military equipment stolen in UK an suspected to have been sold to Iraqis

Did anyone out there living in the uk hear of military equipment being stolen and sold illegally to possibly saddam hussein.
I read this in a newspaper about a month ago. (I could'nt post it back then because I was not a member).

It read that millions of � worth of military equipment was missing, things such as tank parts and tracks, possibly helicoptor parts. They said it was an inside job and they believed that someone having a connection to logistics may have sold these parts to the iraqis. This happened in the small city of Telford, in Shropshire, England.

Im a truck driver and occasionaly do deliveries to a government sub-contractor that makes light tanks and armoured vehicles. Im going to find out what I can if this was the place which is also based in Telford.

Did anyone else living in the uk hear about this, if you did then tell us who did it? what exactly was stolen? and did they sell it to the Iraqis? and why?

I havn't heard about stolen equipemtn, but the british govt are busy trying to SELL military equipment to the iraqis ...

How compatible would these parts (presumably new NATO parts) be with Iraqi equipment from the Soviet era?

Hi BOB88

What you say is true Nato parts and Soviet equipment are not very compatible at all. But what makes you think saddam wants these parts for his existing Soviet equipment.
It is known publicly the world over that saddam buys equipment from the Russians, but secretly he buys from european countrys. and its anything he can get his hands on. Mainly germany, netherlands and chzech rep. From dodgy contractors of course wanting to make a quick buck also probably with no tax to pay on it. The UN has just recently condemned the sale of a state of the art control panel system for jets I think it was, by the Ukraine to Iraq.
I forget exactly what these systems do but the UN was'nt happy.

Even on this site Im sure while browsing I noticed something about the sale of arms from Europe to Iraq.

It beats me to know what the hell is going on out there.

I don't doubt nato or like equipment has found it's way to Iraq - they'll probably take what ever they can get.

Britain has been involved with alleged dubious arms sales in this region, for a good while.
On the other hand: the British did stop the transfer of parts for Bull's famous "supergun"
"Money doesn't talk, it swears" as the great Mr Zimmerman once sang. There cannot be much to surprise one where international arms trafficking is concerned.
On the other hand, a government-inspired double-cross is just as predictable from past experience: send stuff that can be tracked, disabled, located and so on.
The NATO-Soviet compatability issue seems something of a stumbling-block (although much of teh Soveit stuff was probably ripped off from stolen NATO material to begin with.
The fact that NATO was, and to a degree still is, incompatible with NATYO has also long been noted: Lord knows how many different guns, sorts of ammunition and so on.
Be sure that if Saddam has the money to buy someone will have the hardware to sell; but whether he's the winner or loser in such deals is another question.

So the British sell military equipment in the Middle East (The most violent area of the world for *centuries*)?

Just what they need there...More bullets & explosives...

Of course, that's not to say that the US hasn't been doing the same thing for a long time...Anybody remember Ollie North?