US army in iraq baffles me (gear and hardware related)

1500hp engines
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You would wish they had 1500hp! It is rated at 1500 Shaft Horse Power, which does not include transmission losses (on an average car with automatic transmission probaly around 10-15%). Besides the 1500shp the gasturbine puts out is probaly rated temperatures/airpressures/humidity levels of the International Standard Atmosfere at sealevel. The ambient temperature in Iraq during daylight is probaly at least 25-35 degrees higher, less humid, lower airpressures and the sandfilters used also restrict airflow to the air intake. Dont be surprised if the hp output at the sprockets is a figure between 1000-1200hp any given day
 
im an aussie too aussienick... but i disagree with you a bit... im not really knowlegable on the aussie army but i dont think its anything special except our special forces...
keep in mind the only aussie weapons ive seen was on an FHM magazine, so dont grill me too hard if im wrong plz

the only reason aussies arnt dieing is because of the role they are taking... they arnt part of a huge force rushing into a city littered with booby traps and armed terrorists... but instead they are probably doing CT missions (i would assume) which would be much better planned.

although timor was a urban war... most of the guys we fought had militia guns... not RPG's and MG's... RPG's would turn our bushmasters and strykers into mince meat.

on another note... speed is irrelevant in urban warfare. whether a tank goes at 40 MPH or 60 MPG it wont avoid an RPG or a remote detonated bomb. if these things are used to hit hummers then a tank is just as easy to hit. RPG's are over 30 years old. and at this point you can defend against them, it shouldnt even be an issue unless ure ill prepared... also tanks should be able to take bombs... i mean sure 100KG of explosives can take out any tank, but atleast this should be the target of any force going into urban warfare, protection shouldnt be any weaker...

p.s.s. i wanna repeat im not attacking the allies... even though it feels like it... i have the deepest respect for our forces... the only guys to have the fortitude to stand to their words and not appease these terrorists or turn a blind eye.
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I'm just going from what my mates who have come back from a tour of Iraq have told me.

The reason why the ASLAV got hit by the road side bomb about a month ago was because they were going to slow. Even the crew members have said that. They've found the quicker they move, the harder it is for them to trigger the explosives at the right moment (either they are to late or to quick).

Also, we did fight militia in timor, but they did have RPGs, MGs, and some other fairly modern gear. They had a lot of supplies due to Indonesian support in the past.
 
DTop said:
No Misileer I don't work for Raytheon. One of my MOSs was anti-armor. I was a TOW Platoon Sergeant for a number of years.
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I didn't mean that reply to you as a know-it-all in any fashion. I am really serious when I said that my retention of project info is bad. I have worked in research and development for almost 40 years and never spend a lot of time on any one project so I almost never get to see a product go to the factory. From your experience, I can verify that you know the stats better than me. By the way, thank you for all the time you put in. I was also serious as to why there aren't more defense workers on this site.
 
Misileer, I took no offense whatsoever. I know a number of people that I grew up with that worked for Raytheon. They work/worked for the plants in Lowell and Andover MA. There was one in particular that I kept in contact with while I was in Desert Storm. In each correspondence I asked him to thank anyone involved in the Patriot project :) Had I known anyone who worked on the TOW, I would have thanked them just as readily.
There may very well be more defense workers on this forum. Who knows maybe they'll show up soon?
 
aussienick, can you tell me, with the exception of our special forces, is the aussie army a joke, or is it a real fighting force? can we defend ourselves? all i rememebr from the news is that we have crappy subs... old equipment, and our civilians dont even have weapons...
 
aussienick, can you tell me, with the exception of our special forces, is the aussie army a joke, or is it a real fighting force? can we defend ourselves? all i rememebr from the news is that we have crappy subs... old equipment, and our civilians dont even have weapons...
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Um no I think you'll find that we have some top of the range gear (e.g. Blackhawks, ASLAVS, Steyrs, Rapiers, F/A-18 Hornets, Anzac Class Frigates etc etc etc), and in no way are the main Aussie forces "a joke", thats pretty insulting that you'd think that. We can more than take care of ourselves on the battlefield, we are a good, cohesive fighting force.

The subs are good, but have a had a lot of glitches that need fixing. Old gear? Apart from our M113's we don't really have any "old" gear. But then again, the Americans still use M113's. We may not have M1A1 Abrams or such high-tech gear, but we don't need it. Never have, never will.

Not sure what you mean by civilians not having weapons.

As for the overall state of our defence force, it is top notch, up there with the best when it comes to battle performance. We may not be big, but we are one of the best trained in the world, and we have some of the best battlefield discipline around (maybe not on barracks, but thats a different story).
 
dont forget the ausie SAS...2nd best spec forces in the world...ranking right behind the British SAS :lol: :lol:
 
i would love to agree with you, but i reckon the israelis might pip us for that that spot, since they are so active in actual combat zones.
i just finished reading "Ghost Force" by Ken Connor which is about the british sas, he actually proposes they they disband the SAS as he believes they are no longer suited for the type of warfare that occurs today. i completely disagree, CT and deep recon work is most important in todays battlefield
 
i dont think we will ever get rid of them

for one becuase they are the best trained force in the world...and also because they have proved there worth in unexpected situations...eg Embassy in London etc....
 
and oman, north africa, borneo. not ot mention all the training they do other other nations special forces, body guard training, CT, recons, specialised warfare
 
DTop said:
Misileer, I took no offense whatsoever. I know a number of people that I grew up with that worked for Raytheon. They work/worked for the plants in Lowell and Andover MA. There was one in particular that I kept in contact with while I was in Desert Storm. In each correspondence I asked him to thank anyone involved in the Patriot project :) Had I known anyone who worked on the TOW, I would have thanked them just as readily.
There may very well be more defense workers on this forum. Who knows maybe they'll show up soon?
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I was hoping you could give me some insight into the info we got back from the field about our forces preferring the TOW over the Javelin. The only thing I can figure out is that so much fighting is line of sight and the TOW is more destructive to buildings. :?:
 
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