • (25) Su-24MK/Fencer-D Bomber aircraft.
  • (1000) Igla-1/SA-16 Gimlet Portable SAMs.

So we supplied around 117 helicopters. The USSR supplied 239 helicopters, a little more than twice as many. Oh, yeah, and four pages of other kinds of arms and materiel.

By USSR standards, France was a relative piker:

  • 64 AS-12 ASMs.
  • 365 SS-11/AS-11 Anti-tank missiles.
  • (62) AML-60/90 Armoured cars.
  • 600 AS-12 ASMs.
  • 2050 HOT Anti-tank missiles.
  • 25 M-3 VTT APCs.
  • 3750 MILAN Anti-tank missiles.
  • 31 SA-316B Alouette-3 Light helicopters.
  • 1000 SS-11/AS-11 Anti-tank missiles.
  • 3 SA-330 Puma Helicopters.
  • 40 SA-342K/L Gazelle Light helicopters.
  • (25) AML-60/90 Armoured cars.
  • (2) AML-60/90 Armoured cars.
  • 10 SA-321G Super Frelon ASW helicopters.
  • 600 HOT Anti-tank missiles.
  • 700 MILAN Anti-tank missiles.
  • 36 Mirage F-1E FGA aircraft.
  • (534) R-550 Magic-1 SRAAMs.
  • (200) Super-530F BVRAAMs.
  • (72) AM-39 Exocet Anti-ship missiles.
  • (100) AMX-10P IFVs.
  • 50 ERC-90 Armoured cars.
  • 20 SA-342K/L Gazelle Light helicopters.
  • 100 VCR-TH Tank destroyer.
  • 1000 HOT Anti-tank missiles.
  • 23 Mirage F-1C Fighter aircraft.
  • 30 Mirage F-1C Fighter aircraft.
  • 20 SA-330 Puma Helicopters.
  • (5) AMX-30D ARVs.
  • (6) SA-321H Super Frelon Helicopters.
  • (6) TRS-2215/2230 Air surv radars.
  • (5) Volex Air surv radars.
  • (150) ERC-90 Armoured cars.
  • 13 Roland Mobile SAM systems.
  • (100) Roland Mobile SAM systems.
  • (2260) Roland-2 SAMs.
  • 85 AMX-GCT/AU-F1 Self-propelled guns.
  • (115) M-3 VTT APCs.
  • (280) AM-39 Exocet Anti-ship missiles.
  • (450) ARMAT Anti-radar missiles.
  • 5 Super Etendard FGA aircraft.
  • (240) AS-30L ASMs.
  • (2) Rasit Ground surv radars.
  • 19 Mirage F-1C Fighter aircraft.
  • 18 SA-342K/L Gazelle Light helicopters.
  • (5) TRS-2100 Tiger Air surv radars.
  • (1) TRS-2100 Tiger Air surv radars.
  • 36 AM-39 Exocet Anti-ship missiles.

Though not up to Soviet standards, they sold about the same number of helicopters as us (124)—and far exceeded us in things that shoot or explode.

Some around here have foolishly derided Poland as a military power; but for the period in question, Poland’s sales to Saddam were four timers ours in dollar amounts. And as for destructive potential:

  • 4 Type-771/Polnocny Landing ships.
  • (400) T-55 Tanks.

I have to say that 400 tanks sound a bit more destructive than 117 helicopters.

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