Combat laser
Just last year, the world press reported on the demonstration by the US Navy in the Persian Gulf of a combat laser installed on board ships. The 100-watt installation is 30 million times more powerful than a conventional laser pointer; its adjustable beam can, at a minimum, disable all on-board electronics of an enemy ship or aircraft, and at a maximum, completely destroy a ship or aircraft. The Pentagon assured that all testing of the new weapon is over and it is in full combat readiness.
Grenade launcher with computer
Laser technology is also present in the American XM-25 grenade launcher, which is also equipped with a computer. The four-round magazine contains four 25 mm ammunition, each of which is programmed when aimed at a target in such a way that it hits it in a non-contact manner - the explosion occurs the moment it passes the target. This valuable quality is used when firing at an enemy in cover. XM-25 grenade launchers are already in service with the US Army and Special Forces.
"Quantum Invisibles"
Another innovation is “quantum stealth”: a target becomes virtually invisible and hides its thermal radiation thanks to naturally occurring “metamaterials” that cause light to bend around that target. Reducing the risk of detection - or at least providing a "delay" in detection - makes this new technology particularly valuable to special forces. The Americans are somewhat hesitant with the widespread introduction of “invisible camouflage” due to fears that it could fall into the hands of terrorists from al-Qaeda, the so-called. "Islamic State", "Hezbollah", etc.
Electromagnetic rail installations
Traditional artillery and missile systems that use certain chemicals (gunpowder, hydrocarbon fuel, etc.) are being replaced by electromagnetic rail systems that use magnetic field energy to launch a warhead. Such a system is capable of delivering a projectile over a distance of 100 nautical miles (185.2 km) at a speed of 7,200 to 9,000 km per hour and with an energy of 32 megajoules. The American military considers this weapon equally valuable for both defensive and offensive actions (with its help you can significantly strengthen your air defense and missile defense, as well as more effectively suppress the enemy’s air defense and missile defense). The US Navy is working to double the range of electromagnetic rail systems - they want to bring their range to 200 nautical miles. The Chinese armed forces are testing their analogue of this weapon.
Pulse weapons in space
Fantasy scenarios are being developed for space - despite international protests against the use of outer space for military purposes. The United States, Russia, China and other major powers are considering a wide range of possibilities, some of which would be straight out of a science fiction novel: for example, sending an asteroid towards Earth - directly into enemy territory. But it is much more realistic, for example, to equip orbital spacecraft with nuclear or non-nuclear electromagnetic pulse weapons, with the help of which one can disable power supply systems on enemy territory, his command centers, computer networks, etc.
Space-based lasers
Centers for advanced defense technology (such as the American DARPA) have long been eyeing space-based laser weapons. It could intercept intercontinental ballistic missiles in the active part of the trajectory in which the vehicle’s propulsion engine operates (after which it begins to fly by inertia) - in other words, before reaching maximum speed - which increases the chances of hitting the target. Lasers deployed in space are practically invulnerable to the weapons that the enemy can use against land- and sea-based missile defense. In light of the missile ambitions (and progress) of Iran and North Korea, not to mention increasingly sophisticated missiles falling into the hands of Hamas and Hezbollah terrorists, Americans are showing increased interest in this technology. But, for obvious reasons, very little information is available about this.
Supersonic rockets
The United States (in parallel with Russia, India, China, etc.) is actively working to transform cruise missiles into supersonic weapons. These missiles have the highest accuracy, but their flight speed is low. In 1998, when, following terrorist attacks on US embassies in Africa, US Navy ships in the Arabian Sea launched cruise missiles at al-Qaeda bases in Afghanistan, the missiles took 1 hour and 20 minutes to reach their target. If supersonic cruise missiles had been available then, their flight time would have been 12 minutes, and Osama bin Laden would probably have been eliminated then, and not 13 years later. Now a powerful consortium of several US defense departments, as well as Boeing and Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, is closely working on the X-51A supersonic cruise missile. According to the American press, the US Navy is developing another - underwater - supersonic missile.
Drones with high intelligence
We can talk about the weapons of the future for a long time, but I will limit myself to one more type of it - this is a whole class of weapons that replace a person, requiring only remote control from him. The most famous representative of this class is the drone (as unmanned aerial vehicles are called). The Americans use drones on a massive scale to conduct reconnaissance and carry out air strikes on targets in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia, etc. What is new in this already old weapon is the upcoming use of artificial intelligence in it, which will allow smart machines to make independent decisions. For example, we are talking about the fact that a drone, having received the task of striking a certain target (for example, terrorist leaders) located in an invulnerable shelter, will wait for hours for the target to appear on the surface in order to deliver a deadly blow to it.
