"best" miltary invention?

This is basically an opinion thread. I just wanted to know what you guys think the best weapon, machine, plane, tank whatever is and why. I'm sure there has been a thread like this before, so feel free to delete or whatever.

Anyway, I'll start off. I've always enjoyed big things and unfortunately just for their destructive ability...so I'll choose the A10 warthog...

LINK

The best military invention besides the establishment of the trained and voluntary national soldier is the invention of modern day body armor. Now in this category I include anything from life jackets, to armor, to ejection seats, basically anything that saves your troops is the best invention in my book.



[edit on 20-4-2006 by WestPoint23]

Body armor is good, well unless your in the US army and you're not allowed to buy your own.


Anyway you possibly wouldn't need that armor unless the machine gun had been invented, or even just a auto reloading wapon.

GPS for modern day combat, I mean do they even still teach map reading and how to use a compass anymore?

Body armor is good, well unless your in the US army and you're not allowed to buy your own.

Tsk, tsk, couldn’t resist could you? To honor the topic of the original poster I wont take this any further.

I would have to say that aircraft are the best military inventions, because without them, the world would be a very diferent place.

P.S. : The AC-130 Gunship is my favorite aircraft.

The most important was the T-34 invented by the Russains in World war 2 just about saved the whole world from Nazi domination.

Stirrups

Without them you would have a very different social and political enviroment.

The Harrier jump jet was pretty helpful to us Brits during the Falklands and gulf wars.

The Harrier jump jet was pretty helpful to us Brits during the Falklands and gulf wars.

I think the best invention was the shield, and all the adaptations and variations on it since.

The idea is, if you can prevent your opponent from striking you, winning the conflict is only a matter of time. Assuming there isn't a wide skill or fitness gap on either side, the defense always wins. It's simply less tiring to turn aside blows than it is to deliver them.

I too think the warthog is neat, but against a purely defensive military similarly equipped, it's just another useless expenditure of energy. Picking off tanks and turnip trucks at night is one thing, engaging a layered defensive line, complete with an air force and electronic/visual attack capabilities, be they dazzlers or scramblers or circuitboard-frying lasers, is a completely different proposition.

The warthog, in that scenario, becomes simply another vehicle for a warm body, which must be thrown en masse with thousands of similar bodies, into a meat grinder of certain death, in the hopes of clearing a small path through the defenses, so that strikes to remove defensive positions can begin.

Would you rather be attacking or defending? That's like asking shirts or skins, in the Sahara at noon, I think.

I dont know if I could narrow my choice down to a single "best" but I think the radio was pretty ground breaking and changed things. I would also think the computer and electricity is a top contendor

I think I'm going to have to go old school on this one and say the best would be the saddle. Cavalry dominated the battle ground for how many centuries? Tanks and choppers unit are merely the modern equivalent of ancient horse squadrons.
But the A-10 without question one of the coolest out there.

I was watching a program on Future weapons and saw the damage this thing can do....it is amazing.

ARTILLERY GUN MODULE (AGM) MEDIUM WEIGHT SELF PROPELLED HOWITZER, GERMANY

The AGM can fire against stationary and moving targets at a rate of 6 to 8 rounds per minute including Multiple-Round Simultaneous-Impact (MRSI) firing. Using standard rounds the maximum range is 30km; this is increased to more than 40km with base bleed rounds.

The into-action and out-of-action times for the AGM are similar to those of the PzH 2000 - approx. 30 seconds. The system receives target data via a radio link either while it is on the move or in a defilade position. The laying and loading data is computed and the firing command is executed. Immediately after firing the last round, the vehicle leaves the firing position in a shoot-and-scoot manoeuvre to avoid counter battery fire.

The best military invention............. the assault rifle. The assault rifle changed the tone of the battlefield. (First seen in World War I). If your refering to a specific product I will have to say the satellite. It has enhanced our ability to make our attacks pinpoint accurate and lie several steps in front of the enemy. It also assists naval and airborn units in numerous cases.

Thought about this one for awhile before posting. The best is also revolutionary especially recently, it would be first aid kits. Developed by DARPA for the DoD, "QuickClot can be applied with one hand in less than 30 seconds".

Originally posted by Britman
do they even still teach map reading and how to use a compass anymore?

Yes, because batteries can run out or GPS is damaged. The GPS is best in desert enviornments, otherwise features don't move much or look alike.

Converting azimuth and everything is still taught, at least that hasn't changed.

I'd go with our good friend, gunpowder. Gunpowder prettymuch changed the face of war. It ended the days of sieges and castles, ended the total reign of calvary as the most potent force on the field, and turned militia into one of the most effective forces able to be fielded. It gave us artillery, volunteer forces, the rifle, and prettymuch all modern weapons. Gone were the days when one particularly heroic or strong man could change the tide of battle, like Achilles. No, those brave knights riding into battle fell to massed musket fire from farmers and convicts.

Gunpowder, foh realz.

DE

I have heard of that also being used to coagulate bleeding, more so by cauteriseing I suspect.

Yes, maybe, when loose black powder was all the rage. Though, I suspect this was more of an 'oh crap, I'm shot, better stop bleeding' thing. That was back in the day when if a ball or bullet hit you, they sawed that bit off, generally.

DE

What do I think is the best? Well if we are talking about what weapon can do the most damage, strike the most havoc, destroy the most enemies? Honestly it would have to be the nukes, and of all the nukes it would be Topol-M because it, unlike all other nukes, can penetrate any anti-nuclear missile defense. I mean, what good is a nuke if it can't hit its target? All other nukes would be wasted long before they reached target. Yeah, I'm going with Topol-M.

The best "invention" is/was/will forever be military strategy.

When Ugh the caveman found out he had a better chance of winning a fight by attacking when his foe wasn't looking the "Art of War" was born.

In most cases better strategy will win over better weapons, with exceptions for huge jumps of technology, and cases of exceptional heroic effort. (and the odd total good/bad luck issues)