How will ISIS be able to maintain and repair captured US equipment?

When I was in the Marines, I was a supply guy for an infantry battalion. I know first hand how often our equipment fails, and how difficult the stuff can be to repair. ISIS now finds themselves in possession of a lot of US hardware.

From Wiki

ISIS members have been seen wearing the standard US Army Combat Uniform along with the Interceptor body armor. For night raids, the AN/PVS-7 night vision goggles worn with PASGT helmets are used. Some of the weapons include M16 rifles, M60 machine guns, M240 machine guns and RPGs. Some of the vehicles include Humvees, MRAPs, M113 APCs and several T-55 tanks. During the 2014 Northern Iraq offensive, ISIS raided an Iraqi Army base and captured numerous Type 59-1 artillery guns, DShK guns mounted on trucks and several ZU-23-2 anti-aircraft guns.[69][70]
When ISIS captured Mosul Airport in June 2014, a number of UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters and cargo planes that were stationed there were seized.[71][72] However, according to Peter Beaumont of the Guardian, it seems unlikely that they would be able to deploy them because they do not have trained pilots in their ranks.[73]

It takes a lot of specialized people and equipment to repair broken NVGs. And M60 machine guns are a bit more complicated than their AK counterparts. HMMWV's and MRAPS are no joke either. We've seen incredible ingenuity and creativity in insurgent warfare. We know these guys aren't stupid, and they can make a bomb with a trip to radio shack. But will they be able to maintain and repair our gear?

So ISIS will have all this awesome gear for a little while, but it won't be long till stuff starts to break. I really don't see how they could possibly have the infrastructure and technical knowledge to keep all this hardware up and running for long.

This all seems so familiar though. Like maybe this isn't the first time we've armed the rebels only to have it blow up in our faces.

I think whatever alphabet agency that's running this has got that covered.

they will be stripped down as needed till nothing of value is left. I have a feeling they are about to have a setback very soon.

a reply to: HUMBLEONE

This brings me to another question. If they are able to maintain the hardware for a while, say a couple of years, I think that would say a lot about how much help ISIS has. Who would be supplying them with US parts for US gear?

a reply to: ZeroReady

If ISIS (ISIL) manages to find a couple of qualified pilots and use those Blackhawks in a attack on anything, I would bet that the US would start a air war again. At least until all heavy equipment is destroyed.

a reply to: TDawgRex

Probably the only guys they'd be able to find would be Saddam's old Republican guard pilots. But those guys were scattered to winds during the invasion. And I'm not really sure how someone loyal to Saddam would feel about joining ISIS.

originally posted by: ZeroReady
a reply to: HUMBLEONE

This brings me to another question. If they are able to maintain the hardware for a while, say a couple of years, I think that would say a lot about how much help ISIS has. Who would be supplying them with US parts for US gear?

Who is to say that the parts were not captured as well, or for every one piece of gear that has been captured, a backup was also captured, thereby being able to cannibalize one piece of equipment to keep the other in working condition.

As far as technical knowledge to maintain the gear, it doesnt take much. And if something proves to be a tad too difficult, I believe the internet to be a great tool in gathering the information.

They don't seem to need the heavy equipment to be effective. In less than a week they have captured more or less the whole of Iraq, using nothing more than assault rifles, pickup trucks, google maps and mobile phones. Most of the heavy stuff they have captured will likely end up on the black market or be sent to the more bogged down conflict over in Syria.

Courtesy of the American taxpayer....

a reply to: ZeroReady

People in the Philippians have been documented by the show Vice, to build beautiful 1911s from scrap steel.


While it may be specialized to repair them, one needs to only have the electrical schematics, time, and cannibalized parts from other kits.

Just because they are people that live in a desert and have killed each other since the dawn of time, doesn't mean they don't have people that can understand and repair these things.

originally posted by: Atzil321
They don't seem to need the heavy equipment to be effective. In less than a week they have captured more or less the whole of Iraq, using nothing more than assault rifles, pickup trucks, google maps and mobile phones. Most of the heavy stuff they have captured will likely end up on the black market or be sent to the more bogged down conflict over in Syria.

