United States will deliver first AT-4 anti-tank man-portable weapons to Iraq to fight Islamic State 10306151

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Defence & Security News - Iraq / United States
 
United States will deliver first AT-4 anti-tank man-portable weapons to Iraq to fight Islamic State.
United States will deliver the first tranche of AT-4 anti-tank rockets to Iraq this week to help the country fight against the Islamic State (IS), US Secretary of State John Kerry announced during his phone participation at the counter-IS meeting in Paris on Tuesday, June 2, 2015.
     
Washington will deliver the first tranche of AT-4 anti-tank rockets to Iraq this week to help the country fight against the Islamic State (IS), US Secretary of State John Kerry announced during his phone participation at the counter-IS meeting in Paris on Tuesday, June 2, 2015. With the AT-4 84mm soldiers have a powerful defence that is equally effective against landing craft, helicopters and armoured vehicles.
     
"One immediate step we are taking is to ship anti-tank rockets for use against the kind of suicide vehicles deployed in Ramadi. The first tranche of those rockets will arrive as early as this week,” Kerry said.

US Deputy Special Presidential Envoy Brett McGurk announced on Monday that the United States has agreed to provide Iraq with 2,000 anti-tank missiles. The decision comes after the IS advanced and captured key towns in Iraq, including Ramadi, and in Syria. .

On May 17, the IS took control of the Sunni-dominated provincial capital of Ramadi, some 70 miles west of Baghdad. Hundreds of Iraqi security forces were killed in the battle and many more fled the city, leaving significant amount of their weapons behind, including Humvee vehicles.

The IS advances prompted President Barack Obama to reaffirm the US commitment to Iraq at a meeting of the National Security Council two days later.

Moreover, the Iraqi Council of Ministers agreed to accelerate the training and equipping of local tribes and police, expand Iraqi army recruitment and develop a plan to take back Ramadi, according to the White House.

The terrorist group's positions in Iraq and Syria have been targeted by a US-led coalition, which has been conducting airstrikes against the Islamic State since the summer of 2014.
     
Washington will deliver the first tranche of AT-4 anti-tank rockets to Iraq this week to help the country fight against the Islamic State (IS), US Secretary of State John Kerry announced during his phone participation at the counter-IS meeting in Paris on Tuesday, June 2, 2015. Saab AT-4 shoulder-launched weapons systems at AAD 2014 Africa Aerospace and Defense near Pretoria, South Africa.
     
The AT4 family is a range of lightweight, man-portable, fully disposable weapons characterised by ease of use and handling. This means they do not require expert gunners to operate the weapon effectively.

The AT-4 / M136 is a 84mm portable anti-tank weapon was designed by the companies Saab Bofors DynamicsAB (Sweden) and ATK Inc (USA).

The AT4 warhead can penetrate more than 17.5in of armour plate witha maximum range of 300 m. The weapon covers a minimum arming distance of 10m, which makes it more accurate in targeting short distance targets.

The Red Dot Sight is an integrated part of the weapon, not a clip on sight just for night firing capability. The big advantages with this integrated factory mounted and boresighted sight is: only one sight for training and combat in all light conditions.

Present in more than 15 countries worldwide, the system is combat proven and provides the extended range required for mission success, including night capacity and confined space capabilities. The product range includes anti-armour, anti-structure and anti-personnel/high explosive roles. With identical handling across all products, the AT4 family offers maximum versatility and ease of use – whatever the task.