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Check out the big weapons expos like IDEX in Abu Dhabi, or SOFEX in Jordan. Full of glitzy polished consumer-oriented display booths showing off the most advan
by nate_meurer 8y ago
Check out the big weapons expos like IDEX in Abu Dhabi, or SOFEX in Jordan. Full of glitzy polished consumer-oriented display booths showing off the most advanced and modern ways to kill people and fuck shit up.
Watch high-level military officials and politicians from despotic oil-world countries shopping for weapons like suburban husbands shopping for patio furniture at a home and garden show. Displays and sales pitches tuned to key in on bogey-men-du-jour. Worried by Iraninan-sponsored insurgency? We've got Just. The. Thing:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QL_3Qg-SADY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QL_3Qg-SADY
https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/wdjypy/sofex-the-business-of-war-part-1 https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/wdjypy/sofex-the-business...
- secfirstmd 8y agoTrue. I've been to a few and its surreal. The other weird site that is how much money is spent on crap, that's clearly crap. Even with my fairly limited military experience, it's easy to walk around a show and see so much expensive junk you know that a government will pay waaayy too much money for and some soldier will get stung with. Everything from cheaply made webbing that would fall apart in seconds, CBRN kit I wouldn't wear to a pub incase Guinness farts accidentally dissolved it, useless ballistic protection, overly elaborate radio systems that don't work, good awful weapons that jam even completely clean w/o rounds in them testing at a show...you name it. So much military crapware out there
- nate_meurer 8y agoLOL, fascinating. Normally I frown on scammy purveyors of overpriced shit, but in this case I'm all in favor of it.