posted on Jan, 18 2005 @ 09:32 PM
Well Russian designs have always been good, but their economic system of building the stuff produced equipment inferior to much of what America
produced. It was Russia that almost started WWIII with their K-19 submarine that almost blew; it was Russia that didn't place a shield around their
Chernorbyle (however it's spelled) nuclear plant to keep in radiation in case an accident happened; of course one did, and thanks to them the world
cancer rate went way up.
And America doesn't act like everything it produces is some "gift from god..." but Americans take pride in their military equipment that we make
because usually it is of very high caliber. But not all of it is American. Aside from the M-16, many of our rifles and pistols in the U.S. military
are of German design. The main gun on the M-1 Abrams tank is German. The Apache and Cobra attack helicopters I believe use French avionics systems.
Coast Guard helicopters use French engines, and many U.S. tanker jet aircraft are powered by engines jointly designed between an American (I forget
which) and French corporation; they are the most successful aircraft engines ever made (the French are actually some damn fine engineers when it comes
to avionics systems, helicopters, and aircraft engines; they just can't fight for beans).
French, sheesh; leave it to them to supply both sides; the United States uses French stuff in the military, and the Iraqis and soon, probably the
Chinese, are going to be using French equipment. Damn Frenchies....
And then America itself also produces some very nice equipment as well. Germany, France, United States, Great Britain produce the best military
equipment (and Russia too if you count their aircraft).
Russia made some crappy tanks, but they actually were good at tanks originally; just the old Soviet idea was LOTS of expendable tanks to throw at the
enemy, whereas the U.S. idea was lots of tanks, though not as many as the Soviets, but don't make 'em so expendable.
The Soviet Hind helicopters were also of high caliber; still are, though they don't have the same high-caliber avionics of most U.S. attack
helicopters.