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Post by Cory Trese on Jan 27, 2016 23:51:56 GMT -5
There goes my plan for total world domination. Back to making games I guess!
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Post by johndramey on Jan 27, 2016 23:59:20 GMT -5
The hacking/interference issue is one of the main reasons that I feel drones won't ever take total control over the battlefield, and why I think things like totally autonomous weapons systems won't be seriously considered. Sure, it ain't easy to hack/interfere with drones/theoretical AI controlled systems, but no one in their right mind would depend on a system that has even a millionth of a percent chance of that happening. Also, nice share on the K2 BP, I live in South Korea and you would be amazed at the amount of pride SK has over its weapon systems. The K2 is an interesting system, but I don't know if it'll stand up to other new generation weapon systems. Of course, that's the problem with military R&D, once you spit something out it's already on its way out. If you are interested in other Korean weapons systems, you should keep an eye on the KF-X. When I was doing some freelance work last year, I had the chance to host a couple seminars at Korea Aerospace Industries right when they won the competition for it. Information is limited, but I'm holding out hope that it'll be a cool little fighter. They already have a supersonic trainer that can be converted to attack roles on the market, the T-50. I got a chance to tour their plant and watch those things flying, and boy where they cool. *edit* Ah, couldn't forget ntsheep! To add on to his bat bomb, and while it's not a weapon, I've always loved skip bombing. The idea of being crazy enough to try skipping an explosive across water into the side of an enemy ship is just great. They even built a few prototypes that were designed for it, although none every really saw action. Upkeep did, but it is debatable whether it actually did anything to help the war.
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Post by xdesperado on Jan 28, 2016 0:05:56 GMT -5
Not sure how it is now but back in the early 90s when I was in Korea the most lethal weapon was Korean drivers, especially the ones driving those giant DaeWoo trucks. We called them Terminators (had a M113 crew get seriously injured when their track got pushed off road by one in a collision and rolled over.)
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Post by johndramey on Jan 28, 2016 0:09:29 GMT -5
It's still very much the same. Traffic laws in Korea are kind of like Jay-walking laws in the US, no one really pays attention to them and they are made for breaking. I've lived here for going on 10 years now and I'd guess that 50% of drivers would happily run a red light, turn against traffic, double the speed limit (or half it, depending on how they feel), or just general drive like idiots.
I've been in taxis that drove on the wrong side of the road for 100 meters+ because they wanted to get around traffic.
Cops are just next to useless in this country, they hardly anything except drive drunk people home.
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Post by Cory Trese on Jan 28, 2016 0:30:08 GMT -5
If I was a citizen of SK I'd be pretty darn proud of my military too -- especially having a crazy neighbor to the north with a inferiority complex and a bunch of troops.
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Post by xdesperado on Jan 28, 2016 0:53:15 GMT -5
It's a cultural difference between Asians and Western European and by our standards much of their society is crazy.
In major cities that's slowly changing to a degree but out in the country a lot of the population seems stuck a couple centuries past.
Can't count the number of proud farmers I saw who would drive their tractor out to the field then park it to hook up the OX and get to work knee deep in the paddy's.
Always had to watch out when driving for people just walking out into the road in front of you, especially the older ones. The fact that a HMMV or Deuce and a half or M113 is going 30-40 mph and doesn't stop like an OX cart never seemed to register. That same disregard for change is likely why they made such horrible drivers as well. It's all destiny and in the hands of fate.
Kids would grow up, and go for their mandatory service. While in military they were all fire and ready to take back the North. After service they would go to college and become activists proclaiming how great North Korea was and the evils of western imperialism. Get their degree and they go back to the farm hook up the OX and act like nothings ever changed for last 1000 years.
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Post by johndramey on Jan 28, 2016 1:14:37 GMT -5
Most definitely, although I'd say that the newer generation of Koreans are actively rejecting the "old ways." That's not to say that they are westernized, because they aren't, but for a younger (as in, <40 year old) Korean to think about moving back to the farm is absolutely unheard of. There is a reason why 25% of the population is crammed into Seoul, and that is the incessant drive for industrialization. Very few things will make you appreciate just how alien other cultures are as much as living in one for a long period of time. Koreans are proud of their military might, but it's a weird kind of pride. Most Koreans have this weird love-hate relationship with the USA. They think the USA is great, amazing, the best country in the world, etc. However, they also have the same feelings about South Korea, so things get really convoluted. It's a weird kind of pissing match. For example, Koreans pretty much love that the they are under the US military umbrella, and while the areas around the bases tend to be not so nice, there is no "get out of our land" that goes on over here. However, they get super, super salty when the US tries to sell them/succeeds in selling them military equipment. A good example is the THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Air Defense) system, the government requested that the US help them out, the US offered to sell/station THAAD over here, then the public started freaking out about it. Not because they don't like the US or the US military, but over some misguided thinking that SK can design, develop, and produce its own missile defense system that is better than THAAD for less money than it would cost them to use THAAD. Same with The K2 that xdesperado posted above, or the KF-X, or the K2 rifle, etc. There was a recent uproar over the SK government buying a bunch of F-15s from the US along the similar lines. "Why should we buy F-15s (which are pretty much one of the best fighters in the world) when we produce the T-50? Sure it's a supersonic trainer, and sure it's never actually been battle tested, but it's way better and cheaper!"
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Post by ntsheep on Jan 28, 2016 10:25:35 GMT -5
If I remember correctly, the British took skip bombing a step further. They designed a round bomb to spin like a giant golf ball for destroying dams. It would bounce along the surface until it got to the dam and then due to its rotation would pull itself underwater before it exploded thereby increasing the damage done. I'll try and see if I can find any info later. Found it quicker than I thought, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bouncing_bomb
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Post by tenbsmith on Jan 28, 2016 13:09:33 GMT -5
Wow, the wikipedia article on bouncing bombs is long with a lot of details. For those wishing to cut to the conclusion:
"On the night of 16/17 May 1943, Operation Chastise attacked dams in Germany's Ruhr Valley, using Upkeep. Two dams were breached, causing widespread flooding and damage, and loss of life. The significance of this attack upon the progress of the war is debated.[20] British losses during the operation were heavy; eight of the 19 attacking aircraft failed to return, along with 53 of 113 RAF aircrew.[21] Upkeep was not used again operationally."
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Post by dayan on Jan 28, 2016 15:44:45 GMT -5
If I remember correctly, the British took skip bombing a step further. They designed a round bomb to spin like a giant golf ball for destroying dams. It would bounce along the surface until it got to the dam and then due to its rotation would pull itself underwater before it exploded thereby increasing the damage done. I'll try and see if I can find any info later. Found it quicker than I thought, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bouncing_bombI call it weaponized aerial bowling.
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Post by Cory Trese on Jan 28, 2016 17:54:57 GMT -5
Interesting stuff!
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