The IRA test-fired two of the SAM7 missiles but was not supplied with the proper instruction manuals and could not master the weapon. Then there came internement in the year of '71. The missiles were reported to be lightweight, shoulder-launched Sam-7s with Strela launchers, though there was no official confirmation. Five Sentenced In IRA Gun-Running November 8, 1986 GMT BOSTON (AP) _ A plan to send guns, ammunition and a surface-to-air missile to the outlawed Irish Republican Army was hatched in a bar over free mugs of beer, according to a lawyer for one of five men sentenced in the scheme. It is made to shoot down helicopters, or fixed wing aircraft that are relatively near the ground. Tiocfaidh Ar La, sing Up the Ra SAM Missiles in the sky I started off with petrol bombs and throwing bricks and stones With a hundred more lads like me I never was alone But soon I learned that bricks and stones won't drive the Brits away It wasn't very long before I joined the IRA Then there came Internment in the year of '71 The Brits thought we were beaten, that we were on the run On that early August morning … The Strela surface to air missile (also known by its NATO reporting name of SA 7 “Grail” and misnamed “SAM 7” by the 1990’s BBC), shown with its launcher, was made in Russia and widely exported. The helicopter was hit several times by heavy machine-gun fire and crash-landed on an open field, injuring three members of its crew of four. Megahey was arrested by the FBI in 1982 after a successful sting operation, where he was trying to purchase surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) for the IRA, and sentenced to seven years in prison. 1990 British Army Gazelle shootdown … A British army general said privately: “The IRA's secret weapon isn't SAM-7 missiles. On 11 February 1990, an active service unit of the Provisional IRA East Tyrone Brigade shot down a British Army Gazelle helicopter along the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. The surface-to-air missiles were contained in more than 100 tons of weaponry sent by Libya to Ireland for the IRA in four shiploads in 1985 and 1986, according to the British Broadcasting Corp.'s ''Panorama'' program. SAM Missiles in the sky I started out with petrol bombs and throwing bricks and stones, there were a hundred more lads like me, I never was alone. The missiles were sold to … ALERT: SAM.gov will be down for scheduled maintenance Saturday, 04/10/2021 from 8:00 AM to 1:00 PM. [12] In 1984, the FBI warned the Republic of Ireland that a major IRA arms shipment was underway from the United States, and that the weaponry would be transferred to an Irish fishing trawler in the Atlantic. Oh but soon I learned that bricks and stones won't drive the Brits away, and it wasn't very long before WHO DID I JOIN? LONDON (AP) _ The Irish Republican Army is equipped with Soviet-made SAM-7 anti-aircraft missiles, Irish and British authorities acknowledged in a TV program broadcast Monday. A surface to air missile (SAM) or a Red-Eye missile will zero in on the heat of the helicopter motor and bring it down and you don't need too much knowledge to know how to use it. The System for Award Management (SAM) is an official website of the U.S. government. It took place between Augher in County Tyrone and Derrygorry in County Monaghan. I joined the IRA! There is no cost to use SAM.