Palestinian Rockets.

 Unguided Projectiles?

Many terrorists grouping world wide have a history in using unguided rockets and mortar tubes in their attacks in the name of liberation?  

Meanwhile many people across the world will have sympathy for the self determination of being occupied by a foreign power Israel, forgetting that some thirty years ago the IRA fired mortars at No:10 downing street for their liberation from protestant imperial occupation?

What are these rockets and where do they come from in the case of the Palestinians, Iran and N-Korea, paid with by European Union medical aid, for the IRA it was home made pipes copied from Libyan supplied armaments.

In other parts of the world, Abu-Sa'if used captured U.S. equipment and so it is the same worldwide, but mainstream armies also use rocket artillery Russia being a world leader in the development of the original Kaytushka in the the BM-series which is still in production, the U.S and NATO were late into rocket artillery, and yet they had some of the first systems?

Ancient China was the first known to use rockets in their warfare and put fear into their enemies, with gunpowder mixtures, but today anything from shrapnel, ball bearings to high explosives can be used and some have either nuclear shell casing or material than can be cause of serious burns and various illnesses, if not also biological viruses? 

African Technology. One.

Arms, civilian and Space!

Republic of South-Africa is the leading military industry complex on the continent of Africa and has a well established arms industry in aviation and vehicles as well as small arms! Atlas was responsible for the conversion and adaption of many aircraft and helicopters to meet local conditions and requirements in the long wars in Namibia, Rhodesia/Zimbabwe and Botswana.

French Mirage jets to an Israeli co-opt development programme, Aloutte-II/III conversions for bush operations. Many trucks and jeeps along with former British armour went under prolonged development to meet the local requirement from ANC resistance to full out war.

Today BAE Systems has an extensive military component in the RSA with a huge range of vehicles on offer.

Kenya and Nigeria meantime have extensive experience in rocketry and the launching of western satellites, which has encouraged them to develop their own ideas about going into space. 

Meanwhile both have also over the years developed their own drones for battlefield operation, perhaps more so Nigeria than any other.

Egypt, Algeria and Ethiopia also have their own successful similar industries and with the advent of more and more computer technology a bright future to move away from small fire arms and artillery?

Logistics. One.

Behind every great Army!

Logistics is a specialist field of organisation that is in its own right a calling and discipline and when it is implemented in a right manner any military, civil or humanitarian operation will be a success to only the point of human failure somewhere in the machine of organisation?

When we see the last of these great military parades today of tanks and missiles, artillery and marching soldiers around the world and even the changing of the guard, there is much organisation and infrastructure behind all this pomp that is never seen by the mainstream general public?

If one has worked as a caretaker or specialises in events management, then you have the advantage of having the ability to change the seating layout for over one-hundred people at short notice?

This means moving whole rows without dismantling them down to individual seats and so this is the same with support and logistics?

New Life. Part-One.

Secondhand military Market.

Most of the worlds military forces have to decommission their stock after a number of years and these end up in storage. So begins the journey of a Newer Life for this equipment, refurbished and checked with perhaps a new paint scheme they are sold on to whoever the government permit them to go to.

U.S. machines have ended up in Afghanistan, the Balkans and Iraq, Meanwhile British vehicles are sold world-wide to both other military and also to missionary agencies. France, Germany, Spain and Italy follow suit.

Vehicles from Land rovers, Unimogs, trucks are the versatile types to sell on to both civil and military usage? MBT, armoured cars ARV's go along with artillery to developing countries. The sale of older type helicopters and training aircraft is very popular. The life span of most machines, with re-fits may be endless? 

Aircraft are a different subject, after withdrawal they have a limited time because of wing fatigue which is hard to detect and expensive to repair. The training jets such as BAE Hawks and French Alpha jets have done well.

Military Trucks. Part-One.

Multi-Role Amphibians.

Military requirements for their need to mover troops and other equipment means that they have to be far different from civil or commercial vehicles. Most military trucks are higher from the ground and today the amphibious capability, even on limited scale is a standard requirement.

The British army at one point relied on a limited number of home built British designs from Bedford TM 6-6 to heavy lifters and recovery such as the Scammel and Foden Alpha A36R. But today with the international market being so open and the various alliances which have had to be formed over the years to fight various wars and International terrorism the choice is limitless. 

The German Man HX77 8x8 and Japanese/U.S. Izuzu-Okhosh has been one of the biggest providers to the U.K., with Japan providing other specialist trucks. These trucks are required to move Main battle tanks and missiles, from Nuclear to Surface to surface. 

Many trucks are used for munitions re-supply, recovery, and hauling field artillery. ambulances, chemical, radioactive and biological units, radio, radar, and other command and communications. 

But many Bedford and Foden's are still in use, by the British and have been exported to the commonwealth and other buyers.

Wales Airshow 2015. Part-Three.

Military Armour.

This like many other airshows throught the United Kingdom is about fresh recruitment to the British Armed forces and apart from the aircraft on show were a variety of military vehicles from heavey armour such as the Vickers Challenger-II Main Battle Tank boasting a 122mm gun to various logistics vehicles Mack refuelling tanker, MAN trucks, and the Okohosh heavy transport.

The Supacat Coyote 4x4 three man armoured car and the Alvis Scimitar with a 30mm canon, which is part of the Scorpion tracked Armoured Reconnaisance family.  The Vickers AS90 Self-Porpelled Gun 155mm was another of the heavies, in service since 1986.

There were reported to be a Warrior APC and 105mm field Artillery on display, but I did not see them! There wer also a selection of Land Rovers and Range Rovers both Army and RAF and various Civil Scania tank and heavey transporters.

Rockets. Part-One.

Rockets and Missiles.

Here in the British Isles 'Halloween and Guy Fawkes nights are almost upon us and it is a traditional time for the buying and firing of Fireworks. Millions of pounds will be spent for that moment of joy and fun. The origins of the rocket as a firework goes back thousands of years to ancient China, were they were used for entertainment, but we now know that they were also used as a weapon.

Modern rocketry is associated today with Space launches and military missiles, rockets have become an engine driving a payload up and over.

There is much more to the rocket and the concept of the projectile, which today combines the weapons of the past. Such as the Spear, Javelin and Arrow. Next year (2014), I will cover this in more detail, with the relationship to Artillery and the weapons such as the Bazooka and Rocket Propelled Grenade.