Posted on 08/29/2007 10:28:26 AM PDT by Stop Liberalism
From weapons to transport, the military has long been a catalyst for new, cutting-edge technology. Now a different strategy is taking place in military forces throughout the world, as a string of recent developments involves the resuscitation or recycling of retired military machines.
First up is news that Iran claims to have developed a new 2,000-pound “smart” bomb, the production line for which was inaugurated on Sunday. The delivery method for such a bomb is where it gets interesting.
The Associated Press reported last week:
The guided bomb, named Qased or Messenger, can be deployed by Iran’s aging U.S.-made F-4 and F-5 fighter jets and will be officially unveiled next week, said the broadcast quoting a Defense Ministry statement. Iran often announces new weapons for its arsenal, but the United States maintains that while the Islamic Republic has made some strides, many of these statements are exaggerations.
Meanwhile, China’s Xinhua news agency reports that a four-part production line for making low-caliber piercing bullets, dubbed Saqeb or Meteor, was launched on Sunday.
Xinhua notes that Defense Minister Brigadier General Mostafa Mohammad Najjar “stressed that the machineries of the two production lines could not be imported from other countries due to the West's sanctions on the Islamic Republic.”
Related, Iran announced earlier this month that it will begin production on a new line of fighter jets to upgrade the old fleet, “much of which dates before the 1979 revolution,” AP further reported.
Iran’s military isn’t as developed as other countries, so it makes economic sense for the country to get the most bang for its buck.
Russia seems to be following a similar strategy with its recent desire to reassert its aging military. Russia’s aviation power has been on “spectacular display” as of late, due to a combination of old and new fighter jets staged in a big defense show recently for a crowd of onlookers that included Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to Australia’s ABC News.
Putin says he wants more military production out of Russia. While Putin’s tactics are being backed up by Russia’s oil wealth and its booming arms sales, detractors say it’s another country with another pipe dream of becoming a superpower.
The point here isn’t to criticize military forces throughout the world. Quite the contrary, as the aforementioned points to Russia’s desire to make great use of technology that might not be “bleeding edge” but has worked well in the past...
And the country’s manufacturers seem to be good at making old things new again, as India Defence points out.
In essence, India is finalizing plans to have its fleet of 67 MiG-29 multi-role fighters refurbished for $888 million by the Russian company RSK-MiG, in order to keep pace with the country’s growing economy. The program is part of the Indian Air Force’s (IEF) “long-term plan to modernize its fighter fleet with the aim of expanding its strategic reach, firepower and area of responsibility over the next decade as India’s burgeoning economy and regional importance proliferate,” a senior IAF officer told the Indo-Asian News Service.
Part of India’s MiG upgrade includes fitting the MiG-29s with upgraded weapons, a new avionics suite and mid-air refueling capabilities to increase their endurance. The upgraded MiG-29s will remain in service for 10-15 years. Not bad.
India Defence further states:
The IAF is currently refurbishing 125 MiG-21 Bis and 40 MiG-27ML fighters. These two jets are being equipped with advanced avionics, improved electronic warfare systems and precision weaponry to boost the IAF's ageing combat fleet that also faces a sharp reduction in numbers over the next decade.
Already delayed by more than two years, the MiG-29 upgrade project is now likely to commence in fiscal 2006-07 and be completed around four years later, officials said.
“The avionics architecture that the IAF is firming up will be a mix-and-match of Russian, local and imported systems that are likely to be sourced from France, Israel and possibly even the U.S.,” a senior official said.
Russian corporation MiG is the first national aircraft manufacturer, a state full-cycle enterprise combining all aspects of production, sales, post-sale support and overhaul of MiG family aircraft, according to GlobalSecurity.org.
Even the Czech Republic is getting into the game by giving away repaired helicopters. Check it out what the Prague Daily Monitor is reporting:
The Czech Republic decided to give the helicopters to Afghanistan in April. The military loyal to President Hamid Karzai's government is gradually to acquire six transport helicopters Mi-17 and six combat helicopters Mi-24.
The use of the helicopters will be decided on by the Afghans.
The repairs of the Russian-made helicopters, before they are transferred to Afghanistan, have been “covered by NATO and mainly by the U.S.,” according to the Prague paper.