With the advent of modern technology, the art of war has undergone and continues to undergo radical changes. The only thing that remained unchanged was the war. And its main rule: in order to preserve the true strength and capabilities of the arsenal, you need to hide them from the enemy. The most important military secrets are revealed only to a select few who can be trusted to carry out the mission. It is not surprising that in wartime (and in peacetime, in general) espionage flourishes so much.
Maybe there is an iron man
Here, on this side of the ocean, since the times of the bipolar world, we have been as interested in the achievements of the Americans as they are in ours. The US government cannot disclose complete information about its national defense tools and tactics, even to its own citizens. Therefore, there must be at least a few cases where military weapons were developed and deployed without the knowledge of the American public.
What weapons might the US have? What do we know, at least indirectly? What if the American people themselves become the opponent of the military buildup of the American nation? What fantastic kinetic, psychological, biological and energetic weapons may be hiding from public knowledge? We learned something.
The ancient Greek mathematician Archimedes made history 2,000 years ago as the first person to use directed energy weapons. According to ancient legend, during the Roman invasion of Syracuse, Archimedes quickly built a hexagonal mirror when the Roman admiral Marcellus brought his ships within range of an arrow.
Archimedes, apparently, managed to capture the energy of the Sun and direct it to the sails of the ships, after which they burst into flames. MIT students were able to recreate this effect in 2005, but noted that their mirror was only able to effectively ignite a stationary target.
Although scientific knowledge has advanced significantly since the time of Archimedes, the basic theoretical principles of directed energy weapons have remained the same. These weapons deal damage from a distance by firing an intensely concentrated beam of energy at the target.
Different types of energy weapons fired different types of energy, but the most popular form of directed energy weapon today may be the High Energy Laser (HEL). It functions exactly like a laser from a science fiction movie. It directs a silent beam of energy, invisible at certain frequencies, capable of incinerating a target hundreds of kilometers from the source.
HELs are being developed by US military contractors supposedly for use in missile defense and space battles. Some believe that such weapons can be used for more sinister purposes.
When the Thomas Fire broke out in California in December 2017, many noted that the damage to private property did not fit with conventional wisdom about how a wildfire should behave. Although wildfires spread through forest foliage, entire neighborhoods were burned to the ground while surrounding trees were left untouched.
There has been no official explanation for this anomalous phenomenon and is not expected, but videos have appeared on the Internet showing rays of light breaking from the sky. Given that HELs are typically mounted in the nose of aircraft, some have concluded that the fire was caused by testing of directed energy weapons.
Long range acoustic devices
A new type of crowd control weapon came to the fore during protests in Ferguson, Missouri, in 2014. Ferguson police demonstrated the capabilities of the latest equipment designed to suppress civil unrest, including LRAD sound cannons.
Capable of projecting voice commands over a distance of 9 kilometers, the LRAD (Long Range Acoustic Device) causes severe bodily pain to anyone within 100 meters of the sound's path. LRAD manufacturers tend to call their products "devices" rather than weapons, for obvious reasons. But anyone who has been exposed to LRAD knows well that it is the ultimate weapon.
Just ask the American diplomats stationed in Cuba, who have recently begun to lose their hearing. However, the exact structure of the sonic cannons is not disclosed.
Low frequency microwave mind control
The sonic attacks on the US embassy in Cuba have revived long-standing fears about another type of secret weapon. In 1965, at the height of the Cold War, the Pentagon discovered that the USSR was irradiating the US Embassy in Moscow with extremely low-frequency microwave radiation.
This radiation is too weak to fry anyone, but it was “determined” that the “Soviet signal” could have affected the health or behavior of embassy staff. Instead of stopping it, the Pentagon decided to study the potential effects of the signal and try to imitate them at home.
DARPA, then a relatively new branch of the US Department of Defense, subsequently launched an initiative called Project Pandora and began researching the effects of low-frequency microwave research on primates. Although the results were inconclusive, project leader Richard Cesaro remained convinced until Pandora was folded in 1969 that low-frequency microwave radiation posed a serious threat to U.S. national security.
The Pentagon never figured out what the USSR was doing with the American embassy, and resolved the situation by putting a tinfoil hat on the embassy, only in the construction equivalent: an aluminum screen surrounding the perimeter of the complex.
Although DARPA closed the case in 1969, research conducted since then has shown that low-frequency microwave and radio waves can indeed have harmful effects on the human body. Since then, it has been demonstrated that the signals emitted and received by mobile phones have an impact on consciousness, disrupting natural sleep cycles.
Today, the world is overloaded with invisible signals that keep us informed and connected. But how little do we know about this ubiquitous radiation and how it can affect our health and even our thoughts?
Weapons that cause heart attacks
After Watergate in the early 1970s, Democratic Senator Frank Church headed a committee examining any CIA actions that might violate the secret intelligence agency's charter. It was believed that the CIA had amassed too much undue power unilaterally under the guise of the Cold War, and the Church Committee was created to expose this nefarious conspiracy to the American people.
