Beduin
Compensation of Reactive Power in the grid
+510|6037|شمال
الشعب يريد اسقاط النظام
...show me the schematic
Dilbert_X
The X stands for
+1,817|6392|eXtreme to the maX

FEOS wrote:

Money's already been spent.
Wut, you think 9 years in the inventories haven't been restocked?
You're living in a dreamworld.
It's not like it could've or would've been spent elsewhere in the future.
Of course it could.
You don't fight a war looking at the tally. That's the surest way to lose your ass.
Except its not a war any more, its a counter-insurgency. Cost in lives and materiel is critical.
Ask the MoDs of the UK and Australia (and Turkey and Germany and Italy and Spain and...) how many F35s they're buying.
Not as many as they thought, due to budget problems.
Fuck Israel
FEOS
Bellicose Yankee Air Pirate
+1,182|6697|'Murka

Dilbert_X wrote:

FEOS wrote:

Money's already been spent.
Wut, you think 9 years in the inventories haven't been restocked?
You're living in a dreamworld.
You're the one living in a dreamworld, Dilbert. Those Javelins would've been bought whether we'd been at war in Afghanistan or not. The acquisition of that weapon system started long before Oct 01 (which was eight years ago, not nine).

Dilbert_X wrote:

It's not like it could've or would've been spent elsewhere in the future.
Of course it could.
No, it couldn't. The program was already in motion before the war started, thus the money would already have been allocated.

Dilbert_X wrote:

You don't fight a war looking at the tally. That's the surest way to lose your ass.
Except its not a war any more, its a counter-insurgency. Cost in lives and materiel is critical.
Hate to be the one to break this to you, but COIN is a type of warfare. The only thing that matters is whether you achieve your objectives and bring your troops home alive. Material costs be damned.

When you start nickel and dimeing troops over materiel, you get them killed. Simple as that (not supplying up-armored HMMWVs, for example). You're approaching it from the same perspective as your hero Rumsfeld.
“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”
― Albert Einstein

Doing the popular thing is not always right. Doing the right thing is not always popular
Dilbert_X
The X stands for
+1,817|6392|eXtreme to the maX
Not at all, had those missiles not been used they would still be sitting in store, the store would not have had to have been replenished, costing money. Its that simple.

I'm not advocating doing things on the cheap, just the most effective way.
Material costs be damned.
We're talking British Army, not USAF.
Fire off 10 Javelins and thats one MRAP which gets cancelled or postponed.

Last edited by Dilbert_X (2009-11-03 15:04:30)

Fuck Israel
FEOS
Bellicose Yankee Air Pirate
+1,182|6697|'Murka

Dilbert_X wrote:

Not at all, had those missiles not been used they would still be sitting in store, the store would not have had to have been replenished, costing money. Its that simple.

I'm not advocating doing things on the cheap, just the most effective way.
Material costs be damned.
We're talking British Army, not USAF.
Fire off 10 Javelins and thats one MRAP which gets cancelled or postponed.
And again, you're not the one putting your pudgy pink ass on the line. If you had your way, those troops would have to ask permission to fire a round to ensure it wouldn't break the bank. That attitude gets troops killed. Plain and simple.

Had those missiles not been used, they would've exceeded their shelf life and been scrapped, costing the same amount of money. It's that simple.

What's even more simple is your plain lack of understanding of the most fundamental military concepts, yet you spout off nonsense as if you have all the answers and are the only one to have considered your millimeter-deep thoughts on the matter. If it were really that simple, don't you think it would've already been resolved?

You are absolutely advocating doing things on the cheap rather than the most effective way. That is clear from your focus on the cost (cheapest way) rather than on the operational requirement (most effective way).
“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”
― Albert Einstein

Doing the popular thing is not always right. Doing the right thing is not always popular
M.O.A.B
'Light 'em up!'
+1,220|6509|Escea

Dilbert_X wrote:

Not at all, had those missiles not been used they would still be sitting in store, the store would not have had to have been replenished, costing money. Its that simple.

