DoD News Briefing
Thursday, May 11, 2000 - 2:03 p.m. EDT
Presenter: Mr. Kenneth H. Bacon, ASD PA
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Q: At a news conference today in Baghdad, Iraq's air defense commander claimed that Iraq has developed techniques to -- essentially to render HARM missiles harmless, to trick them into missing their targets, and that none that have been fired during the course of this year have hit their targets. Can you comment on that?
Mr. Bacon: Well, I haven't seen that press conference, and I should probably read it before I comment. But I'm not aware that our HARM missiles don't work. But on the other hand, I can't tell you when the last time we used a HARM missile was. We use a variety of ordnance over Iraq.
And I think -- actually, we have not -- the main reason we haven't been using HARM missiles is they don't turn on their radars. So they have been firing at us either with anti-aircraft munitions and very occasionally with missiles. I think the last missile they fired was in March -- the last surface-to-air missile they fired in March. Typically, they fire them unguided, because they are afraid that if they turn on their radars, we will zap them with HARM missiles, which of course zero in on radar beams. So if we haven't used HARM missiles, the main reason is that they haven't been using their radars.
Q: So haven't they developed a technique to defeat them?
Mr. Bacon: I'm not aware that they have, but we will read this press conference with interest.
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