Although history shows us that the Church Committee's efforts to curb the CIA's totalitarian zeal were ultimately ineffective, this 1975 investigation yielded several interesting findings. One of the discoveries was the so-called Heart Attack Gun, a modified pistol capable of delivering a virtually undetectable but absolutely lethal dose of shellfish toxin into the body of a remote target.
The darts fired by these silent weapons could theoretically leave a sting comparable to a mosquito bite and would dissolve almost instantly into body tissue after delivering a payload so poisonous that the target would almost certainly have a heart attack within moments. It is unknown whether this weapon was ever actually used. But, as far as we know, it can be actively used to this day.
Magnetohydrodynamic explosive ammunition
The book Earthlight by Arthur C. Clarke, the legendary 20th century science fiction writer, features a futuristic weapon that uses electromagnetism to launch jets of molten metal into space that puncture and destroy an attacking fleet. This type of armor-piercing weapon is not so fantastic at all. Since World War II, various weapons manufacturers have supplied combatants with weapons of war called self-propelled penetrators.
Using a chemical explosion and a metal insert, the penetrators overtake the armored vehicle, and then change their shape to penetrate deeper into the target. However, traditional penetrators are ineffective and difficult to use, creating a need for more effective weapons to penetrate armor.
DARPA has developed a specialized projectile that can close this niche - Magneto Hydrodynamic Explosive Munition (MAHEM). Using electromagnetism to form and direct a steady stream of molten metal at an armored target, MAHEM is much more adaptable than a conventional penetrator and more closely resembles the fictional weapon featured in Earthlight.
Apart from these simple details, nothing else is known about this secret military project. However, there are rumors that the China University of Science and Technology in Nanjing dismantled and created an analogue of MAHEM for its own purposes.
As with many other aspects of the shadow war for world domination being waged between the superpowers of the east and west, the full details surrounding the development and deployment of these terrible weapons will never be made available to the general public.
Biological weapons
From 1949 to 1969, the US military tested biological weapons on its own people without their knowledge or consent. One such experiment took place in 1950, when a US Navy ship released billions of tiny microbes into the atmosphere over San Francisco, causing a massive outbreak of disease and possibly killing one of the residents.
Another incident took place on the New York City subway in 1966, when scientists threw light bulbs filled with bacteria onto the tracks to test how train traffic could spread these potentially deadly pathogens. Other experiments were carried out: entire cities were drowned in a cloud of zinc cadmium sulfide under the pretext of providing a smoke screen to shelter the population in the event of nuclear war.
The military says it did all this to learn how to better protect its citizens, but many wonder whether the benefits of such reckless experimentation really outweigh the drawbacks.
Dangerous pathogens released into the atmosphere may be the least of the biological threats faced by Americans. In 2016, DNI Director James Clapper expressed concern that gene editing technologies could become weapons of mass destruction if in the wrong hands.
The science of gene editing has spread throughout the modern world, seemingly largely unaffected by the potentially detrimental consequences of eroding the genetic structure of the biosphere.
While naturally occurring pathogens are already bad, genetic engineering has made it possible to create secretly developed biological weapons that could wipe out entire populations overnight. But microbes equipped with superpowers, thanks to the efforts of scientists, may pose less of a threat than other types of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) spread among the unsuspecting population.
In 2013, a group of about 300 scientists formally debunked suggestions that there was scientific consensus that GMOs were safe for humans to eat. This announcement led to numerous restaurant and grocery store chains removing GMOs from their shelves entirely and requiring manufacturers to state non-GMO status on their product labels.
Nevertheless, agribusiness corporations continue to change the genetic code of major grains, corn and soybeans, hiding behind custom-made scientific articles that GMOs do not pose a threat to the human body or the biosphere.
The US government actively funds agribusiness giants like Monsanto. If GMOs are truly harmful to the human body, the endless spread of these unnatural organisms can be regarded as a continuation of inhumane experiments on citizens carried out by the government.
Subconscious Control
It is well known that subliminal messaging is widely used in advertising. This type of marketing usually taps into the population's basic urges to get people to buy a product or service. But what if the principles used in subliminal advertising are also used by the CIA, for example, for espionage and mind control.
A declassified CIA document entitled "The Operational Potential of Subliminal Perception" details a methodology for playing with the principles of subliminal perception that persuades a person to do something they would not normally do.
Although the document's author ultimately concludes that the operational effectiveness of subliminal perception is "extremely limited," the CIA is known to be no stranger to using the underbelly of human perception.
Flying aircraft carriers
In the late 1920s, the US Navy began to explore the tactical potential of aircraft carriers. Two Zeppelin airships were built, USS Akron and USS Macon, each capable of carrying 60 people and capable of deploying and recovering Sparrowhawk fighters in flight. However, both naval flying aircraft carriers met a sad end, and their remains now rest on the ocean floor.
