The Gulf War and Occupation Years - Weapons and evolution

Something that's struck me as interesting is the technology 'gulf' between the first Gulf War (1991) to the eve of the second Gulf War (2003). Yet I've noticed that from 2003-4 the warfare / military technology accelerated to an increased pace.

Indeed the western army's (USA and UK for the most part) that deployed into the Gulf in 1990-1 and the 2003 ones that were very different from technological aspects than the ones in 2003 in some ways.
Yet after 2003 there was a rapid fielding of a whole raft of technology, especially in the infantry-based spectrum. From 2005 the pace continued. With the UK elements benefitting from this as the technology was passed across. Indeed the British Army's kit is now largely bought from the USA when it comes to sophisticated infantry gear...

Indeed the video footage below shows elements of this.



By 2003

Enhanced GPS guided weapons (not just drones, but MLRS, 155mm Excalibur).
The drone technology (Raven, Predator and others).

The night-vision equipment moving from cumbersome portable units (Generation 0 and 1) in GW 1 to wide-spread helmet and weapon mounted devices (generation 3) in the recent conflict.
EOTECH and Aim Point plus also ACOG (x4 scope) (Marines)became proliferated across to allies.
Vehicle systems evolving from MBTs into the wheeled 'Battlefield Taxi's' aka APCs (but not usually tracked).

To a certain extent individual ingenuity came into play. One soldier in the US army ranks wrote home asking for his radio controlled car to be sent out to him. In this way he could bump and prod potential IEDs and booby traps.
This caught on with the military commanders and so the battlefield robot was ushered into production.

It seems that from the gulf war and occupation we'll see a lasting impact on what route the next-generation weaponry and technology possibly takes...

Worryingly, on a side note, civilian police forces and even city and town councils in Britain are now using the drone technology to snoop on their own citizens!

MOD NOTE
Hey guys, it helps to read more than just the title.

The thread is about the evolution of weaponry from the first Gulf War to the present.

reply to post by WatchRider

Some Germans in Afghanistan now have the IDZ infantryman of the future kit which includes tactical speech and data communications soldiers vital sign monitoring,nbc,ballistic and stab protection night vision ear and eye protection,gps navigation with a moving map display of threats etc as well as Heckler and Koch assault rifles,40mm grenade launcher,personal defense weapon and laser rangefinding binoculars a bit different to your Gulf War one grunt.

Originally posted by projectvxn
MOD NOTE
Hey guys, it helps to read more than just the title.

The thread is about the evolution of weaponry from the first Gulf War to the present.

edit on 14-11-2010 by projectvxn because: (no reason given)

I read the article that was in text. i don't normally watch videos because they are too slow (i read faster than they talk) and it is inefficient.

My comments were related to the evolution of the armor, and the evolution of the training that comes with the new armor and weapons. When they return to our streets, many to become officers and begin to use their newfound urban combat skills on the job, often with the benefit of the same equipment they used while deployed.

...this was the vein of my comment.