I'm not advocating doing things on the cheap, just the most effective way.
Material costs be damned.
We're talking British Army, not USAF.
Fire off 10 Javelins and thats one MRAP which gets cancelled or postponed.
The MRAP's don't solve the IED problem anyway. There needs to be more helicopters to bypass roads altogether, and that falls upon the RAF, not the Army.
RAIMIUS
You with the face!
+244|7001|US
Reality...
You are being shot at.  Someone is despirately trying to kill you.  You have a rifle, a Javelin, and a radio with 155mm arty back at base. 
Your rifle ammo cannot penetrate the cover the enemy is hiding behind.  It might keep their heads down momentarily or kill an unlucky enemy...not very effective.
Your artillery support will take a couple minutes to call in, and land on target.  The risk of collateral damage/blue-on-blue is low to moderate.
Your Javelin will take out the enemy MG behind the wall with little chance for collateral damage and almost zero risk of blue-on-blue (as long as you can get a good lock).

Which do you use?

If you say rifle: you are a moron.
If you say artillery, you are risking your life and the lives of your troops needlessly (due to time delay and comm. errors).
If you use the Javelin, you get to go back to base in 5 minutes and report 5 dead Taliban.
Dilbert_X
The X stands for
+1,817|6392|eXtreme to the maX

FEOS wrote:

And again, you're not the one putting your pudgy pink ass on the line. If you had your way, those troops would have to ask permission to fire a round to ensure it wouldn't break the bank. That attitude gets troops killed. Plain and simple.
Thats not what I'm saying at all, I'm asking if there are more effective alternatives.

Had those missiles not been used, they would've exceeded their shelf life and been scrapped, costing the same amount of money. It's that simple.
Not necessarily.

If it were really that simple, don't you think it would've already been resolved?
Of course not, military procurement takes decades.
And assuming every question has already been answered is close-minded.

You are absolutely advocating doing things on the cheap rather than the most effective way. That is clear from your focus on the cost (cheapest way) rather than on the operational requirement (most effective way).
Again wrong, I'm trying to look at overall effectiveness. Not much point in your squad having a Javelin each if they get blown to bits by IEDs on the way home from lack of an MRAP - which is the bulk of casualties in Afgtfoistan IIRC.

RAIMIUS wrote:

If you say rifle: you are a moron.
If you say artillery, you are risking your life and the lives of your troops needlessly (due to time delay and comm. errors).
If you use the Javelin, you get to go back to base in 5 minutes and report 5 dead Taliban.
I'd say use the Javelin, but have a think about whether different eqpt or tactics should be available to the squaddies on the ground.
An infra-red homing missile with a HEAT head seems like overkill to take out a mud wall.

Last edited by Dilbert_X (2009-11-03 16:50:06)

Fuck Israel
M.O.A.B
'Light 'em up!'
+1,220|6509|Escea

Dilbert_X wrote:

An infra-red homing missile with a HEAT head seems like overkill to take out a mud wall.
If it gets the job done speedily, thats all that matters when people's lives are at risk.
S3v3N
lolwut?
+685|6805|Montucky
Its really hard to critique something you know nothing about.
Dilbert_X
The X stands for
+1,817|6392|eXtreme to the maX
I'm asking the question, and don't tell me the Pentagon has all the answers.
Fuck Israel
Dilbert_X
The X stands for
+1,817|6392|eXtreme to the maX
If it gets the job done speedily, thats all that matters when people's lives are at risk.
Putting people in harms way way with the wrong equipment is the bigger issue.
Fuck Israel
S3v3N
lolwut?
+685|6805|Montucky

Dilbert_X wrote:

If it gets the job done speedily, thats all that matters when people's lives are at risk.
Putting people in harms way way with the wrong equipment is the bigger issue.
So what exactly in the terms of tactics and equipment are you getting all pissy about?
Dilbert_X
The X stands for
+1,817|6392|eXtreme to the maX
So what exactly in the terms of tactics and equipment are you getting all pissy about?
The fact they are firing off $80,000 AT missiles when they are short of body armour and 0.50 ammo for example.
Fuck Israel
S3v3N
lolwut?
+685|6805|Montucky

Dilbert_X wrote:

So what exactly in the terms of tactics and equipment are you getting all pissy about?
The fact they are firing off $80,000 AT missiles when they are short of body armour and 0.50 ammo for example.
Then the same terminalogy applies when the Air Force drops hundreds of thousands of dollars in munitions and hits nothing. (YES it happens FEOS)
Dilbert_X
The X stands for
+1,817|6392|eXtreme to the maX

S3v3N wrote:

Then the same terminalogy applies when the Air Force drops hundreds of thousands of dollars in munitions and hits nothing.
Thats expected of the AF, the Army not so much, but thats not the question here.
Fuck Israel
FEOS
Bellicose Yankee Air Pirate
+1,182|6697|'Murka

Dilbert_X wrote:

FEOS wrote:

And again, you're not the one putting your pudgy pink ass on the line. If you had your way, those troops would have to ask permission to fire a round to ensure it wouldn't break the bank. That attitude gets troops killed. Plain and simple.
Thats not what I'm saying at all, I'm asking if there are more effective alternatives.
And just what would those be?

