America tests its high-tech war arsenal in Afghanistan
Dody Aviantara, Contributor, Jakarta
Operation Enduring Freedom has now been officially launched. Leaving aside various conflicts and political intrigues, this military operation in fact serves as a testing ground for America's sophisticated war machines in actual battles.
As a result, military products from the world superpower will be selling like hot cakes on the global weapons market -- if the weapons achieve praiseworthy performance.
Irrefutably, the Afghanistan conflict has become a testing ground for the American arsenal. Though the quantity of the weapons is not as great as during Operation Desert Storm in 1991, the type of weaponry being deployed in this war is the same.
The most obvious example is the use of surface-to-surface missiles like the BGM-109 Tomahawk. In the first strike, these strategic missiles, produced by the Raytheon manufacturing plant, were launched from cruisers as well as submarines, including the British nuclear submarine, HMS Trafalgar. A thousand similar missiles were used during the Gulf War.
The United States' military operation in Afghanistan consists of four main elements.
The first is air surveillance. Prior to the official operation, the CIA had deployed unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) of the I-Gnat type. This air surveillance marked the exact positions of air bases, air defense sites and other Taliban support posts.
According to the U.S. Department of Defense, additional manned and unmanned planes will be deployed during the upcoming phases of its operation.
Of the unmanned types, the Northrop Grumman RQ-4A Global Hawk will be used for long distance operations, while the General Atomics RQ-1 Predator will operate over medium distances. The manned types include the veteran Lockheed Martin U-2 S Dragon Lady, RC-135 Rivet and the commando craft E-8C Joint STARS.
The second element of the attack is the use of surface-to- surface Tomahawk missiles. With a range of 1,600 km, these deadly missiles will strike at the enemy's defence strongholds. This tactic aims to reduce the number of U.S. army casualties.
Of the sea-launched type of weapon, the U.S. navy still has around 2,200 units of the Tomahawk in stock. Block 3 is the most sophisticated variant of Tomahawk. Unlike its predecessor, the new variant not only relies on target data programmed in advance, but is also equipped with a Global Positioning Unit (GPS) as its guidance mechanism.
The use of intercontinental bombers is the third element. Three types are used in this operation: the Boeing B-52 H Stratofortress, the Boeing B-1 B Lancer and the Northrop Grumman B-2A Spirit stealth bomber.
These large bombers -- all capable of carrying conventional as well as intercontinental missiles -- are deployed to destroy large targets that lack strong defenses. The first two types, B- 52 and B-1, had been initially designed to execute missions from high altitudes. But due to changing military tactics, both were later modified to avoid enemy radar detection, enabling them to take part in low altitude operations.
The last element is the carrier-based attack planes. For the Enduring Freedom operation, four aircraft-carriers complete with the necessary military hardware are being used, three of which are nuclear powered: the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71), USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70), USS Enterprise (CVN-65) and USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63).
These ships are generally capable of carrying between 80 and 90 fighter planes as well as marines who can at any time be parachuted on to the battlefield.
The backbone of the attack on Afghanistan is the use of fighter jets, specifically the Boeing F/A-18C Hornet and the modified Gumman F-14 B Tomcat. Two types of aircraft with sophisticated electronic equipment, the EA-6B Prowler and the AWACS E-2C Hawkeye, will guide the fighter planes toward their targets. Their mission is to attack smaller targets or to mop up attacks initially carried out by the bombers.
Supporting elements
The presence of supporting elements cannot be neglected. Air- to-ground munitions, both missiles as well as smart bombs, fall into this category.
One of the more reliable elements of the U.S. arsenal is the GBU-28 Paveway III laser guided bomb (LGB). The 5,000 pound bomb, dubbed "Super Penetrator", can penetrate 22 feet into a target before exploding.
Another is the AGM-84 standoff land attack missile (SLAM), which is nothing more than a miniature version of the Tomahawk, designed especially to be carried by Hornet class fighter jets.