Is this type of “mix-and-match” mentality between different countries becoming an accepted means to put a new spin on once-retired military gear?
That said, even with old F-4s, you still need some degree of air superiority, before you could fly somewhere and drop even a "smart bomb" on someone.
Most of the Iranian weapons are Chinese/NK knock off.
What in the world is a “low caliber piercing bullet”?
Just asking.
An armour piercing round under 8mm.
Oh, an ARMOR piercing round?
I thought the low caliber was the thing getting pierced!
I mean, that’s how it was written.
OTH, are you sure its an armor piercing round, and not a cheese piercing round? I don’t know by what was written.
Like a 5.56mm NATO round. Nothing really revolutionary here, other than they made the machines to make the bullets themselves. Must have been a stretch.
Well, it's nothing really new. Obsolete or obscelescent equipment has been receiving upgrades to keep it useful until the latest state-of-the art can come off the production lines and get into the hands of troops trained to use it...by which time it's often superceded by even newer designs, and becomes fodder for *service upgrades* or a *Service Life Extension Program itself. Other times, vehicles that were once frontline fighting equipment are modified as platforms for support equipment, cheaper than building a complete new system from scratch, and with spare parts and experience in maintenance already in the system, that can be a real lifesaver.
The switch of several former Warsaw Pact Soviet client states to NATO brought some new challenges, modifying their on-hand Soviet gear for compatability with NATO standards [STANAG compatability] that cover everything from communications equipment to turn signals on trucks. From there it's just a small step to offering an upgrade package for older high-dollar items that does both.
I can’t say I worry too much when our adversaries brag about achieving 1980’s level military technology to use with their 1970’s era planes.
I don't think that it is a cheese piercing round - nothing was mentioned in the article about using old Swiss technology.
About aircraft?
Nah, 1 F22 can take out an entire squadron without them even knowing where it is.... Beyond the horizon kills.
We will continue to have air superiority globally for the forseable future.
Well, no. Their G3 rifles are a German H&K design, and date back to the days of the Shah, as do their MG3 machineguns, a design derived from the German MG42 of WWII. Their AKM copy comes from a plant set up with Russian technical assistance during the period when Russia and the then-new Revolutionary Government signed a defense treaty allowing Soviet assistance in the event of invasion or incursion into Iranian territory- I think they had Saddam's Iraq in mind at the time, but it was a consideration for US forces when the Operation Eagle Claw Iranian U.S. embassy hostage rescue mission was in its planning stages...at least.
The Iranian version of the RPG-7 does indeed follow the Chinese Type 69-1, version, also preferred by the Albanians, PLO, Russian Spetznaz and other users. But the Iranian PG-7 AT grenades used as ammunition in the things follows the Soviet/Russian design specs, not the Chinese, though either can be used in either a Russian or Chinese 40mm launch tube.
Interested, at least. I wouldn't be worried yet, though there are those with jobs that pay them toi worry about suich matters.
It's worth paying attention, though.
As China increases in men without women to marry the tension increases. I spent over 50 days at sea in a submarine. After 50 days men were ready to kill each other until they got to shore with beer and women. Then they were just fine.
Very true. In addition to that, for every weapon we design, another is designed to counteract it. I wish we would install devices that could not be tampered with, such as on our planes sold to other countrys, that would disable the plane.........by us.
Nope... The F-22 flies with AIM-9X's and AIM-120's, these are Infra Red guided and RF guided short to medium range missiles. The Phoenix (AIM-54) was our over the horizon missile and has been retired along with the platforms designed to launch it; YF-12 and F-14.
It would be nice to have a REAL high-performance LR missile.
The Phoenix was never the killer it was made out to be, especially against high performance fighters.
The Brits are working on such things, but the F/A-22 could never accomodate it in the weapons bays.
Well,no my friend, the G3 rifles have been replaced.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khaybar_KH2002
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Current_Equipment_of_the_Iranian_Army
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran%27s_Army_Ranks_Insignia
Treadheads, Miltech and Military History ping list pings, please!
Somebody forgot to tell the Iranian Army.
Iranian soldiers take part in a parade in Tehran, April 2007. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defence Secretary Robert Gates have kicked off a regional tour in Egypt seeking to unite Arab allies against Iran's "destabilising" influence.(AFP/File/Atta Kenare)
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