The Gulf War
The Gulf War was much more than a fight to liberate Kuwait. It was the first non-conventional war; in which new, fairly new, or even experimental weapons were used. The Gulf War displayed much new technology that you will learn lots about in this paper. This paper may sound very technical, but that is what it is about, the new weapon technology vs. the conventional types of weapons used in previous wars. This paper is about the advancement of weapon technology, and how the military changed the tactics used before.
TOMAHAWK MISSILE and the F-117 Nighthawk (Stealth Fighter)
The Tomahawk cruise missile is a computer-guided missile fired from U.S. combat vessels carrying either 1,000-lb. warheads or a cluster of 166 soda-can-sized ‘bomblets’. The warhead can hit within a few feet of its target. This is one of the backbone attacks of the war. This weapon allowed allied forces to destroy buildings in a very populated area without harming any civilians.
The Tomahawk cruise missile (the BGM-109) is a 20-foot-long weapon costing $1.3 million. A booster rocket shoots the missile off a ship or submarine. Then the small turbofan engine takes over and the missile jets toward land, directed by its “internal guidance system” which uses sensors and gyroscopes to measure acceleration and changes in direction. Once the missile crosses the shoreline, a more precise guidance method, TERCOM takes over. TERCOM scans the landscape at set checkpoints, taking altitude readings and comparing them to map data in its own computer memory. The missiles moves at about 550 miles per hour, and can make twists and turns like a radar evading fighter plane, all the while skimming over the land at 100 feet to 300 feet.
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This book told little known facts and a darker side of the war.
Blair, Arthur H. At War in the Gulf: A Chronology Press, 1992
This informative book gives in chronological order all the events in the war.
Friedman, Norman Desert Victory: The War For Kuwait Naval Institute Press, 1991.
This book provided photos and insights on the Gulf War.
Hersh, Seymour M. Missile Wars Press, 1994
This book provided useful information on the missiles used in Desert Storm.
Mc Cain Thomas A., Shyles Leonard The 1,000 Hour War Press, 1993
This book gives a detailed summary of the Gulf War.
“ The Persian Gulf War” Encarta Encyclopedia 2000 Ed.
This article provided information on the Gulf War.
WWW.geocities.com/Athens/6506/wep.html visited 11/26/00
This web site gives pictures and specifications of air and ground weapons of the Gulf War.
In Desert Shield and Desert Storm, Iraqi forces fired 93 Scud missiles at coalition forces in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Israel. (Rostker) Air Defense Artillery (ADA) played an immensely significant role in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm with units from 11th Brigade Air Defense Artillery and the 32d Air Defense Command rapidly deploying into theater. The effectiveness of the units and their roles in fighting this war proved that Air Defense Artillery was critical to the success of the campaign. Although Patriot Batteries placed strategically throughout Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Israel played a tremendous tactical role in these wars, High-Medium Air Defense (HIMAD) was not the only type of surface to air missile system in place
1. What do you think of when you drive by that big B-52 at the museum? Being the history buff that I am, I think about Vietnam, where that old “Buff” was used the most. “Why should I care about Vietnam?” you ask yourself. Well, last time I checked there’s a history section in the PFE guide, so there might be a test later! The intent of this paper is to inform you about Operation Linebacker II. I’ll explain the events leading up to the operation, discuss the strategy, and finally I’ll sum up the results of a bombing campaign Sir Michael Knight characterized In the book Strategic Offensive Air Operation as “...may have played a role not unlike two B-29s over Japan 27 years earlier”. (Knight: 77) I’ll start by explaining why President Richard Nixon gave the order to begin this new bombing campaign.
...h Americans used planes and helicopters to deploy sustained heavy bombardment over Vietnam. During this one operation there were more bombs dropped than in the entire WW2 – 864,000 tonnes in total.
In this paper, I will provide a Battle Analysis and outline the events leading up to and surrounding the Battle of 73 Eastings (refers to a north-south grid line). In addition, I will describe how the United States Army’s (USA) 2nd Armored Calvary Regiment (ACR) defeated forces from the Iraqi Republican Guard (IRG) using speed, technology and superior combat power. Although some consider the Battle of 73 Eastings extremely successful, some consider it a failure due to the large amount of Iraqi forces that retreated towards Bagdad. Lastly, I will analyze how each side used their intelligence assets and what they could have used to change the outcome.
Mendelsohn, Jack. 1999. “Missile Defense: and it Still Won’t Work.” Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. May/June 29-31.
A majority of weapons used in World War II were improved weapons from World War II. Most guns increased in power and abilities. In World War II people thought that pistols were useless but this was proved wrong due to the fact that the U.S. Mi...