Finally, there is joint direct attack ammunition (JDAM), which is generally considered to be the lowest cost weapon used in this type of warfare, as it has been modified from a conventional bomb (the multipurpose variant Mk-82) but enhanced with GPS.
Another well-known supporting element is the AC-130 Spectre, a gunship variant of the C-130 Hercules transport plane, which can carry anything from 25-mm caliber cannons (Gatling type) up to 105-mm caliber howitzers to attack any concentration of Taliban troops. To avoid the enemy's anti-aircraft missiles, the Spectre comes equipped with chaff as well as flares.
In the event of ground attacks, the U.S. will possibly deploy "special operation" helicopters, such as the Boeing MH-47 E Chinook and the weapon-carrying Sikorsky MH-60 L Black Hawk. In anticipation of enemy tanks, the Boeing AH-64 D Apache Longbow fighter helicopter is also standing by. Normally, these helicopters execute attacks alongside Fairchild A-10 Thunderbolt II tank-destroyer jets.
Like it or not, the army and its equipment will have to be involved. In a limited ground operation, special forces will play a prominent role and rely on weapons with very specific characteristics: light, highly mobile, capable of being dropped from aircraft and with highly destructive capacities. Military vehicles of the FAV (fast attack vehicle) type, equipped with machine-guns and anti-tank missiles (TOW), would be appropriate for this type of operation.
However, should a large-scale ground operation take place, it is almost certain that heavy tanks of the main battle tank (MBT) type, like the M-1 Abrams or M-60 A3 will play a significant role. In addition, the U.S. will depend for most of its artillery strength on multiple barrel rocket launchers -- such as the multi launcher rocket system (MLRS) -- and 155 mm caliber howitzers.
Russian's remains
"Never underestimate." That is the message from the Soviet troops who fought the Afghans on their home soil. The reason is that, with whatever available weapons, the Afghan warriors will fight to the last drop of blood.
As an illustration, the Taliban militia is currently 45,000 strong. Besides light weapons like the AK-47 and RPK, they also have a heavy-weapons arsenal, consisting of artillery (from 76 up to 152 mm caliber), mortars (from 100 up to 160 mm caliber) and BM-27 132 mm caliber rocket launchers.
Armored divisions of the Taliban rely on 650 units of main battle tanks of the T-54/55 and T-62 type, which are equipped with AT-3 Sagger, AT-4 Spigot and AT-5 Spandrel anti-tank missiles. Other armored vehicles they use include the BMP-1/2, BTR-60 and BRDM.
Its capabilities in the air are just as formidable as its ground forces. The Taliban has four major military airbases in Kabul, Kandahar, Mazar-i-Sharif and Herat. Currently, the backbone of its air force consists of 20 MiG-21 Fishbed aircraft, between 10 and 15 Sukhoi Su-22 Fitter fighter bombers and around 14 to 20 training fighter jets of the L-39 Albatross type.
Its helicopter hardware consists of 20 to 30 units of the MiL Mi-8 Hip (multifunctional helicopter) and around 15 to 20 Mi-24 Hind fighter choppers.
For transportation purposes, the Taliban's available aircraft include 15 to 20 Antonov An-24 Cokes, An-26 Curls and several An- 12 Cubs. Most of these aircraft were left behind by the defeated Soviet forces.
On the anti-aircraft front, the Taliban relies mainly on light, short-distance but highly-mobile cannons, which are highly lethal during low altitude attacks.
In addition, the Taliban also owns around 350 units of DShK with calibers ranging from 12.7 mm to 100 mm. They also have 20 units of the self-propelled anti-aircraft cannon, the ZSU-23/4.
As for missiles, also inherited from the Soviets, the Taliban has available the SA-7 Grail, SA-9 Gaskin and SA-14 Gremlin. And as a legacy of the Cold War, when the U.S. channeled weapons to anti-Soviet Afghan forces, they have also retained around 1,000 Stinger, as well as some Blowpipe, missiles.