Stinger missile (in the Afghan war)
스팅어 미사일
American man-portable air-defense system (FIM-92) supplied by the CIA to the Afghan mujahideen starting in autumn 1986. Using infrared homing, it targeted Soviet helicopters and ground-attack aircraft operating at low altitude; its first combat use came on 25 September 1986 near Jalalabad, where Gulbuddin Hekmatyar's forces shot down three Mi-24 Hinds. The Soviet Air Force introduced flares, exhaust baffles, and night terrain-hugging tactics in response, but the Stinger forced attack helicopters above 3,500 metres, effectively ending close air support at low altitude.
Related historical events
Sources
- Wikipedia (RU) Dedicated Russian Wikipedia article: supply timeline, first combat use 25 Sept 1986 at Jalalabad, ~4,000 missiles, ISI training at Rawalpindi, Soviet countermeasures (3,500m floor), capture of first Stinger by GRU Spetsnaz 5 Jan 1987
- Wikipedia (EN) English Wikipedia: technical specs, Operation Cyclone context (~500 missiles/250 launchers), Engineer Ghaffar first shootdown, contested impact debate (Bearden vs. Kuperman), post-war buyback program
- ciaotest.cc.columbia.edu Kuperman/Bearden debate in Foreign Affairs (2002): Kuperman argues Gorbachev decided to withdraw before Stingers arrived and Soviet countermeasures neutralised the missile; Bearden counters that flying above 12,000ft or at night negated Soviet air power's tactical value