During the summer of 1946, a joint task force was given the mission to test the effects of nuclear radiation on ships, equipment and material. Formed in the winter of 1946, Joint Task Force 1 was made up of Navy, Army and civilian personnel (“Operation Crossroads, 1946”). The test was done using two atomic bombs, ABLE and BAKER. The target, was a fleet of 71 to 90 ships, depending on the source, and was made up of older U.S. ships and captured German and Japanese ships the first detonation in the series was named ABLE. ABLE was a 23 kt air burst that would fall short and to the left of its target resulting in only 5 ships being destroyed (“Operation Crossroads”). Experts determined the radiation was low enough to only require a couple of days before a crew could board the vessels and do their research. The BAKER detonation would be a similar weapon with only slight modifications to allow it to be suspended underwater. Anchored to the LSM-60, a landing ship, the BAKER detonation would test the effec...
The Mark 48 Advanced Capability (ADCAP) Torpedo is a heavyweight submarine-launched torpedo; which is the primary weapon of all U.S. Navy submarines. According to FAS Military Analysis Network, The primary goal of this weapon is to be able to “combat fast, deep-diving nuclear powered submarines and high performance surface ships.” The Mark 48 torpedo has gone through many phases of modifications over the past four decades; which have shaped this weapon in to what it is today. Throughout its history the Mark 48 Torpedo has been a revolutionary weapon. Its greatest contribution to modern naval warfare is its ability to give all U.S. Navy submarines a universal weapon to combat the world’s largest naval powers better than any previous torpedo has been able to achieve.
Armor-piercing missiles are used increasingly on attacks of both armored vehicles and the walls of buildings. They have had little success against vehicles, however, because they do not usually achieve a clean hit at the right angle in the right place, which is essential for effectiveness. Arab terrorists use the hand-held surface-to-surface Russian RPG 7 missile most commonly, and oftentimes these weapons have been largely provided to Arab governments who then can pass them on to terrorists.
The USA’s new weapon, the Hydrogen bomb, or H-bomb, was one of the most powerful weapons of the time. In 1950, the H-bomb was tested in the Eniwetok Atoll, Marshall Islands (Cold War History). The reaction was so fierce, the explosion wiped the island off the face of the earth, leaving a crater on the ocean floor. The explosion reached a range of 25 square miles and had a mushroom cloud which dropped radioactive fallout on the surrounding areas (The Cold War Museum). This new weapon scared the Soviet Union into creating their own bombs.
Oppenheimer, Andy. “Chemical Weapons In The 21St Century: Syria and Beyond.” Military Technology 37.11 (2013): 60-65. Military & Government Collection. Web. 15 Apr. 2014.
Introduction The development and usage of the first atomic bombs has caused a change in the military, political, and public functionality of the world today. The bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki revolutionized warfare by killing large masses of civilian population with a single strike. The bombs’ effects from the blast, extreme heat, and radiation left an estimated 140,000 people dead. The bombs created a temporary resolution that led to another conflict.
The Weapons that the United States soldiers used was the M-16, which is a “gas operated, magazine-fed rifle that fired a .223 caliber round. It could also fire 700-900 rounds per minute while in fully auto mode. The M-16 also had a secondary attachment called the m-203 which could fire a grenade up to 400m with a 5m casualty radius” (Meyerson). The U.S. Soldiers also used the M-60 light machine gun that could be mounted on tanks and helicopters and used as an artillery weapon. They also used the “105 mm Howitzer that shot explosive shrapnel bombs that have a fire rate of 3 to 8 rounds a minute” (History.com). The Howitzer was also used like the M 60 machine gun by being mounted to tanks and helicopters. The U.S. Soldiers used the M-79 40mm also known as the thumper which looked like a sawed of shotgun. It could fire up to 300 meters and fired a 6.5, pound grenade. The M-72 is a BBMM light anti-tank weapon that weighed 5.2 pounds. It was also used as a bunker buster and fired a 1 kg rocket that could travel 300 meters. (173dairborne)” “The US army used many different types of helicopters like the HU-1A. It had a T53-6-5 motor, which put out 700horse power and could hold up to 8,500 pound...
In 1962, at 11:00:09 pm local time on July 8th, the United States detonated a thermonuclear warhead riding atop a Thor missile at 400 km above Johnston Island at a distance of 826 miles from Honolulu, Hawaii. That night was one that many on the Hawaii Islands would never forget (Berkhouse, 1962). Operation , as the test was code named by the U.S. military, caused the first damage in the United States from an electromagnetic pulse created by a nuclear detonation. Though the damage was not intended or planned, the 1.4-megaton weapon caused “the failure of street-lighting systems, tripping of circuit breakers, triggering of burglar alarms, and damage to a telecommunications relay facility.” (EMP Commission, 2004, p. 4)
Science fiction never ceases to amaze me as I take great enjoyment in exploring these creative universes. I have always had a great interest in military science fiction for its take on technological innovation and critical analysis. Military science fiction in general is very speculative about future of technology and warfare. The military science fiction genre also serves as a critique of contemporary politics as it deals with many of the same issues that go on today. This has made military science fiction one if the most well respected genres of science fiction for it ability to indirectly criticize modern society. My Integrated Project explores the relationship between how technology that has arisen from war has been some of the most innovative and why war has become an unshakeable aspect of human existence.