• From the Guardian: US weapons research is raising a stink: The US Army's XM1063 projectile is designed to be 'non-lethal' - but is it peaceful or hovering on the brink of illegality? [Note: above original photos of relevant howitzer sent to us by our pals over at 13 Stoploss]:
.....Is the XM1063 a stink bomb, a banana skin, or a bad trip? ... XM1063 is the code name for the US army's new secret weapon which will "suppress" people without harming them, as well as stopping vehicles in an area 100m square. But is it a violation of chemical weapons treaties, or a welcome move towards less destructive warfare using non-lethal weapons? ¶ ...The first part of the weapon is an artillery round...fired from a 155mm howitzer.... It scatters 152 small non-explosive submunitions over a 1-hectare area; as each parachutes down, it sprays a chemical agent....
• CRITICAL THINKING VIDEO. A reliable reader (Bohrstein) has drawn my/our attention to a video (Here Be Dragons), which is an introduction to critical thinking by Brian Dunning of Skeptoid. I've seen most of it, and it appears to be quite good and entertaining as well.
• From the San Jose Mercury: College to expand program on solar-panel installation:.....Skyline College in San Bruno is renewing a successful solar-installation program for the fall and plans to expand its curriculum in response to the growing alternative-energy market.
.....The program trains students to become certified solar installers and is funded by a grant of about $450,000 from the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office, organizers said.
....."It's creating a pipeline for potential employees for the solar industry," said project leader Sandra Wallenstein….
9 comments:
In '05-'06, I worked with a task of Brigade MP's, under the 4th Infantry, and controlled by 3rd Army. The detainee holding facility we worked in was under close monitoring, and was less than a year after "Abu Ghraib." At the time, the top Commanding General in Baghdad, in charge of MNF-I, and before General Petraus, had disallowed the use of non-lethal ammunition. I don't know what the current policy is regarding NL, but despite its ability, and accuracy, was looked fown upon for potential use.
For GD's new NL artillery round, there are many obstacles to prevent it from actual use when produced. I'm proud to say that in all the Army, only my MOS (military occupational specialty) of 13F (Forward Observer) is authorized and trained in the placement and calling for fire from which the round would be fired. FO's (fister's) are in decline, and a potential candidate for being phased out of the Army skill set.
Because Artilery is an indirectly fired round, the firing battery is often times not close to the observer. The observer is usually dismounted with some sort of Infantry element, but communicate via FM to both the Artillery and Infantry.
In densely populated urban areas, the approval for indirect fires, whether from a mortar (60mm, 81mm, 120mm) or artillery (105mm, 155mm) has to come from a two-star general, usually a Division Commander. The time it takes in response from the enlisted FO on the ground til the time it takes for being granted or denied is far too long. From the FO, the grid coordinates must be verified by by an officer on the ground (accountability), usually a Lieutenant, the officer in charge of an Infantry Platoon. The coordinates are then sent to the Company from which the Platoon is in for verification by the Company's senior-enlisted artillery liaison, a Staff Sergeant, as well as verification by the Infantry Company Commander. This verification is important in the sense that the FO on the ground may not have the whole picture in mind of where all the friendly troops are from different platoons. The Staff Sergeant sends this information to the Battalion enlisted liaison, a Sergeant First Class. This information goes to the Battalion Commander, a Lieutenant Colonel. Then it goes to the Brigade, another SFC liaison, and to the Briagade Colonel, and the Artillery Colonel. They then contact the General for the Yes/No, and information gets sent back down the chain.
Meanwhile, back on the ground, the situation that may have required artillery support may have elapsed.
There are several problems with Artillery, and an accurate MET Data (several times daily Meteorological) and the time and space consuming need for a proper registration. Artillery adjustment makes the use in dense urban population impractical.