We've already established that your "field gun" alternative isn't one of them.

Dilbert_X wrote:

Had those missiles not been used, they would've exceeded their shelf life and been scrapped, costing the same amount of money. It's that simple.
Not necessarily.
According to you, they should only be used against armor. Which armor-using adversary would they be used against before their shelf life is up?

Dilbert_X wrote:

If it were really that simple, don't you think it would've already been resolved?
Of course not, military procurement takes decades.
And assuming every question has already been answered is close-minded.
Why not? That's essentially what you've done. You've answered it...no need to bother people who actually do this for a living or anything.

Dilbert_X wrote:

You are absolutely advocating doing things on the cheap rather than the most effective way. That is clear from your focus on the cost (cheapest way) rather than on the operational requirement (most effective way).
Again wrong, I'm trying to look at overall effectiveness. Not much point in your squad having a Javelin each if they get blown to bits by IEDs on the way home from lack of an MRAP - which is the bulk of casualties in Afgtfoistan IIRC.
You view it as an either-or situation, when it's not. Those troops have both the Javelin and the MRAP. It's not like Her Majesty's MoD said, "You can either have your Javelins or an MRAP, take your pick. Hurry up now, haven't got all day..." You're putting non-existent choices out there. Clearly, your situation didn't happen, as they clearly DID get to where they were going with their Javelin, otherwise they wouldn't have been able to employ it, thus setting you all atwitter with your nonsensical arguments.

Dilbert_X wrote:

RAIMIUS wrote:

If you say rifle: you are a moron.
If you say artillery, you are risking your life and the lives of your troops needlessly (due to time delay and comm. errors).
If you use the Javelin, you get to go back to base in 5 minutes and report 5 dead Taliban.
I'd say use the Javelin, but have a think about whether different eqpt or tactics should be available to the squaddies on the ground.
An infra-red homing missile with a HEAT head seems like overkill to take out a mud wall.
It's only overkill if you have something else at your disposal that would do the job just as effectively. Again, easy for you to say when it's not your pink pudgy on the line.
“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”
― Albert Einstein

Doing the popular thing is not always right. Doing the right thing is not always popular
FEOS
Bellicose Yankee Air Pirate
+1,182|6697|'Murka

S3v3N wrote:

Dilbert_X wrote:

So what exactly in the terms of tactics and equipment are you getting all pissy about?
The fact they are firing off $80,000 AT missiles when they are short of body armour and 0.50 ammo for example.
Then the same terminalogy applies when the Air Force drops hundreds of thousands of dollars in munitions and hits nothing. (YES it happens FEOS)
LIES!

It only happens because the grunts give the wrong coordinates.
“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”
― Albert Einstein

Doing the popular thing is not always right. Doing the right thing is not always popular
Dilbert_X
The X stands for
+1,817|6392|eXtreme to the maX

FEOS wrote:

We've already established that your "field gun" alternative isn't one of them.
No you haven't.
You view it as an either-or situation, when it's not. Those troops have both the Javelin and the MRAP.
Incorrect, they are desperately short of MRAPs and helicopters, and a are getting wiped out by IEDs as a result, more so than in actual combat engagements.

FEOS wrote:

It's only overkill if you have something else at your disposal that would do the job just as effectively.
Your argument is circular and self-defeating, if they didn't have Javelins you'd be saying 155mm howitzers were the only available solution and therefore weren't overkill.

FEOS wrote:

That's essentially what you've done. You've answered it...no need to bother people who actually do this for a living or anything.
No, I've asked the question and suggested one possible solution. Maybe the MOD should be buying RPGs, or LAW, I don't know.
Saying 'The status quo is perfect, nothing to see here' is the answer I expected though

Last edited by Dilbert_X (2009-11-03 18:52:43)

Fuck Israel
FEOS
Bellicose Yankee Air Pirate
+1,182|6697|'Murka

Dilbert_X wrote:

FEOS wrote:

We've already established that your "field gun" alternative isn't one of them.
No you haven't.
Then you obviously 1) haven't read the data on the 105 and 2) haven't read the engagement info

But why would you? That takes effort and may just obviate your clearly stellar argument that's backed by years of experience.

