Rocket launchers missing - SANDF

[the354]

Right!! Whodunnit!!
http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/Rocket-launchers-missing-SANDF-20100823

Cape Town - Six rocket launchers and four mortars are among weaponry that has gone missing from SA National Defence Force arsenals over the past year, Defence and Military Veterans Minister Lindiwe Sisulu revealed on Monday.

The missing launchers include three 88mm anti-tank weapons, which can be used to knock out armoured vehicles.

In a written response to a parliamentary question, Sisulu gave details of weapons that had "been stolen or gone missing" from the SANDF over the past three years.

According to a table included in the reply - titled "Firearm losses of the DOD (department of defence)" - weapon losses during 2009 included:

- five 9mm pistols;
- six 5.56mm rifles;
- seven 7.62mm rifles;
- one 7.70mm rifle;
- six 0.22 (inch) rifles;
- four 60mm mortars;
- one 81mm mortar;
- three 88mm rocket launchers;
- two 40mm rocket launchers; and
- one 70mm rocket launcher.

The table did not indicate whether the stolen or missing launchers and mortars included rockets and shells.

No wonder the "enemy" want to kill free press..

 

[Alan]

Watch out blue light convoys :twisted:

 

[Flanders]

I heard about this now on 702. Amazing, isn't it? Again, it's that lack of accountability rearing its ugly head because, as per the norm, nothing will come of this and I just wonder in which upcoming crimes we'll be hearing of this little arsenal in action. Mortars and rocket launchers....unreal.

 

[darkevil]

Probably sold as scrap to some unsuspecting scrap dealer.

 

[bodhi]

ye gads - 88mm rocket launchers - wonder if they are referring to the antique M20 "Super Bazooka" (successor to the Bazooka of WWII fame)

M20 "Super Bazooka" was used in Korean War.

To the best of my knowledge SA never developed an infantry portable AT rocket weapon.

M20 "Super Bazooka" was used by SADF - dunno about SANDF

ps - feared german WWII anti tank rocket Raketenpanzerbüchse (cloned from captured US Bazookas) also known panzerschreck was also 88mm

 

[bodhi]

40mm rocket launchers ??????

Maybe referring to the 40mm grenade launcher that looks like a giant revolver - another SA innovation

iirc 6 shot revolver type magazine - dunno how much it weighs but must have been hell for a troepie to carry it

 

[Maddmatt]

Oh joy, soon burglars will be bombarding us with mortars before breaking in!

Time to upgrade our security, first step is to mount machine guns at the windows.

 

[w1z4rd]

Oh joy, soon burglars will be bombarding us with mortars before breaking in!

Time to upgrade our security, first step is to mount machine guns at the windows.

Get sharks with frikin lasers on their heads. Problem solved.

 

[zulgin]

This one friend I know was assigned to clean an accountancy store room at the army back in 83, eventually the sergeant got so pissed and frustrated that he told him to burn all the books inside, the next week he got an award for the best organized store room

 

[Dixie]

If the Police had to itemise their missing arsenal, it would span several volumes...

 

[Archer]

Get sharks with frikin lasers on their heads. Problem solved.

Flying sharks dammit, FLYING SHARKS WITH LASERS!!1one!1

 

[bodhi]

This one friend I know was assigned to clean an accountancy store room at the army back in 83, eventually the sergeant got so pissed and frustrated that he told him to burn all the books inside, the next week he got an award for the best organized store room

3 ways of doing things

1 - the right way
2 - the wrong way
3 - the army's way

 

[Flanders]

To the best of my knowledge SA never developed an infantry portable AT rocket weapon.

Probably some long lost Russian tech (RPG) captured by SADF during the struggle days when we were thumping 'em across the border.

 

[The_Unbeliever]

Get sharks with frikin lasers on their heads. Problem solved.

gotta love el reg

 

[X-Gamer]

I'm sure that EVERY country with a military in the world cannot account for all their weapons. Look at the US, lost $8 700 000 000 in Iraq. This is nothing in comparison.

EDIT: Yeah, i know, apples and apples and all that. Point still stands.

 

[Phenom]

with all of this advanced weaponry, trilions being spend on them, they can't even chip them with a few rfid's?

 

[Archer]

with all of this advanced weaponry, trilions being spend on them, they can't even chip them with a few rfid's?

You really need to learn to stop exaggerating so much. In addition, you would need active RFID chips for this application to be useful (you want to track the weapons right?). This means making sure the batteries are working for one, and two, could allow your enemies to track your (weapons) every movement. Not exactly a good strategy is it?

 

[Phenom]

You really need to learn to stop exaggerating so much. In addition, you would need active RFID chips for this application to be useful (you want to track the weapons right?). This means making sure the batteries are working for one, and two, could allow your enemies to track your (weapons) every movement. Not exactly a good strategy is it?

Where have I exaggerated? US defense budget was over 700 bilion (+ ~ 300 billion third party), I am not exaggerating. Sure you could encode the RFID tags too? And really tell me how many military satellites the iraqies really have, even so would they be able to scan the groceries you've bought at pnp too?

 

[Archer]

Where have I exaggerated? US defense budget was over 700 bilion, I am not exaggerating. Sure you could encode the RFID tags too? And really tell me how many military satellites the iraqies really have, even so would they be able to scan the groceries you've bought at pnp too?

Oh, so you use USA defence budgets when talking about something that happened in South Africa. What a blatant misuse of facts. RFIDs each have unique identifiers, and use one frequency (set at manufacture) so its a security nightmare. You cant roll the codes/frequencies, everything is static. And WTF does the Iraqi military have to do with anything. All I can see is sensationalism on your part. And no, passive RFID chips can only be read within 10m. So unless you saw an Iraqi spy satellite on your PnP roof, they cant read those tags. PS - PnP uses barcodes on their products in store, not RFID

 

[KhoisanX]

In perspective, if the military has 100 000(rough guesstimate) R4/R5 rifles and six of them go missing over the course of a year that's 0.006% of the total. Those figures are almost not worth mentioning in relation to the total number of illegal weapons in circulation.
As for the mortars and rocket launchers, it would be just as important to know if there is any ammunition missing and exactly which weapons are missing. No good having just a launcher/tube for an obsolete, retired system.

I don't think these figures are all that bad, but it would be interesting to find out how we compare to other countries.