World War Update.
“Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not: Nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not: Unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not: The world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.”
— Calvin Coolidge
“I believe in one thing only, the power of human will.”
- Joseph Stalin
You’ve got to admire the NK’s persistence.
North Korea successfully test-launched ICBM, US officials confirm
The Israeli Merkava (chariot) has been from its inception a very innovative tank. It was designed to maximize crew survivability. It has the engine mounted in front of the crew compartment so the engine block will act as an additional layer of armor. It also has a passenger compartment capable of carrying six to eight soldiers or three stretcher cases (depending on the model). This is primarily intended for rescuing the crews of disabled tanks and allowing them to evacuate under cover from enemy fire. The latest version, the Merkava 4, has many new features. In particular, the Trophy missile shield for defeating modern guided anti-tank missiles like the Russian made Kornet that gave Israeli armor so much trouble during the 2006 War with Hezbollah. It’s already been proven in combat. Read more.
The Merkava 4: Why Hezbollah Should Be Afraid—Very Afraid
Pakistan Develops New Mobile Short Range Nuclear Ballistic Missile
- Strategy Page
World War Update.
Artillery: Short Range, Mobile And Nuclear – Strategy Page
World War Update.
The never-ending war in the Middle East. Even after ISIS is defeated the remaining Syrian factions, plus the Kurds, the Turks, the Iranians, the Russians and perhaps even the Israelis (and who knows who else) will have reasons to keep the fighting going to either seize and hold more Syrian territory than they have now and/or to prevent other factions/ countries from taking control of it. It’s why America should stay the hell out of Syria. There will be no peace to keep there.
Syria: Ending The War Will Not Stop The Fighting -Strategy Page
A Well of Heroes: Two:
Literary Impressions of the Prose and Verse of Robert E. Howard
I wonder how many rounds a Trophy missile shield system has?
Let's do some calculating. Let's say the tank cost $2 million. A RPG cost about $100 so you can fire 2000 RPG's for the price of one tank.
In the open the tank will win but in built up areas...it would be difficult.
We need to go to an armored two legged cube. The top and bottom would be the points of the cube like a diamond. Legs off the bottom. It's needs to be able to run fast. Say 60 mph and have machine guns and a anti-tank weapon like the Carl Gustaf recoilless rifle.
We've come to the point where we can destroy an area but we can't bring it under control because defensive weapons are so good. This is what's happening in Afghanistan and Iraq. Notice to take Mosul they have to pulverize the place to dust.
This was predicted by James Dale Davidson and Sir Rees-Mogg in their book,:The Great Reckoning" back in the 80's. It's only going to get worse. Look at this super fast 3D metal printer that sprays metal at supersonic speeds to make it melt together. (In all fairness Americans, I think, came up with this first but don't advertise it very well). We've been using it to repair aircraft wings by spraying on new metal on corroded parts.
engineering.com/3DPrinting/3DPrintingArticles/ArticleID/15335/SPEE3D-Puts-Supersonic-Speed-in-Metal-3D-Printing.aspx
Thinking about tanks made me think about this guy. One of the best military bloggers...ever. He has a lot of tremendous ideas. Here's what he says about tanks.
g2mil.com/Anti-armor.htm
Every thing he says makes good sense except access to space through ski ramps on mountains. Arrrgh. Not good.
Karl Gustav rounds are even cheaper and as effective against tanks. Tanks are highly vulnerable without infantry escort. In urban terrain they're even more vulnerable.
"Let's say the tank cost $2 million."
Way off a tank cost $10 million even a Stryker APC cost $4 million so the disparity is even greater. Get some guys on 4-wheelers, so they can get around fast,carrying something like a tow missile and you could destroy a modern army. Add in anti-aircraft missiles and it becomes difficult to attack anything.
I've got no dog in this particular fight, but the piece on the Merkava tank exposes a greater weakness than the triumphant tone of the article suggests:
"On July 12, two Israeli reservists were killed and their bodies snatched during a Hezbollah cross-border attack. Israel could not allow the outrage to go unanswered and decided to launch an offensive against Hezbollah. Nearly 400 Merkava tanks, mostly of the older II and III variants, were haphazardly deployed in the latter stages of the 34-day conflict."
In essence, we see a willingness to commit enormous resources to counter small victim counts. This is fine if the technical advantage is overwhelming, but otherwise disastrous. This we witness with contemporary American warfare, too. What price an American soldier? Israeli? Compared to the Hezbollah militant? What is the psychological preparedness of the public to accept significant human losses? Vietnam suggests the public has little appetite for anything but economic loss.