Afghanistan 1986- no Stingers to Mujahideen

[Melvin Loh]

According to 1 article I read in WAR IN PEACE, the Red Army in Afghanistan was by 1986 pretty close to defeating the Mujahideen, using new mountain and airmobile warfare techniques co-ordinating the Soviet airborne and SPETSNAZ troopers with effective air support from Mi-24 Hind helicopter gunships and Su-25 Frogfoot groundattack planes. With such developments in Soviet strategy and tactics, the Mujahideen were pretty much on the ropes until the CIA supplied 200 Stinger and Blowpipe SAMs to the resistance which enabled them to nullify the advantage of Soviet air superiority. Any thoughts ?

[aktarian]

No sorry. While in 1986 mujahedeen were on the ropes Stinger impact is waaaaay overestimated (and IIRC Blowpipes didn't shoot down any planes or helos).

What MANPADs did was they forced Sovs to operate from higher altitudes which decreased accuracy. Decission to withdraw was made prior to that and Sovs only looked for a way that would allow them to save face and leave friendly regime behind (the later they did as DRA regime outlived SU).