Quote:
Originally Posted by 95th Rifleman
Actualy the Americans are considering the British Starstreak system on their Apaches as we have had some success with early conversion work on our own.
I don't actualy think the Russian kit is, how did you put it? "UberFantasticShineySparklyCool". However the gap between Russian and American kit is nowhere near as big as Americans like to think and it's getting narrower every year.
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I'll give it that to be sure: It is getting closer, but by no means is it as close as the Russians would have people think. Until a month ago, they relied on US GPS since GLONASS wasn't up and running, something that they just barely got going back in the bad old good days of the Cold War, we shut that down to other people, and there is some serious issues they have to deal with. Generally speaking, while they can get one off items that are only a few years behind ours, getting them into serial production is nearly impossible. After all, anyone can buy topnotch core hardware in Asia. Its getting them all to work together and the fiddly bits thats the problem. Systemology is the killer. How to get everything up and running, from top to bottom, all in order, all in line, and all working in a nice tight mesh with each other. 20 years from now, if they don't take a serious step back to the old soviet style industrial complex - something I won't bet against with Putin taking back over - that gap could be a lot closer than it is now, perhaps even effectively erased. But, right now, its still too far to make russian equipment viable against top flight western stuff under anything but the most perfect of conditions.
When it comes to high tech items, fighters, helo's, and even tanks due to design features they feel are needed for the needs they have, I won't bother.
Air Defense, on the other hand, is quite another thing. If I was looking for a great battlefield ADA system, I would't hesitate to ask them to come up with a gun/missile system (Though I would use stingers or star-streak (A great system by the way) instead of what they would use.) to be mounted on a chassis of my choice. The Soviets back in the day took a backseat to nobody when it came to layered Air Defense Systems - less because of hardware, though it was decent enough, but from tactics and doctrine.
Also, small arms. They have always designed these from the perspective of giving them to people who are barely educated, have no mechanical bent, and yet, still be up and running regardless. The AK and PK are a legend for a reason.
