U.S. officials say Iraq may have acquired two Tamara radar systems which have been reported missing in the Czech Republic.
The officials said the regime of President Saddam Hussein has been
conducting negotiations with companies in Eastern Europe to procure a system
that could detect and respond to U.S. stealth bombers, such as the B-2
F-117. The F-117 and the B-2 have been used by the United States in
Afghanistan.
The Bush administration is concerned that Baghdad might have
smuggled a radar system from Eastern Europe in what could mark a surprise in
any U.S. military campaign against Iraq. Officials said Iraq nearly bought a
$300 million radar system from the Czech Republic in 1997. The deal was
blocked by the government in Prague.
U.S. officials said the Pentagon has assessed that Iraq has gained new
anti-aircraft capabilities. They said this includes the ability to detect
and shoot down U.S. and British aircraft. The officials said Washington has
instituted changes in electronic warfare systems to better protect its
aircraft.
Last week, the London-based Sunday Telegraph reported that two Tamara
radar systems sought by Iraq earlier have gone missing. The newspaper said
the radars Ñ manufactured by the defunct Czech firm Tesla-Pardubice Ñ
might have been acquired by Iraq.
Over the weekend, Saddam met his military chiefs and urged them to
bolster defenses against enemy attack. The president also called on his
military to forge cooperation with Baghdad's allies in the Arab world.
