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Posted: 5/21/2006 1:01:17 PM EDT
 
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The High Tech un-manned Predator and the 1950's era rifle get a grade of "A"  Do you think they will figure out two of the reasons it has better range and stopping power than the M-16/M4 is because it fires more slowly and requires different ammo? Great post Valkyre! |
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I don't think they are qualified to rate anything based on their pro's and cons. I agree with the M14 rating....they didn't even mention that the drone is easy to shoot down. And the Abrams gets a C? Show me a main battle tank that gets an A then...! Thats one of the safest places to be.....not like it was in the old days. Just my opinion.... |
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I don't think the article is grading the Abrams against other tanks, it is grading on how effective it is for the current conditions in Iraq. If this is the case then I would have to agree with the grade for the Abrams. For the open desert the M1 Abrams Tank is easily an A. But I have to agree with the grade as you can't really manuever it in the city with out unintentioanally knocking down buildings. And at 6-9 gallons per mile, it can't do long range patrols without a convoy of fuel trucks. |
Eric...that makes more sense...I would agree with that. But thats kinda of like giving our trident nuclear subs an F because we havn't used them in Iraq...lol. |
yeah i agree.. That "C" is very misleading. since most people look at the grade as the bottom line. Giving a "C" is not really telling the whole picture. For what a tank is suppose to do it gets an "A" |
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From my limited personal experience in the sand box: I would give the M-14 an A-. We had a few with shot out bores. While 5.56 drops them most of the time, 308 drops them more of the time. The better optics and range make it a great tool. My budy with a M-14 would laugh at me doing 4 times the work to keep my M-4 up and running. The M-14 was as good as the M240 and even a bit better than the M2 for reliabilty. Much better than the M4, and the M9 do not get me started(seven months back and I swear I think I'm doing malfunction drills in my sleep still) M1114 a C. A mid size IED close enough to you and your screwed. I get hit a couple times in them and no problem, but have a couple of budies(including the laughing one with the M-14 not so lucky. The Marines replacing them with the new cougar's may be the way to go. The big UAV's predator and the like are operated out of CONUS and give there info to echelons above reality of the guys on the ground. The A goes to the medium and small UAV's like the hunter/shadow and the raven. Info like the 2 guys with AK's are in the compound west of you in real time with the UAV operator on the same net is gold. Better yet the smaller down link stations for the commander on the spot to use. The AH-64 a B, those guys are great. Have a suspect VBIED (car bomb) you need to clear quick and EOD is to busy put a hell fire into it. 30 mm chews up any cover that we came across. Chassing a suspected IED trigger man and the M1114 can not go over 60 mph to save your life, have an AH-64 get ahead of them can park 10 feet off the deck. Trust me they will stop. Better than UVA's in some ways with 2 birds and 2 guys in each bird using there eye balls along with sensors, just no real stealth like a UAV. There is the problem of ground fire damaging them is a real one, but will not put on open forum the problems. Did not see enough of the M1 Abrams to give a good answer. |
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