Hrmmpffff!
I am ordinarily an HK fanboy which has earned me the undying
contempt from the various self proclaimed cool kids and
experts in the Pew-O-Sphere.
I dunno about stuff like this, though. I reckon I can smell the shysters, carnies and con men of the military/industrial complex right over the innernet… maybe the squaddies can sound off on all this? Sure, it all looks great but… how much does it cost? How robust are these weapons under field conditions? What about spares? Can bums like Tiny and JL repair and service them in the field? Or do ya need a team of slant eyed, tall forehead engineers to maintain them? It looks great, in front of Allied High Command HQ Europe… but what about in a chit hole like Iraq? Even a fanboy like me gets antsy with that CG enhanced drone kill. What’s the tactical bang for your buck? Is it better to buy 5 of these things - or 500 heavy lift drones?
If there’s one thing that’s become abundantly clear from the debacle in the ‘Kraine… it’s that old school is cool, and that the flashy weapons like the Javelin, the Abrahms, the Bradleys… well, they aren’t what they’re cracked up to be. The Russians can build something like 3.5 T-72 tanks for the price of one Abrahms. The chinks can probly build 10, knowing those guys…
The face of warfare has changed. With the kinds of stuffed shirts and gum-flappers in America (Lindsay Graham and General Aesop - if you two would kindly STFU)…it might be high time to stop talking, and start listening. Just looking at these weapons… I do not get a good feeling about them…
But whadda I know? Only that the best plastic fantastic pistol in the world is the HK USP 45.
Well first of all, that thing looks like it costs way too much money for any conventional military to sink money into. One of the first rules you learn is that your weapons and equipment are always made by the lowest bidder. Even still, if it breaks down, odds are good it'd be sent to a gun plumber (weapons tech) or, given how high tech it is, some other group of nerds. Grunts would probably reload and maybe do barrel changes if needed, but that'd be about it
ReplyDeleteWay too many moving parts. That thing screams hanger queen.
ReplyDeleteExile1981
I'll take a 10 to 40 year old, Russian/Soviet equivalent, thank you.
ReplyDeleteRe an HK, I would LOVE to have an HK P7 or P7 M13. Too bad they cost thousands now. Maybe Tisas or Rock Island will bring them out.
DeleteWould be interesting to see “Tinys” take on it. Eddie
ReplyDeleteOK: First off... it looks like a updated version of our US DotMil CROWS (Common Remotely Operated Weapon Station) remote gun turrets... those of which were fielded back in 2004 in Iraq on the various MRAPs we were juking around in. Kept our gunners from getting sniped. Pretty straightforward tech.
ReplyDeleteVERY Costly however... the M101/M153 series ALONE costs upward of $200k per +/-. The H&K? I'd bet the premium on the namebranding would add an additional $100-200k each.
Also, ammo capacity? 500 rounds for the 7.62? 90 rounds of 40mm? That's not a lot... in a firefight from a vehicle, movement-to-contact or ambush busting? 500 rounds goes REALLY f*ing quick... ask me how I know.
The 90 rounds of 40mm? That's not -too bad- HOWEVER- you have to dismount to reload those things, and depending on circumstances, in this new dronecentric-kill-warfare? Thanks/No Thanks... being exposed on the roof of a big honking vehicle is begging to be "x"'d out.
And yeah, "Civilian Contractor Personnel" are needed to repair/replace the 'guts' and servos at a Depot Level (4 Level) repair shop... it's NOT a field level repair.