Historically Important Military System post WW2

[LancerMc]

This thread is designed to discuss important military systems. In the past 60 years technology has dramatically changed but certain aircraft, tanks, missiles, and other systems stand out because of their importance in history. Please feel free to add your thoughts or an new section to the discussion.

All opinions are my own, but respect the opinions of others.

Aircraft
MiG-15 Fagot, Boieng B-52 Stratofortress, Dassault Mirage III/5/50, English Electric Lighting, Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker, Grumman F-14 Tomcat, Hawker Siddley (BAe) Harrier, Tupolev Tu-22M Backfire, Lockheed Martin F-117 Nighthawk, McDonnell Douglas F-15

Tanks & APC's
T-34, M60 Patton, T-64, M113A1, Leo I, T-72, M1A1, The Piranha Family,
BMP series of APC's

Ships and Submarines
Modified Essex Class Carrier, Type 23 Air Defence Frigate, Type XXI U-Boat,
Ticonderoga Class Cruiser, Kilo Class Diseal Submarine, SSBN George Washington Class Submarine, Sovrmenny Class Destroyers

Personal Combat Weapons
AK-47, M-16/AR-15A2, Beretta 92, Colt 1911A1, HK MP5, HK G3, FN FAL, Remington 870, Barrett M82, AI L96 Sniper Rifle, Remington M24

 

[Ozzy Blizzard]

Typhoon class SSBN, Skipjack class SSN. F86 Sabre.

 

[RubiconNZ]

CVN Enterprise
British Longbow
Gatling Gun

 

[Grand Danois]

Sea Harrier - Falklands
F-4 - Vietnam, ME, Marineflieger, etc.
F-16 - Ubiquitous
U2 - Cold War and present
C-130/C-141/C-5 - serious tac/strat lift

Milstar - sat comm
Navstar - sat nav
KH series - ISR

BMEWS - Cold War - present
SOSUS - Cold War - present?

JDAM
Tomahawk
Various West/Soviet ICBM/SLBM

SA-2/3/6 - Vietnam, ME, present
Sagger ATGM - ME
RPG-7 - Ubiquitous

ARPANet - (?)

Man! This could be a long list!

 

[Big-E]

CVN Enterprise
British Longbow
Gatling Gun

Longbow

CVN-65 definetly

I would say the biggest system since WWII was probably Enterprise because it was the first true Super Carrier. It paved the way for the Nimitz class which is the largest force projector in the US arsenal. Without carriers the US is nothing but a second rate power, what good is having force if you can't project it, that is what a carrier provides.

 

[stryker NZ]

how about the Akula class SSN oh and the Kirov class cruisers

 

[Aussie Digger]

The Iroquois helicopter, M113 APC and C-130A/E/H Hercules.

"Workhorses" all of them and yet responsible for so much combat power for so long...

 

[Big-E]

Kirov class cruisers

Is this thread about which ships have spent the most time tied up?

 

[Grand Danois]

Uh, definetely forgot the Centurion MBT. From NW Europe to Korea, to ME and to Vietnam with the Aussies (IIRC).

 

[Waylander]

- The Steyr AUG.
Should have been the first assault rifle with an integrated optic in the standard version and not as an extra.

- GPS. Changed military maneuvering and weapons so much.

- L/44 120mm smoothbore gun. Spread all over the world and set standards for 120mm smoothbores.

- Chuck "roundhousekick" Norris!!!

 

[LancerMc]

Aussie Digger, your completely right the the UH-1 & C-130 they should on the list, and I completely forgot to include helicopters too. :dunce

Good Call

I think the Mi-24 Hind, Mi-8/17 Hip, Apache, Alouette III, Blackhawk should go on the list to.

I won't included the Longbow since it is just a more sophisticated Apache.

Stryker, I disagree both on the Akula and Kirov. The Akula used significant information stolen from the United States in its design. So its more of the effort of the U.S.. Though the Kirov class was impressive it saw a short service life, and was never produced in large numbers. The idea of the ship was also overly ambitious that such a large shipped would be able to stay off an entire carrier group.

I think SSN Typhoon shouldn't be included. Everyone likes them because they were in a hit movie. If a Russian SSN would be added it should the Delta Class because their still a capable design and still in service.

