In
Black Hawk Down, RPG’s shot down two Black Hawks. In battle, there
were
always RPG’s flying around. For the most part, the Somalis used the
RPG’s
to shoot down Black Hawk’s because they found new and better ways to
elevate
the shot. Normally, the RPG would let off an exhaust that could blind
and
give the shooter a hard blow to the shoulder if shot upward. Somali’s
figured out ways to shoot upward without injury. The RPG that the
Somalis
used was shot from a tube that rested on the shooter’s shoulder. This
tube
was open-ended; the front was were the grenade exited and the back let
out
the exhaust from the blast. Many Somali’s used RPG’s because they were
inexpensive, usually made of sheet metal, die-cast aluminum, fiberglass
or
zinc. The launcher is about 40 mm in diameter and 95 cm long. The
launcher itself only weighs about 7kg. The middle of the launcher is
wrapped in wood to protect the shooter from the heat. Also, the end of
the
tube is flared. The grenade is launched by gunpowder and then the
rocket
motor ignites. The maximum range of the grenade is about 900-1100
meters.
The closer up the shot, the better because these RPG’s were very
inaccurate
at far range. During the battle in Mogadishu, the Somalis main target
was
the helicopters. They knew how great it would help them to get one
down.
The Somalis would wait until the helicopter had passed, then shot at it
from
behind. This strategy helped them out a lot, with the outcome being
two
downed American helicopters. Those RPG’s did a lot of damage, and were
very
effective against the American troops.
