after seeing the MLRS in the gulf,one would never wantt to be under those bomblets,it's a groundpounders worst nightmare,can't say armor would be to thrilled with the more advance anti-tank warheads either.....I've often thought all kuwait really needed for a proper defence,given the terrain, was a wall around the country of MLRS&MLRS-ER and a few stingers to handel the Iraq army...But I think there is a real rebirth of field-tube systems going on,with the Crusader-light being the F-22 of artillery. Along with the South Africans, the crusader brings range and multi-round on target(from one tube)to new levels...This and given the new type of western only limted death-toll style warfare couple with the fact the world as a whole is far more urban,the 155/52 offers far greater precision and lower cost.The latter being something artillerymen being a tight-fisted lot will make a strong case for...Odd thing is just as the MLRS and ATCM's made it quite hard for armies to gather in large formations,and everyone saying tube is dead because of it. The world shifted to taking out a small group inside a four story building,and while everyones GPSbomb'aircraft happy combo at the moment,new tube systems when fielded will offer greater time on target, more rapid response(a few guys 60k's away sleeping inside a crusader and a target team outside any city would make the air force hard pressed to match that time) and a far less chance of stray bombs going off on there own....This and GPS jamming systems in wider use around high-value targets is just around the conner,the air foces is already working on anti-jamming GPS in their bombs driving up cost,and while the crusader vehicel itself has GPS (and some rounds) you can't jam dead steel......anyway just a thought.....Allan |