BAGHDAD - Napoleon would have understood the battle for Baghdad. It was the French dictator and militarist who provided a truism of war: 'God fights on the side with the best artillery.'
American howitzers play a big role in the battle for Baghdad. For weeks, howitzers with nicknames such as Hellfire, Angry American, Destroyer and He Who Laughs Last have rained shells on Iraqi targets.
For weeks, Marine howitzers with nicknames such as Hellfire, Angry American, Destroyer and He Who Laughs Last have joined the US Army's big weapons in raining shells on Iraqi targets.
Effective fire from the big guns, Marines said, was one reason for the relatively small number of US casualties.
'This has been an artilleryman's dream,' said Gunnery Sgt Robert Kane. 'You've had lots of small towns with wide open spaces in between.'
The Marines' main artillery, the M-198 howitzer, is older than some Iraqi pieces, has a shorter range and is less powerful. Still, the Iraqi artillery has proved less effective. And when weather grounded coalition aircraft during the campaign, US artillery was there.
'Artillery is our only seven-days-a-week, 24-hours- a-day fire support system,' said Captain Joe Plenzler.
Artillery played a larger role in this war than in the 1991 Gulf War, the Marines said. In that campaign, the wide open spaces of Kuwait and southern Iraq led to tank battles and massive aerial bombing. In this war, US and Iraqi forces have at times been separated by only a few hundred metres.
Artillery barrages are made in sequence, sweeping from one side to another, giving the enemy no place to run or hide.
Studies have shown that being pinned down by artillery fire is the most demoralising and terrorising experience for troops.
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http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/iraqwar/story/0,4395,182553,00.html?---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Based on our discussion about neighbouring countries having long range arty/rockets, the article above clearly shows that it is not how long the arty rounds/rockets can reach but how one employ them in the field.
I also think that the arty pieces and any MRLS type platform would be the first strikes objectives together with any command and control targets and SAM sites.
With Apaches acting as SAF long range precision strike platforms, who knows perhaps SAF also have UAV armed with smart munitions,
then 80km Astro 2 would not pose such a dangerous threat. Of course, like Scuds and any mobile platforms, it is difficult hunting them down quickly. UAV armed platforms and Apaches represent the best options to deal with mobile arty platforms.
However, I also think that perhaps SAF/RSAF should invest more in getting more attack helos. We don't always have to get the apaches especially the longbow variant. I believe the Super Corbra and A129 Mangusta are much cheaper and have the necessary technology for CAS roles. So adding another fleet of Ah-1Z or A129 to complement the Apaches make sense.
Some of you might argue about common spare parts and stuffs... but a closer look at AH-1Z config and Apaches, you will notice they share a lot of common parts and subsystems. The much lower unit cost and maintenance cost (TCO) of both AH-1Z and A129 also make them more appealling. SAF would be able to task these cheaper helo for escort duties and CAS roles and task the Apaches for hunting mobile platforms and tank busting roles.
Just my 2 cents.
