5 ms·
The Key to Armenia’s Tank Losses: The Sensors, Not the Shooters
- rossdavidh 6y agoI worry about this statement: "To conclude from this that the tank’s days are numbered, however, is a serious error. From the videos in Nagorno-Karabakh it is evident that unarmoured vehicles and dismounted infantry are faring no better, even those dug into positions with camouflage screens. Indeed, the lack of protection means they will likely fare worse since there are more kinds of munitions that are lighter and easier to employ that can kill them." It is possible, that the inability to hide, and thus the increased ability to quickly inflict losses with concentrated fire, means that the balance has shifted decisively to the offense. Whoever attacks first, is able to disable enough of the enemy firepower to win. A situation in which the balance of power shifts to the defense, is not great; as WW1 showed, it can favor war of attrition. But a shift to offense, favors attacking first, and that seems even worse.
- deleted 6y ago[deleted]
- ku-man 6y agoI understand Russia didn't intervened decisively because the current president is pro-western (Soros et al). This serious defeat made it clear to Armenia who can count on when shots are fired.
- aaron695 6y agoI must admit I wondered why DARPA has been doing this. Cave warfare so far has been pretty rare. But I think they can see the days of open warfare are numbered. "DARPA - UNEARTHING THE SUBTERRANEAN ENVIRONMENT- SUBTERRANEAN CHALLENGE Revolutionize how we operate in the underground domain" https://www.subtchallenge.com/ https://www.subtchallenge.com/
- toyg 6y ago> Cave warfare so far has been pretty rare Maybe influenced by considerations about terrain in the longest war the US waged this century, Afghanistan...
- aaron695 6y agoIf you have $49 to blow checkout https://www.amazon.com.au/Afghanistan-Cave-Complexes-1979-2004-strongholds/dp/184176776X https://www.amazon.com.au/Afghanistan-Cave-Complexes-1979-20... Even in Vietnam, most tunnel complexes tourists visit are somewhat faked. DARPAs challenge could be a proxy for fighting in buildings though. Open warefare is still very possible when you hide in the population.
- rossdavidh 6y agoTora Bora
- sitkack 6y agoI think we are on the cusp of the same sort of technological step function we saw leading into WW1. Lethality will be too high and it will accelerate the extreme magnitude of the exchanges.
- DarthGhandi 6y agoHopefully the masses will see how futile it is a lot earlier this time. The arrogance that led to that many deaths in WW1 is easily repeated by multiple parties
- robotresearcher 6y agoI took the opposite message from the article. It describes how difficult it is to concentrate enough resources to successfully attack a hardened defended position, when the defenders can see you coming and destroy you from afar one piece at a time. Locating the fixed, hardened positions of the defense is relatively easy. Locating the mobile assets of the offense and destroying them before they attack is the new thing. Scouts and cavalry have had this role this for ages, but drones plus guided munitions are extra good at it.
- rualca 6y ago> Scouts and cavalry have had this role this for ages, but drones plus guided munitions are extra good at it. I would add that they are not only extra good, they are also extremely cheap and thus disposable and able to be deployed in mass.
- imtringued 6y agoUAV's aren't cheap. If you want a cheap air based solution then get an Apache Helicopter and a rocket pod filled with APKWS Hydra rockets and some Hellfire missiles just in case something actually dangerous pops up. Do you know what's even cheaper than that? Good old fashioned bullets. Artillery and armored fighting vehicles will never die out because they don't cost ten thousands of dollars to operate per hour. When you are holding onto ground for 24/7 you can't afford such an expense.
- robscallsign 6y agoSo, in the context of the discussion, you're arguing that instead of deploying drones (Turkish TB2 ~$5 million USD flyaway) as they did, Azerbajan should have purchased a squadron of Apache Helicopters (~$40 million USD flyaway) along with the support, training and maintenance infrastructure it would take to properly field them, in an effort to save money?
- rossdavidh 6y agoWell that is an interesting point. I guess I was thinking of an open-field battle, but an assault on a hardened position is probably more common. Actually, that reminds one of WW1 where the western front ended up in stagnation (Verdun) but the eastern front remained more fluid. Perhaps this means that fortresses become even more important.
- 3327 6y agoTldr: Armenia piece-o-shit army Got smashed, so, cover your tracks, stay underground or hardened fortifications.
- Arnt 6y agoMaybe you should read it. "There is a tendency for Western soldiers to dismiss … because the videos show limited tactical proficiency … This is misguided for several reasons." In other words, you're misguided.