Courtesy of the American taxpayer....

That is not entirely true, and kind of brushing off the seriousness..

They have been using TONS of RPG'S that can take out tanks and airplanes easily

a reply to: ZeroReady

They will treat the captured equipment like they do people they execute without a qualm. They will use it until it breaks and abandon it. That is what an advancing, rag-tag army does.

However, you can bet your butt that any decent equipment we left for the Iraqi Army will have many depots of replacement parts that we also left. Yet, when your army is advancing on mostly a civilian population, all you need is gasoline for your sturdy Toyota trucks. (My mistake in calling them an "army.")

Short term use and then back to the Russian stuff, you can get that anywhere. Granted if you ar desperate enough and put enough effort into you can maintain US stuff on your own like Iran but, for these guys they are all about the short term because the second the lose momentum its over. Lets face it when your common enemies inlcude Assad, the Syrian Rebels, Iraq, Iran, the Arab States and the West it is only a matter of time before you go down. So you grab as much as you can as quick as you can and hold on for your life.

ISIS is worth $500 million, i'm sure they can find someone to maintain their gear, if they can't already do so themselves. Also, from what i understand, ISIS isn't using a lot of the heavier stuff in Iraq. They are actually transporting a lot of equipment into Syria, presumably for safe keeping and use there.

Also, to quote the Wikipedia article above:

However, according to Peter Beaumont of the Guardian, it seems unlikely that they would be able to deploy them because they do not have trained pilots in their ranks.

Peter is wrong on this. ISIS militants were piloting seized helicopters over Mosul the other day, according to some outlets. So they do have skilled pilots among their ranks...

originally posted by: Aliensun
a reply to: ZeroReady

They will treat the captured equipment like they do people they execute without a qualm. They will use it until it breaks and abandon it. That is what an advancing, rag-tag army does.

However, you can bet your butt that any decent equipment we left for the Iraqi Army will have many depots of replacement parts that we also left. Yet, when your army is advancing on mostly a civilian population, all you need is gasoline for your sturdy Toyota trucks. (My mistake in calling them an "army.")

According to many officials, ISIS is not just a rag tag army, but one of the 'best' extremist organisations out there. Their soldiers are apparently well equipped, well trained and well disciplined, meaning that the likelihood of them running US military gear into the ground is probably not very high.

Their propaganda arm seems to be up and running quite well on ATS.

originally posted by: JIMC5499
Their propaganda arm seems to be up and running quite well on ATS.

From what i have gathered, the majority of members have done significant research into ISIS and the unfolding events. I know for sure that everything i have state above is true at least...

I don't think it is fair to say that members here are propaganda agents for ISIS, just because they talk about the capabilities of the terrorist outfit.

Isis should have it covered. All those cia and blackwater guys that the usa paid to help start the isis party trick will have enough parts and techs to keep the stuff tiptop.

Btw. they got it for free, so if it breaks, just throw it away. No loss.
I don't think they care, and even if they do, you can be sure that these people have specialists that will make it work again.
You underestimate the creativity of this people, I work a lot on cars and I have seen a lot of strange fixes, that should not be working, but did work.
So when there are people that work with guns all their life, I am pretty sure they know how to fix it somehow, even if it is not the proper way and might break within a short time.

a reply to: ZeroReady A lot of why we sell all this fancy stuff is pure profit, and high-dollar maintenance contracts, and as has been mentioned, less useful unless maintained to US standards. Keeps the buyers more under our control. Well usually anyway.

Also I've seen reports they have our top-line encrypted comm gear. FOr the tanks they can get some pretty good money from the Russians.

I think if they remain a building and powerful regional militia, then this high tech and high maintenance gear will be a liability to sell for them, more than what is of immediate use.

If they take control of more and challenge or actually get control of the Capital itself? I think that all changes and they aren't a Militia anymore. They are things like President (Or Caliph) and Minister of Defense or Chief of Air Forces. The pilots come with the full gold package, I imagine.

Let's hope they stay down in the bronze range.