Recently, however, rumors have surfaced that DARPA plans to reopen this chapter of American history and begin developing aircraft carriers for military use. Only this time they will be carried by drones rather than manned aircraft. The Gremlins program will involve a modified C-130 airlift equipped with stealthy drones capable of stealthily penetrating enemy defenses.
Given that DARPA loves to suddenly announce plans for already completed projects as soon as the public learns about them, there may well be Gremlins already flying over people's heads.
Project Thor
Project Thor is a technology designed by Jerry Pournelle in the 1950s. According to the creator's plan, it was supposed to incinerate enemies with blows from above.
This type of kinetic energy-based penetrator (often called "God rods") would in theory consist of a pair of satellites. One serves for guidance, and the other is equipped with 6-meter tungsten rods that are dropped onto the target from orbit. Capable of penetrating hundreds of meters of the Earth's crust, these Thor impacts could cause damage equivalent to that of a nuclear explosion, but without the radioactive fallout.
Although the cost of delivering such rods into orbit is considered prohibitive, reviving the Project Thor initiative was seriously considered during the George W. Bush administration. With $21 trillion at its disposal and no accountability to the Department of Defense, the US government can secretly work on anything and spend whatever it wants.
HAARP
Hugo Chavez brought international attention to the HAARP facility in Alaska when he accused the US Air Force of using this high-frequency transmitter to activate the 2010 Haiti earthquake. Until then, such complaints about this US Air Force research station were usually made only by crazy people in tinfoil hats.
Speculation about HAARP's dark side cooled slightly when the Air Force announced that the ionospheric research facility would close its doors in 2014. But when HAARP was rediscovered in 2017, the rumors began to spread again, this time from the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
Admittedly, from a PR perspective, it was not the best decision for the UAF to choose a man-made weather event as its first experiment. When the new custodians of HAARP announced plans to create an aurora that would be invisible to the naked eye in the skies over Alaska, many saw it as confirmation of the station's controversial weather manipulation research.
Although the HAARP program has been repeatedly accused of manipulating the weather and people using radio waves, none of these claims have been proven or disproved.
The United States of America is one of the most armed countries in the world. And the point here is not only in the equipment of army units: for almost 315 million US residents there are about 270 million civilian weapons. That is, on average, 89 out of 100 people there own pistols, shotguns and assault rifles, and weapons in America surpass even cars in their popularity.
Weapons are a vital element of the US economy: in early January 2013, Bloomberg reported that Washington had sent $49 million in subsidies to gunsmiths over five years.
The sale of guns in the United States is regulated, but the severity of this regulation varies and depends on the specific state. In most cases, any adult without mental illness, a criminal record, or a documented history of violence can buy a gun. However, automatic weapons were placed in a special category (Class III firearms) in the United States (manufacturers of assault rifles, by the way, received 19 out of 49 million in aid). To purchase it, you must obtain a license from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (BATF), submit your fingerprints and pay a tax of $200. However, only automatic weapons manufactured and registered before 1986 are allowed for sale. Lenta.ru decided to find out which guns are most popular among US residents.
Pistols and revolvers
According to How Stuff Works, which cites the US Department of Justice, approximately 58 percent of the country owns pistols and revolvers. The National Shooting Sports Foundation, in turn, estimates sales of handguns at about thirty percent of the entire American gun market. Another third each comes from long-barreled weapons and ammunition.
It is difficult to name a clear leader among short-barreled weapons in the United States. According to a survey conducted on the USA Carry portal, the most popular pistols among Americans are Ruger LCP, Glock 19, 23, 26 and 27, as well as various versions of the Colt M1911A1 military pistol. Among revolvers, Smith & Wesson models are considered the “hottest”.
The Colt 1911 .45 caliber (11.43 millimeter) was developed in 1911 and until recently was the standard in the US military. It is still in service with American law enforcement agencies, including the FBI and police. In total, about 2.7 million of these pistols were produced. In addition, the model is produced under license by a number of other companies, including Springfield, Taurus and Rock Island.
Austrian Glock pistols are considered one of the best in the world. They appeared on the American market in the 1980s and quickly gained popularity. The USA Carry survey named the compact Glock 19 as the most popular on the market. It has been produced since 1988 and is chambered for 9x19 mm Parabellum caliber cartridges. With relatively small dimensions (length 174 millimeters, weight 890 grams), the weapon can be supplied with magazines for 15, 17, 19 or 33 rounds. As noted on the manufacturer’s website, the pistol received high marks from US Air Force personnel.
