Iraq takes the Russian appraoch to battling ISIS

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http://aviationweek.com/blog/fuel-air-rockets-arrive-iraq

Russian Fuel Air Explosive rockets, so effective in the battle for Grozny are now in country.

The US may as well pull the Hellfire armed predators out now if the rules have changed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOiylaQj2xc

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Given the relative effectiveness of FAE based on the FOAB, those 240kg FAE warheads are roughly equivalent to lobbing Mk-84s downrange.

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A disaster in the making for sure.

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The US may as well pull the Hellfire armed predators out now if the rules have changed.

?

The IDF used both FAEs and Hellfires when assaulting the Hizbullah bunkers on the Lebanese border. They're not mutually exclusive weapons.

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No I'm sure they're not. I was implying that precision had gone out the window that is all.

The West goes to great lengths to develop precision munitions and still gets into a mess fighting in urban centres, whilst the Russians (and those who follow their approach to things) look for cost effective ways to remove the urban centres.

Sorry if that is glib.

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Russia has its own precise munitions, so I don't really follow the logic.
TOS-1 is specifically made for anti-personnel destruction over a wide area (not in a dense civilian filled urban area), no different from other artillery means.

In recent snap drills (Russian army) it was used on fields and ravines and other targets that were not urban at all.

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No I'm sure they're not. I was implying that precision had gone out the window that is all.

The West goes to great lengths to develop precision munitions and still gets into a mess fighting in urban centres, whilst the Russians (and those who follow their approach to things) look for cost effective ways to remove the urban centres.

Sorry if that is glib.


That's a naive point of view. Both countries have MLRSs and cluster bombs. Both countries have MOAB/FOAB type devices. It's not what you've got, it's how you use it..... as they say.

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It's not naive and i am not getting drawn into a Russia versus the west debate. I am also aware that Russia has precision weapons.

The FAE in question have been used to depopulate urban areas in the past as well as the hidden underground targets they were designed for.

By the way I am talking about a Western perspective, and not comparing the US with Russia. We shall have to wait and see how these rockets are used. Given the lack of an Iraqi airforce, is it the case that they are effectively taking the place of air strikes I wonder?

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They only bought a few out of a big artillery deal with Russia, and given the short range of the system, I guess they are intended for special operations, not general use.

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No I'm sure they're not. I was implying that precision had gone out the window that is all.

The West goes to great lengths to develop precision munitions and still gets into a mess fighting in urban centres, whilst the Russians (and those who follow their approach to things) look for cost effective ways to remove the urban centres.

Sorry if that is glib.


Iraq is also buying lots of helicopters. that is as precise weopons as you can get for picking individual targets.
Nato simply run out of precision in only 4 million country Libya. and it still did not prevent failed state.
TOS-1A just one of visible export item and it maybe needed at some places. it is the invisible training and intelligence that matters.

http://www.defense-aerospace.com/articles-view/release/3/155847/russia-plans-to-build-%E2%80%9Csafe-cities%E2%80%9D-in-latin-america.html

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Nato simply run out of precision in only 4 million country Libya. and it still did not prevent failed state.

That is nonsense, Nato didn't run out of anything. Silly boy.

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That is nonsense, Nato didn't run out of anything. Silly boy.

Norway and Denmark AF depleted their A2G ammo during the Libya conflict.
But it may been a calculated move, cause then their would get newer and better ammo ordered up. :)

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Norway and Denmark AF depleted their A2G ammo during the Libya conflict.
But it may been a calculated move, cause then their would get newer and better ammo ordered up. :)

Yeah I know, the idea that NATO ran out is preposterous though.

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Norway and Denmark AF depleted their A2G ammo during the Libya conflict.
But it may been a calculated move, cause then their would get newer and better ammo ordered up. :)

Weapons have a shelf life. If you don't use them, they become waste.

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Right. Even a better reason to just get rid of their inventory, and then order up more. :)

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Arrival of first three Mi-28NE helicopters to Iraq

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Yeah I know, the idea that NATO ran out is preposterous though.

Yep.

There were claims that the UK was running out of Brimstone, for example. Er - no. Stocks of dual-mode Brimstone got a bit low, but most of our Brimstones were't dual-mode. We had plenty of standard models in stock. And the RAF never had any constraint on operations as a result of shortages of DMB: there were always enough. The only effect of munitions usage in Libya on UK stocks, AFAIK, is that we placed some more orders to bring stocks back up to a prudent level.

Ditto for all the major countries, & hence NATO overall. Denmark & Norway are small countries which were heavily engaged in proportion to the size of their air forces & their munitions inventories.

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Iraqi Su-25K received new serials. So far identified: IqAF 2513, IqAF 2519, IqAF 2520, IqAF 2521

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Some videos on Iraqi Su-25s at work. Love the sound the GSh-30-2 makes :)

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Wicked sound of the GSh-30-2!