Chief among these, I believe, is whether or not the new rounds effects can be observed. There are several types of fire missions, and sometimes accuracy needs to be "walked onto" the target. Laser range finders and GPS to pinpoint a location can only get you as close as the observer perceives these numbers to accurately reflect the intended target.
if the round cannot be observed, one may not know whether its affects will work. With an explosion, this is obviously viewable. Sometimes, even with explosions, the rounds or its affects cannot be viewed, or heard. Mountains, tall buildings, or even the freak "where'd it go?" round is possible.
How might it be impossible for an observer to see the effects? They are often a kilometer or more away from the intended target, and even with binocular, a round such as a non-lethal might not be very visible even near the target, certainly much less when adjusting onto it... when does a hysterical extremist act more hysterical? when he laughs? cries? falls to the ground? When his vehicle stops and he gets out, and lays on the ground?
We used to think something was awry when vehicles stopped, and people got out and onto the ground. Upon inspection, turns out, they were just praying.
then there is the issue of what happens to the casing. as it is, enough rounds are already crashing into bedrooms, kitchens, and destroying gardens and trees (more mosques, please). Are we going to simply track down every casing? Impossible. What happens when an intelligent and adaptive insurgency then begins to use our waste as their weapon?
Unfortunately, Artillery is no longer relevant in today's military. Gone are the days of open field battles where the victor is last standing. No matter how modern the round becomes, it's still an outdated means to delivery. There are now better, quicker, and more reliable ways to accomplish the same task.
The Chevy small block can keep the same overall design with improvements for 50 years. It can get a few more MPG's, decrease weight, and increase the pony-tudinal output. Eventually, it will lose out to electricity, hybrid, or hydrogen.
The Air Force and Army Aviation are to Artillery what the Hybrid and Hydrogen engines are becoming to Chevy's small block.
terms to google:
target location
adjust fire
fire for effect
immediate suppression
DPICM
base-ejecting artillery munition
FM 6-30
FM 6-20-20
more google:
artillery registration
MET data
creeping fires
one-round adjust
Unfortunately, Artillery is no longer relevant in today's military.
Not exactly accurate, 13 stop-loss. Granted, artillery is perhaps not as relevant in today’s asymmetric warfare, but let’s not forget the threats that China, Iran, North Korea, Russia, and a dozen or so other less than civilized regimes present. These clowns can very easily initiate a more conventional threat where field artillery could indeed play a very important role in deciding the outcome of an engagement.
I'm not the authority, it is just my opinion, after seeing the impracticalities of the system in today's context, that towed artillery can do nothing that aviation do better, quicker, more accurate, and with far less personnel.
I also don't believe we would succeed in even shipping the personnel and equipment (artillery pieces) to any of the countries you listed, before a more conventional war could take place.
Just my .02.
Could have sworn Saddleback College used to have a solar program very similar to the Skyline one. Readers? Am I out to lunch?
Where is Saddleback College?
Saddleback College is in Southern California, in Orange County in a city called Mission Viejo. It is the sister school to Chunk's and Reb's Irvine Valley College. Mission Viejo is about halfway between Los Angeles and San Diego. Geography lesson over!
The US Army has always been and is still very "heavy" when it comes to getting to the fight. Getting soldiers to the battlefield has always been a logistics nightmare.
But things are indeed changing and artillery pieces are part of the change. They're lighter and smaller but retain their lethality and accuracy. End result, a force-multiplier with increased flexibility and deployability, and would definitely be used against any threat posed by the aforementioned nations.
It is premature to think artillery is obsolute. The old saying is as relevant today as it was centuries ago, "Artillery lends dignity to what would otherwise be a vulgar brawl."
OK, I'm wrong.
Useless? No.
Obsolete? Not yet.
Nearing the end? Possibly.
Have never heard that quote, though it would make as much sense if you substituted aviation for artillery.
Lastly, while I'm counting the days for the towed Artillery, our Abrams seem to be going strong. Damn strong.
I still prefer:
"The Queen doesn't do shit until the King is laid."
I reckon, according to my own beliefs, this may soon change as well.
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