We're the Military and Airpower Guys of Jonah Goldberg of National Review Online + a stray we found wandering around looking lost. All original material JHD, BHD, JR, WT, and KA 2003-2007 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/02/yknow_it_just_aint_right.html Sun, 03 Aug 2008 17:12:06 Z Movable Type 4.12 en Copyright 2008 http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification ...when the holdings of the Arsenal at Castle Argghhh! include Bill the Rotorhead's favorite small arm (no ladies, not *that* one - see 27" zipper), as he opined in the comments of a post earlier this week: Blake - The M3 was handy for cleaning out bunkers, but you had to get within fifteen feet of a firing port to do it properly. A 2.75" FFAR from 500 meters would do the same thing, albeit without that *personal* touch. Heh. I *love* the M3. And we don't have one in the Holdings of the Arsenal of Argghhh!. 2.75" FFARs... http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/02/yknow_it_just_aint_right.html http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/02/yknow_it_just_aint_right.html Wed, 01 Feb 2006 07:24:21 -0600 Thanks, Bill. That explanation does make sense. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/02/yknow_it_just_aint_right.html#comment-40011 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/02/yknow_it_just_aint_right.html#comment-40011 Thu, 02 Feb 2006 08:22:53 -0600 A sectioned 17-pounder! Neat--now you've gotta work on getting an MPSM and a flechette. I've got a couple of practice rockets that were modified for EMI testing in the late '80s--they look weird, but they worked. Plus some dummy 10-pounders... Blake - The main problem with that system had to do with exterior ballistics as the rockets left the tube. A rocket orients into the prevailing wind after launch and drifts. A helicopter compensates for this by launching in forward flight for direct fire. Since the old Mk 40 was fairly slow leaving the tube, it was affected pretty radically by a stiff crosswind, so we tried to orient into the wind for firing whenever feasible. It's a whole new ball of wax for Mk 40 indirect fire--rocket dispersion increased dramatically. The switch to the Mk 66 solved an awful lot of problems, but we still had to use firing tables, compensate for wind and shoot using a "rocking horse" maneuver--launch when you're hanging by your nose a split second before you fall backwards to a hover. Dispersion isn't as great when you're able to orient into the wind, and you don't always have that luxury in a ground vehicle. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/02/yknow_it_just_aint_right.html#comment-39955 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/02/yknow_it_just_aint_right.html#comment-39955 Wed, 01 Feb 2006 12:50:26 -0600 A bunch of years ago, there was a prototype running around of a multiple-launch rocket system for light forces based on the 70mm/2.75" rocket. The one version I saw had six standard 19-shot pods mounted in a framework on a modified 1/4-ton trailer chassis. I think it used a high-end (for the time) pocket calculator to do the firing computations, rather like the early mortar computers. Me I rather liked the idea. I was still light infantry at the time, and I figured anything that beefed up our firepower while still being easliy moved around was a Good Thing. But it was a private venture, and Wasn't Invented Here, and so went nowhere. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/02/yknow_it_just_aint_right.html#comment-39945 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/02/yknow_it_just_aint_right.html#comment-39945 Wed, 01 Feb 2006 11:01:20 -0600 ahh, the good old greaser... loved that piece. such a shame when we made those go away during the transition from -60 series panzers to the Abrams. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/02/yknow_it_just_aint_right.html#comment-39936 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/02/yknow_it_just_aint_right.html#comment-39936 Wed, 01 Feb 2006 08:51:35 -0600 CRV7 Cheers JMH]]> http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/02/yknow_it_just_aint_right.html#comment-39935 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/02/yknow_it_just_aint_right.html#comment-39935 Wed, 01 Feb 2006 08:47:40 -0600