format_quote Originally Posted by
therebbe
I still wonder why Russia made so many "AK-47's"
People paid for them. The arms sector was the strongest part of the Soviet economy. A lot were issued to "allies" for political purposes too, especially when the conflict concerned was a Cold War proxy of some sort.
Stinger missiles are American, not Russian. The reason there are so many of those about is, a little ironically, the willingness of the Americans to give them in vast quantities to the Muhajadeen in Afghanistan to fight the Soviets.
The reason there has been a bit of a stink about the night-vision goggles is that it is suspected (but unproven) they may have been part of a quantity sold to Iran for the purposes of anti drug trafficing operations.