The Ruger LCP (Lightweight Compact Pistol) nine-millimeter subcompact pistols appeared in 2008 and are now one of the market leaders. According to USA Carry, the pistol is even ahead of the Colt 1911 in popularity. Which is not surprising: with a weight of 270 grams and a length of 13 centimeters, it has sufficient power (high muzzle velocity) and easily fits into a holster on the leg or a handbag. In this case, the magazine is enough for six rounds.
The legendary Smith & Wesson Model 10 six-shooter revolver is even older than the Army Colt. It appeared in 1899, but is still in demand among Americans. For a long time, Model 10s were in service with the American police. Subsequently, based on the Model 10, Smith & Wesson released several new models, including revolvers for the .357 Magnum caliber. The authoritative publication American Rifleman ranked Smith & Wesson revolvers in second place after the Colt 1911 in the ranking of the best American short-barreled guns.
Guns
If a pistol is one of the “concealed weapons” that Americans carry with them on the street and store in car glove compartments or desk drawers, then shotguns belong at home, under a store counter or while hunting.
Among the weapons available to citizens, shotguns have the greatest stopping effect. The undisputed leader among such weapons is the Remington Model 870 pump-action shotgun. As noted on the manufacturer’s website, since the launch of the model in 1950, the company has sold over 10 million of these shotguns. In 2009, the model was recognized as the most successful shotgun in history. The Model 870 is available in several versions for different calibers. The shotgun magazine holds from three to eight rounds.
For hunters, stopping power is not enough - they also need high lethality at a sufficient distance. One of the most popular shotguns in the category, as noted by How Stuff Works, is the Thompson/Center Arms Encore 209x.50 Magnum line of breechloading shotguns. With a barrel length of 66 centimeters, the initial bullet speed reaches 671 meters per second. Such guns can be equipped with optical sights and have a lethal range of over 180 meters.
It is curious that the leader in weapon sales in the United States in 2012, according to the largest network of online weapons stores in the world, Bud’s Gun Shop, was the Mosin 1891/30 rifle of 7.62 mm caliber. These rifles have a range of two kilometers and were used by Soviet snipers during World War II. In the online store, “mosinki” were sold for $129, but they stopped being produced in the USSR in 1965.
Assault carbines and rifles
Semi-automatic versions of assault rifles and carbines are extremely popular and controversial weapons. They differ from fully automatic versions only in the rate of fire and magazine capacity: since 1994, some states have banned the sale of semi-automatic rifles with magazines with a capacity of more than 10 rounds. However, on the market, if you wish, you can quite legally buy a high-capacity magazine produced before the ban was introduced.
Assault rifles and carbines (rifles with a short barrel) have a high lethality and firing range. Thus, they are quite suitable for hunting or shooting at shooting ranges, but not for self-defense - due to their low stopping power.
The undisputed leader in the assault weapons market in the United States, as The New York Times notes, is the AR15 rifle. The rifle was developed by ArmaLite for the US military, but due to financial difficulties, the rights to the model were sold to Colt. She began to produce a model under the M16 brand. In 1963, Colt launched a semi-automatic version for the civilian market under the AR15 brand. The model is now produced by several companies, including Bushmaster, ArmaLite, Colt and Rock River Arms. The AR15 is chambered for a standard NATO 5.56mm cartridge and has an effective range of 500-600 meters with a muzzle velocity of 975 meters per second.
The second place in popularity (and if you believe Bud’s Gun Shop, then the first) among assault rifles on the American market is occupied by various semi-automatic copies of the Soviet Kalashnikov assault rifle. For the American market they are produced, in particular, in Romania and Hungary. Meanwhile, the AK has long won the title of the most popular assault rifle and, perhaps, the most common small arms in the world. In total, the AK and its copies sold over 100 million units.
Those remaining in the world, namely the United States and the Russian Federation, spent the first years in relative strategic nirvana. The leadership and people of both countries had a deceptive impression of the ensuing peace, guaranteed for many decades. The Americans considered their victory in the Cold War so convincing that they did not allow thoughts of further confrontation. The Russians did not feel like losers and expected an equal and benevolent attitude towards themselves as a people who voluntarily joined the Western democratic scale of values. Both were wrong. Very soon, a civil war began in the Balkans, in the outcome of which American weapons played a decisive role.
The US leadership considered its success in dismembering the SFRY a good omen. It went further, striving to establish complete hegemony, allowing it to control material resources on a planetary scale, and suddenly at the beginning of the third millennium it came across resistance from Russia, a country that has the will and means to protect its geopolitical interests. The United States was not ready for this confrontation.
Before and during the war
Even on the eve of World War II, the United States was a peaceful country. The American army was not numerous, and its technical equipment remained rather modest. In 1940, a certain congressman boasted that he had seen all the armored vehicles of his country’s armed forces: “All 400 tanks!” - he proudly declared. But even then, certain types of weapons were given priority, and serious achievements by American designers were observed in the field of aircraft construction. America entered the war with a powerful air fleet, which included an armada of B-17 strategic bombers, Mustang and Thunderbolt long-range fighters, and other examples of excellent aircraft. By 1944, the United States began using the latest B-29s in the Pacific Ocean, beyond the reach of Japanese air defense systems. The US fleet was also impressive, powerful, aircraft-carrying and capable of crushing objects remote from the coast.