Air to Air Guns
The Vulcan, 27mm Mauser, and Avenger are all important designs

Grand Danois, of course your right the SA-2 & SA-6 are extremely important designs. I would also add the, HAWK, Patriot, Rapier, SM-2,

The Sagger is a good one, and the TOW should also be added.

Waylander your right about the L44, I didn't add anything about tank cannons since I know little about them. Could you add some more opinions?

 

[RubiconNZ]

Longbow

CVN-65 definetly

I would say the biggest system since WWII was probably Enterprise because it was the first true Super Carrier. It paved the way for the Nimitz class which is the largest force projector in the US arsenal.

Re: Cvn-65 I agree completely

 

[Big-E]

Longbow, ultimate long range weapon of the time, flogged the french knights at Agincourt a force outnumbered around 3 to 1 crushed them, course if you speak unkindly to the french they might surrender, but they were stronger back then

I'm not disagreeing about the Long Bow but did you see the title of the thread.. ie post WWII?

 

[RubiconNZ]

Oh dammit :redface
Apologies product of my generation short attention span, cant even edit my lapse

Another one I haven't seen, USS Nautilus (SSN-571) revolutionised underwater warfare, spawned the Artic battleground of the Cold war

 

[Waylander]

The first to introduce smoothbore guns were the sovjets.
I think you should add the 125mm smoothbore as well, because it (All its versions) should be the most spread smoothbore all over the world.

The L/44 made a huge jump compared to the 105mm rifled used before and set standards for decades with every following 120mm smoothbore trying to cope up with it or being a copy.

 

[boldeagle]

Some overlooked technologies & some "overlappers"?

- The Steyr AUG.
Should have been the first assault rifle with an integrated optic in the standard version and not as an extra.

- GPS. Changed military maneuvering and weapons so much.

- L/44 120mm smoothbore gun. Spread all over the world and set standards for 120mm smoothbores.

- Chuck "roundhousekick" Norris!!!

All good picks. If the GPS is on the list, the recon satellite (i.e.: early Discoverer through KH series) and the CommSat (start with TELSTAR) should be, also. Real "force multipliers".

In Personal Weapons:

Even though it's World War II vintage, the M-1 Garand rifle lasted until after the Korean War in the U.S.A. and much later as MAP (Military Assistance Program) weapons supplied to the Third World, a true "trendsetter" in semiauto battle rifles - admittedly, not in the same class as the AK-47, but, for only a semiauto, still good, nonetheless, and one not subject to the "spray and pray" sloppiness of full auto fire.

Then there is the M1911A1 semiauto pistol in .45 ACP: again, an even older warhorse which lasted in US service until after Vietnam...and there are some who still maintain that its 9mm "replacement" was a serious error from both the reliability and "hittting power" standpoints.

I also don't see the Uzi, which has "gone global" some decades ago. For a submachine gun, it's hard to beat. One of its best features is the "hand finds hand" magazine changing which is just plain FABULOUS on dark nights!

 

[Waylander]

I love the Uzi.
Ours were so old and "well build" that often enough they fired they whole magazin when being on semi.

 

[Big-E]

I love the Uzi.
Ours were so old and "well build" that often enough they fired they whole magazin when being on semi.

I love my auto Glock... it's not very accurate when the trigger is held but neither is the Uzi.

 

[Waylander]

The Uzi is great if you want to send the whole salvo into one target. Very easy to handle and very accurate even when firing full auto.
But as I said firing the whole magazin when you just want to fire one single shot is a bad surprise.
You can use it for room clearing. Just don't "save" it and throw it into a room.

 

[Big-E]

The Uzi is great if you want to send the whole salvo into one target. Very easy to handle and very accurate even when firing full auto.
But as I said firing the whole magazin when you just want to fire one single shot is a bad surprise.
You can use it for room clearing. Just don't "save" it and throw it into a room.

I never felt comfortable with the balance of the Uzi I had the opportunity to fire. It was a 360 with folding stock. It was small enough that you wanted to hold it like a pistol but it was designed for the shoulder. Very awkward for a guy used to either the auto Glock or the MP5.