What supplies the Pentagon for Hussein?

Experts told the magazine The Economist on the latest developments in military technology which, in their view, should greatly facilitate the U.S. Army war with Iraq.

According to expert estimates, the magazine The Economist, over the past fifty years America has been the world leader in advanced military technologies, such as missile defense (BMD). Nevertheless, in practice «clever» Pentagon weapons often do not behave exactly as would its creators. For example, in 1991, when the United States and Iraq first came to the battlefield, the effectiveness of anti-aircraft missiles, Patriot, used to intercept ballistic missiles, Iraqi Scud, was significantly lower than expected. Not too well, have shown themselves time and guided bombs with laser-guided head. Although the «intelligent» munitions demonstrated their clear advantage over conventional free-fall bombs, their actual effectiveness was much lower than might be assumed to television reports. (Let us remember the people, for whom such bombs fly in the open gates of the Iraqi bases and depots). Ultimately, the General Audit Chamber United States (General Accounting Office) even accused the Pentagon that, in an effort to obtain additional funds, the military deliberately inflated the effectiveness of «intelligent» ammunition.

However, over the past 12 years, the military thought stepped far forward. This suggests that in terms of modern military equipment new war against Iraq will resemble, rather, anti-terrorist operation in Afghanistan than the «desert storm».

During the «Desert Storm» 1600 aircraft of allied forces have made a total of 60 000 sorties, dropping on Iraqi installations, over 50 000 tons of explosives. However, only 8% of munitions used in Iraq were manageable. Since then the ratio between the guided and unguided munitions has changed dramatically: 98% of munitions used in Serbia in 1999, had the head pointing to the target.

It is important not only that managed ammunition today is more important, how they led to the goal. Laser target designation systems used in 1991, had two main shortcomings. First, they could not work in a cloud or dust. Second, they demanded «light» purpose laser beam at «bunny» from which the flying bomb, until the moment of explosion. This meant that the aircraft or the military, a leading managed ammunition at a facility, had for some time kept him in dangerous proximity. These problems are successfully solved in the so-called homing head JDAM, used for the conversion of conventional bombs in the «intelligent». According to experts, it is these munitions will play in the upcoming conflict, the decisive role.

JDAM leads to the goal with the help of satellite navigation system GPS. With this new bomb could be applied in any weather. In addition, dropping the bomb, equipped with head JDAM, the plane can simply turn back instead of continuing to fly close to the goal and the highlight of its laser beam. And finally, JDAM, does not have its own power, are relatively inexpensive. Converted using a conventional warhead for a bomb «smart» cost only $ 20 000. For comparison, a cruise missile Tomahawk, comparable to the new bombs for the accuracy and affecting the ability to cost $ 1 million

According to estimates from Leksingtonskogo Loren Thompson, a research institute in 1991, the aviation wing of an aircraft carrier for the day to hit 200 targets. Currently, she said, the same number of aircraft sorties per day could have hit 700 goals, as well as through greater precision of new weapons to flow to one goal defeat dropped. According to Thompson, because of that America today is much less dependent on its allies, with the necessary power to conduct military operations independently.

New «intelligent» munitions have become not only more accurate and efficient - they have also become more flexible in the application. During the last war, a list of objectives for each of the combat aircraft is approved for a particular day in line with the overall list of goals that are in the headquarters, and handed him before departure. Today, thanks to new technologies, wireless communication (the so-called «broadband»), the order to kill the new goal can be transmitted in real time directly on board the aircraft.

A much better over the past few years have been and missile defense system. For example, during the «Desert Storm» namely Iraqi Scud ballistic missile able to put U.S. troops the hardest non-recurring losses. This happened when a missile fell on the United States military base Dharan in Saudi Arabia, killing twenty-eight Americans and leaving an estimated one hundred wounded.

At this time, such as Scud missiles would pose to American military bases and facilities in Israel is much less dangerous than in the past. A new generation of Patriot missiles is one and a half times greater speed and twice the range than their predecessors, used in 1991. In addition, the new Patriot equipped with special radar, able to distinguish the warhead ballistic missile from the wreckage of her shell. All this should significantly improve the effectiveness of anti-missile «umbrella», which will cover American troops and their allies in the event of another war.

Today, the U.S. military has such weapons systems, which in 1991 they could only dream of. This, for example, about unmanned aerial vehicles (BPLA), have proved extremely successful during the antiterrorist operation in Afghanistan. BPLA could patrol over the battlefield for more than 24 hours, gathering intelligence and striking ground targets. Especially useful BPLA may be in finding and defeat point targets, such as running the country, commanders of Saddam Hussein. For example, in November last year, American BPLA Predator destroyed in Yemen of six suspected members of terrorist organizations «Al-Kayed». One of the strengths of BPLA is that when they use the military life is not exposed to danger.

As Napoleon said, «the army marching on its stomach». In order to wage war on the other end of the world, modern army should be a huge number of weapons, ammunition, fuel, food and other goods for which you need to make in the shortest possible time. Realizing this, in recent years the Pentagon has invested billions of dollars in building high-speed transport ships, which can be loaded and discharged directly to the wheels without the aid of cranes. Also today, the containers with military convoys have specific identification codes and radiomayachki through which the transport service specialists can always identify their location, thus ensuring accuracy and speed of delivery. As a result, for example, now transfer entire division (4 000 troops) now requires two times less than the courts, and a third less time than at the time «The storms in the desert».