American ones were supplied to the USSR under the Lend-Lease program, and this concept included dual-use equipment. The beautiful Studebaker trucks, Willys and Dodge Three-Quarter jeeps enjoyed the well-deserved respect of Red Army drivers, and are remembered with kind words to this day. American military weapons, that is, those that are means of directly destroying the enemy, were assessed less clearly. The Airacobra fighter, on which the famous ace I. Kozhedub fought, had truly titanic firepower, excellent maneuverability and unprecedented ergonomics, which, combined with a strong engine, contributed to the achievement of many aerial victories. The transport Douglas was also considered a masterpiece of engineering.
Tanks made in the USA were rated quite low; they were outdated both technologically and morally.
Korea and the 50s
The American weapons of the ground forces of the post-war decade were practically no different from those with which the US Army fought against Nazi Germany and practically they were the same Shermans, Willys, Studebakers, that is, either outdated models of armored vehicles, or excellent transport equipment, created by the Detroit auto industry. Aviation is another matter. By joining the race of aircraft, Northrop, General Dynamics, and Boeing achieved a lot, taking advantage of the technological superiority achieved in those years when the fire of war was raging in Europe (and not only). The largest strategic bomb carrier in history, the B-36, was adopted into service by the US Air Force, not without irony called the “Peacemaker.” The Saber jet interceptor was also good.
The USSR soon overcame the gap in the field of fighter aircraft; Soviet tanks remained unquestionably the best in the world for decades, but in many other areas American weapons were superior to Soviet ones. This was especially true for naval forces, which had large tonnage and devastating firepower. And the main factor became nuclear warheads.
The beginning of the atomic race
The arms race truly began after the appearance in the arsenals of the United States and the USSR of a large number of atomic charges and means of delivering them to the target. After the vulnerability of piston-powered strategic bombers was convincingly proven in Korean skies, the parties focused their efforts on other methods of delivering nuclear strikes, as well as technologies for parrying them. In a sense, this deadly ping-pong continues to this day. At the dawn of the arms race, even such joyful events in the history of mankind as the launch of Sputnik and the flight of Gagarin, in the eyes of military analysts acquired an apocalyptic overtones. It was clear to everyone that in the event of a major war, American weapons, even the most modern ones, would not be able to play the role of a deterrent. At that time there was simply nothing to repel the attack of Soviet missiles; all that remained was deterrence provided by the guarantee of a retaliatory strike. And the number of warheads was constantly growing, and tests were constantly taking place, now in Nevada, now on Spitsbergen, now near Semipalatinsk, now on the Bikini Atoll. It seemed that the world had gone crazy and was moving with vigorous steps towards its inevitable death. Thermonuclear (or hydrogen) bombs appeared already in 1952, less than a year later the USSR already presented its answer.
Local wars
Another illusion that arose at the dawn of the Cold War was that the fear of a nuclear apocalypse would make it impossible. In a sense, this was true. The American attack on large industrial and military areas of the USSR had the same sobering effect on the Soviet leadership as the missiles deployed in Cuba had on J. Kennedy. An open military conflict between the two superpowers never occurred. But the horror of the inevitable end did not prevent humanity from fighting almost continuously. The best American weapons were supplied to the pro-Western allies of the United States, and the USSR almost always responded to these actions by “providing fraternal assistance” to one or another freedom-loving people fighting against imperialism. It should be noted that the practice of such (often gratuitous) supplies to friendly regimes was stopped even before the collapse of the Union due to economic problems that arose. However, while the allies of the USSR and the USA were fighting among themselves, analysts had no doubt about the relative parity of the superpowers' weapons systems. In some cases, the domestic defense industry has demonstrated superiority over the overseas one. American small arms were inferior in reliability to Soviet ones.
Why doesn't the US attack Russia?
Unlike the Soviet and Russian defense industries, which have always been predominantly owned by the state, American arms firms are privately owned. Military budgets (or rather, their ratio) indicate that the US armed forces should be the most powerful in the world. The history of recent decades leads to the conclusion that their use is inevitable against an obviously weak enemy in the event of dissatisfaction with the American administration with the policies of a particular state declared a rogue state. The budget of the US Armed Forces in 2014 amounted to an astronomical amount of 581 billion dollars. The Russian figure is many times more modest (approximately 70 billion). It seems that conflict is inevitable. But it is not there, and it is not in sight, despite serious tensions with the superpowers. The question arises as to how much better the American army's weapons are than the Russian ones. And in general - is it better?