Dilbert_X wrote:

You view it as an either-or situation, when it's not. Those troops have both the Javelin and the MRAP.
Incorrect, they are desperately short of MRAPs and helicopters, and a are getting wiped out by IEDs as a result, more so than in actual combat engagements.
And--as has been stated before--those Javelins have zero to do with the MRAPs and helos that are needed. That's simply not how acquisitions works.

And nobody's getting "wiped out" by anything. Enough with they hyperbole. It just makes your argument weaker...if that were even possible.

Dilbert_X wrote:

FEOS wrote:

It's only overkill if you have something else at your disposal that would do the job just as effectively.
Your argument is circular and self-defeating, if they didn't have Javelins you'd be saying 155mm howitzers were the only available solution and therefore weren't overkill.
No, it's not. And your argument here clearly shows you know fuckall about the employment of the 105 (much less the 155) vs the Javelin and the tactical situation that started this whole discussion. RAIMIUS pretty much hit the nail on the head and you ignored it because it didn't suit your view of the situation.

Dilbert_X wrote:

FEOS wrote:

That's essentially what you've done. You've answered it...no need to bother people who actually do this for a living or anything.
No, I've asked the question and suggested one possible solution. Maybe the MOD should be buying RPGs, or LAW, I don't know.
Saying 'The status quo is perfect, nothing to see here' is the answer I expected though
Your "one possible solution" was simplistic and completely unworkable from an operational perspective and would've resulted in more troops dead, not fewer. As would buying RPGs and LAWs (both woefully outdated pieces of gear, btw). Again, you've strayed into an area you clearly know nothing about, and if anyone was stupid enough to actually take your advice, people would die as a result who would be alive otherwise.

Thank God nobody will.
“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”
― Albert Einstein

Doing the popular thing is not always right. Doing the right thing is not always popular
Dilbert_X
The X stands for
+1,817|6392|eXtreme to the maX

FEOS wrote:

And--as has been stated before--those Javelins have zero to do with the MRAPs and helos that are needed. That's simply not how acquisitions works.
The MOD is stretched for cash, there are tradeoffs between ongoing costs and money spent on new eqpt.

FEOS wrote:

And nobody's getting "wiped out" by anything.
Scroll down this list and count the "Explosions"
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/5121552.stm
They need better vehicles and are barely starting to get them
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7703703.stm

They need more helicopters and aren't getting them.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/po … 20161.html
http://www.reuters.com/article/featured … USLU373842

I'm just asking if they have the right eqpt. and tactics, I reckon they don't.

Last edited by Dilbert_X (2009-11-04 04:58:24)

Fuck Israel
RAIMIUS
You with the face!
+244|7001|US
Let's look at some choices...
(From fas.org stats)

Javelin:
Range: 2000m
Armor penetration: 600+mm

AT-4
Max effective range: 400m
Armor penetration: 400mm

M-72 LAW
Max effective range: 200m
Armor penetration: approx. 300mm

Which do you give to the troops in Afghanistan?
jord
Member
+2,382|6965|The North, beyond the wall.
Just to put the Javelin in a cost perspective. The MOD spent £30 million on destroying cluster munitions last year. We didn't sell them to the many countries that still use them, including the US. We spent that much destroying unused equipment. 60k for a Javelin pales in comparison as it's actually one of the best pieces of kit we have.
Cybargs
Moderated
+2,285|7003

Dilbert_X wrote:

FEOS wrote:

And--as has been stated before--those Javelins have zero to do with the MRAPs and helos that are needed. That's simply not how acquisitions works.
The MOD is stretched for cash, there are tradeoffs between ongoing costs and money spent on new eqpt.
Cut down Air Force spending. In current warfare, it is unnecessary for such an expensive airforce.
https://cache.www.gametracker.com/server_info/203.46.105.23:21300/b_350_20_692108_381007_FFFFFF_000000.png
Mekstizzle
WALKER
+3,611|6908|London, England

RAIMIUS wrote:

Let's look at some choices...
(From fas.org stats)

Javelin:
Range: 2000m
Armor penetration: 600+mm

AT-4
Max effective range: 400m
Armor penetration: 400mm

M-72 LAW
Max effective range: 200m
Armor penetration: approx. 300mm

Which do you give to the troops in Afghanistan?
I'm no Armchair general but all of those have their own uses. They all weigh differently, have differently sized warheads and are used in different situations. An M72 weighs 2.5Kg and a Javelin fully loaded weighs about 16Kg more.

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