Robo-Warrior

 

1. Once upon a time (back in the 70s), the British army had a radar-using incoming fire detection system called Cymbeline. It was carried about in a small trailer, so the same functionality woul nowadays fit into a backpack or even smaller. I found this snippet when googling for it (extract from an article “Arming Saddam: The Supply of British Military Equipment to Iraq, 1979-90”, written in 1991):

   Thorn EMI Radar

   Since no details were given it is impossible to tell whether or not the radar mentioned above was the Thorn EMI Cymbeline battlefield system capable of locating enemy weapons, including artillery and helicopters, and directing the fire of mortars and guns. Iraq is the world’s largest user of the Cymbeline system, with an estimated 1,500 systems deployed in Kuwait in early 1991 together with another 1,000 in southern Iraq. Cymbeline was supplied to Iraq during the 1980s and its operators trained in the UK in 1990, see Training below. (Private Eye, 31.8.90; Thorn EMI Electronics entry, BAEE catalogue 1990; Sunday Times, 2.12.90; Jane’s Defence Weekly, 2.2.91)

   I’ll bet this is what happened: The Ministry of Defence sold Sodomy Hussain some 15-year-old equipment from out of the army’s own stores. And when Thorn EMI Military Division went bust, as I’m sure they did, the design was completely forgotten. Mortar fire has been a major pain in the arse for the Coalition Forces. I’m mad as hell that we could have had a counterfire system from day one, but nothing was done about it, until the U.S. produces a new system designed from scratch.
   

   I tried accessing the Radience Technologies web page, but it’s overburdened with hits and won’t let me in.  LBJ, do you remember anything about Cymbeline?

   Posted by DWMF       10/30/2005  at  08:40 AM  



2. Sounds very good. Now let’s see how it works in the field—with the Bad Guys using the same thing. “One field test is worth 10,000 expert opinions.”

   Posted by Oink       10/30/2005  at  09:54 AM  



3. OCM, if this WeaponsWatch can target Sheik Yorbouti’s turban it certainly will be able to be sombreo specific, get real.  If the truth be known it probably can spot the difference between a Sear’s poncho and a real poncho.

   Posted by Z Woof       10/30/2005  at  12:29 PM  



4. I have a nasty feeling that the British Army still uses Cymbeline or a variant thereof. The Thorn part of EMI I assume was sold off to BAE systems. It doesn’t surprise me that we supplied Iraq with this system. When he was fighting the mad mullahs in Iran he was courted by most of the Western arms suppliers.

   This new system looks pretty nifty. The ability to return fire in 4 seconds is pretty amazing and hopefully will enable troops to take out the terrorists at source whilst reducing “collateral damage” Though I still wonder how often we back off when the terrorists are shooting out of mosques. What happens when it is shown that mosques are the base of operations for these bastards? Will we drop a few thousand pounders on them?

   Posted by LyndonB       10/31/2005  at  02:42 AM  



5. New technology in warfare concerns me the way Heinlein describes it in “Starship Trooopers”—while you’re trying to read your vernier, some guy sneaks up and brains you with a stone club.

   Posted by Oink       10/31/2005  at  09:28 AM  



6. Ain’t nothin’ “friendly” about it.  Kill ‘em all—let God sort it out!

   Posted by Oink       10/31/2005  at  10:15 AM  

Commenting is not available in this weblog entry.