Judging by all the signs, the United States currently does not have superiority (at least overwhelming), despite the gigantic amounts of military appropriations. And there is an explanation for this. It consists of the main goals and objectives of the American military-industrial complex.
How does the American military-industrial complex work?
It's all about private ownership. American arms manufacturers are interested in observing the fundamental law of capitalist society, for which His Majesty Profit is the main shrine. Technical solutions that require little, even brilliant ones, are usually rejected outright. The new must be expensive, technologically rich, complex, and have an impressive appearance so that taxpayers can, after admiring it, be convinced that their hard-earned money was not wasted.
While there is no major war, it is difficult (if not impossible) to assess the effectiveness of these samples. And against a technically weak enemy (such as Iraq, Yugoslavia, Libya or Afghanistan), using the wonders of technology is generally a win-win. Apparently, the US Army is not going to fight a strong enemy. At the very least, it is not making technical preparations for an attack on China, India or Russia in the near future. But spending budget funds on promising secret American weapons is a win-win, but very profitable. The general public is promised hypersonic missiles and fantastic unmanned aircraft. The latter already exist, for example the Predator in strike and reconnaissance versions. True, it is unknown how effective they will be in the face of powerful air defense. Over Afghanistan and Libya they were relatively safe. The newest stealthy Raptor interceptors are also untested in combat, but they are so expensive that even the American budget cannot support them.
The main trend of recent decades
The already mentioned relaxation that came after the victory in the Cold War prompted a change in the structure of spending of the US military budget in favor of preparation for a series of local wars planned in order to achieve a new geopolitical picture beneficial for the US and NATO. from the Russian side since the beginning of the 90s it has been completely ignored. The weapons of the American army were created taking into account their use in precisely such conflicts, which are close in nature to police operations. Advantage was given to tactical means to the detriment of strategic ones. The United States still holds the world lead in the number of nuclear warheads, but most of them were manufactured a long time ago.
Despite the fact that their service life has been extended (for example, the Minutemen - until 2030), even the most cheerful optimists are not confident in their ideal technical condition. The US plans to begin developing new missiles only in 2025. Meanwhile, the Russian state did not miss the opportunity to improve its Against the backdrop of the emerging lag, the American leadership is making attempts to create systems capable of intercepting ICBMs, and are trying to move them as close as possible to the borders of the Russian Federation.
American missile defense systems
According to the plan of overseas strategists, the most likely enemy in a proposed global conflict should be surrounded on all sides by means of detecting and intercepting ICBMs, combined into a single complex. Ideally, Russia should also fall under a kind of “umbrella” woven from invisible satellite orbits and radar beams. New American weapons are already stationed at many bases in Alaska, Greenland, and the British Isles, and they are continuously being modernized. An extensive warning system for a possible nuclear missile strike is based on AN/TPY-2 radar stations located in Japan, Norway and Turkey, countries that have common borders or are closely adjacent to Russia. The Aegis early warning system was installed in Romania. According to the SBIRS program, 34 satellites are being launched into orbit according to plan.
Space resources (both literally and figuratively) are spent on all these preparations, but their real effectiveness raises certain doubts due to the fact that Russian missiles can overcome the most modern missile defense systems - both existing and being created, and even planned.
"Trunks" for export
American advanced weapons account for approximately 29% of global defense exports. Russia is coming “on the heels” of the United States with its 27 percent. The reason for the success of domestic manufacturers lies in the simplicity, efficiency, reliability and relative cheapness of the products they offer. In order to promote their goods, Americans have to act in different ways, including using political influence on the governments of importing countries.
Sometimes simplified and cheaper designs are developed for the foreign market. American small arms, which in most cases are modifications of time-tested and combat experience-tested models that have been in service since the Vietnam War (M-16, M-18 rapid-fire carbines), enjoy well-deserved success in many countries. The newest “barrels” are considered to be the P-226 pistol, the Mark 16 and 17 assault rifles and other successful designs developed in the 80s, but in terms of popularity they are far from the Kalashnikov due, again, to their high cost and complexity.
"Javelin" - American anti-tank weapon
The use of guerrilla warfare, the complex nature of the modern theater of war, and the advent of compact man-portable weapons have revolutionized the science of tactics. The fight against armored vehicles has become one of the most important tasks. Due to the expansion of the geography of local conflicts in the world, the demand for American anti-tank weapons is possible. The reason for the shift in import channels is not primarily the superiority of overseas samples over Russian ones, it lies in political motives. The Javelin anti-tank missile system has recently become most famous in connection with negotiations on possible deliveries from the United States to Ukraine. The new complex costs $2 million and includes a sighting and launch system and ten rockets. The Ukrainian side agrees to purchase used units, but at a price of $500 thousand. How the negotiations will end and whether the deal will take place is still unknown.
