-Caveat Lector- A good buy, I suppose, for less than the cost of a BMW. U.S. Stinger Missile Used Worldwide By ANNE GEARAN .c The Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) -- At about 35 pounds, the shoulder-fired Stinger missile that India claims Pakistani forces used to shoot down two aircraft in the disputed Kashmir region is a favorite of soldiers, terrorists and guerrillas worldwide. They're deadly and difficult for pilots to target from the air. They are also relatively cheap, with a black market price of $50,000 to $80,000 each. The State Department warned last year of the proliferation over the past two decades of hundreds of thousands of American-made surface-to-air Stinger missiles and their foreign-made counterparts. ``In the wrong hands, such exports can endanger our people and empower our adversaries,'' Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said last year, noting that's why the United States has imposed restrictions on export of Stingers. Since the 60-inch Stingers were tested in the late 1970s, about two dozen countries and groups have acquired them, either by authorized U.S. sales and agreements or through the black market. In addition to major European allies, Israel, Japan, Taiwan, Saudi Arabia and South Korea have Stingers. So do Iran and Qatar, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Angola and, reportedly, China. The United States provided about 900 Stingers to guerrillas in Afghanistan after the Soviet Union invaded in 1979. They have spread to other countries and groups since, and the United States has been buying back the missiles where it can. The CIA has reportedly spent more than $55 million on that effort. The State Department estimates 115 countries and dozens of groups are equipped with shoulder-fired missiles. Serb forces are using less-sophisticated Soviet-designed versions against NATO aircraft and missiles over Yugoslavia, but there is no official word on whether the shoulder-fired weapons have hit anything. The United States first used the Stinger in combat during the Grenada invasion in 1983. Descendants of that missile are still in use by the Army and by other U.S. forces to a lesser extent. The shoulder-fired version is used by ground forces, and the Army also puts an air-to-air version aboard combat helicopters. The Stinger is fired from a disposable launch tube and requires no field testing or maintenance, the Army claims. The missile uses infrared seekers to home in on airplanes and is equipped with a six-pound penetrating warhead. DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance—not soapboxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory', with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credeence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/CTRL.html http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om