MOSCOW, October 13 - RIA Novosti, Andrey Kots.“The latest military developments”, weapons “that no one can imagine”, “brilliant submarines” - this is how Donald Trump described the latest achievements of the American defense industry to reporters last week. He did not provide details, but expressed the hope that all this would not have to be used in the case. About the five most ambitious weapons projects of the future - in the material of RIA Novosti.
Invisible "raider"
In September, the Americans began assembling the first prototype of the newest strategic bomber B-21 Raider. These heavy “invisible” aircraft are manufactured by the Northrop Grumman concern; the start of operation is scheduled for 2025.
Externally, the vehicle resembles the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber: both projects are based on the concept of a subsonic stealth aircraft, built according to the “flying wing” design and capable of carrying missiles or bombs in its internal compartments. One of the main tasks of a bomber is to covertly enter the area where missiles are launched or bombs are dropped to destroy enemy air defense facilities. By destroying air defense lines, the B-21 will allow tactical aircraft to operate in relative safety.
Most of the aircraft's performance characteristics are kept secret. It is known that the combat radius will be about 3,800 kilometers without refueling and more than nine thousand kilometers with refueling. The vehicle will be able to lift up to 12.5 tons of weapons and additional equipment into the air. The cost per unit is estimated at 500-600 million dollars - a significant improvement compared to the B-2, which cost the treasury a billion apiece. Between 80 and 180 of these aircraft should enter service with the US Air Force.
However, things are not going too smoothly with the armament of American strategic aviation. The only air-launched cruise missile with a nuclear warhead in the entire US arsenal is the AGM-86B, created back in the 1980s, with a 200 kiloton warhead and a flight range of about 2.5 thousand kilometers. It is seriously inferior to modern Russian ammunition of this type - the winged X-102, which was put into service in 2013. Their range exceeds three thousand kilometers, and the warhead power varies from 250 to 500 kilotons.
Quiet "Columbia"
By “brilliant submarines,” Trump most likely meant the Columbia project of advanced strategic nuclear submarines. Construction of the lead nuclear submarine is scheduled to begin in 2021. Over time, the Columbias should replace the Ohio submarines in the US Navy, which will begin to be decommissioned in 2027 - one per year. In terms of dimensions, the new boats differ little from their predecessors. The length of the Columbia is about 170 meters, the hull diameter is 13 meters, the underwater displacement is 20,800 tons. Armament - 16 Trident II D5 ballistic missiles (Ohio has 24).
The new generation submarine will receive X-shaped stern rudders, as well as horizontal depth rudders installed on the wheelhouse. Instead of a propeller there is a water-jet propulsion device. The ship's know-how is an all-electric permanent magnet propulsion system powered by turbogenerators of a nuclear power plant. This design will make the nuclear submarine much quieter than the Ohio.
In total they are going to build 12 submarines. The service life is about 42 years, and the reactors are designed to operate without reloading fuel during the entire operation period. The construction of the lead submarine will cost the American budget $6.2 billion.
To replace Apache
In early October, the American Bell Corporation presented a project for the Bell 360 Invictus combat helicopter, which will take part in the US Army competition under the FARA (Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft) program.
We are talking about replacing the huge fleet of rotorcraft “veterans” AH-64 Apache. So far, Invictus exists only on paper, so journalists were shown not a working sample, but a 3D rendering. The new helicopter will be built on the basis of the civil transport Bell 525 Relentless, which is due to its outstanding speed characteristics: during testing, the car was accelerated to 306 kilometers per hour.
The machine will be compact. The engine was developed by General Electric engineers under the Turbine engine program - GE T901. The architecture of the T700 used on Apaches will remain, but the power will increase by 50 percent. Another feature of the Invictus is a pair of wings that will provide up to half the lift at certain speeds. The helicopter's armament will be hidden in the fuselage, which will improve aerodynamic characteristics and reduce the radar signature of the vehicle. In addition to the new product from Bell, three more projects are participating in the competition. Two “semi-finalists” will be announced in April 2020. They must present flight samples of their projects by 2023.
Light tank
Since 2015, the United States has been developing a promising tracked armored vehicle with MPF (Mobile Protected Firepower) artillery weapons. The goal of the program is to create a light tank for expeditionary forces. As practice has shown, heavy Abrams are too bulky and clumsy in urban environments. To support infantry, a more compact and mobile platform is needed.
At the end of September, General Dynamics Corporation demonstrated the first prototype of the MPF program - the Griffin II light tank. Depending on the protection configuration and other features, the combat weight of the vehicle will be 35-38 tons. The Griffin will be armed with a 120-mm smoothbore cannon and two machine guns, and equipped with a modern fire control system. The body of the new chassis will be protected from small-caliber projectiles. The tower of the original design is planned to be covered with hinged modular armor.
© General Dynamics
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