Sunday, December 20, 2009

Jeune Ecole?

This is coolbert:

Some comments regarding the Israeli unmanned surface vessel [USV], the "Death Shark":

* "The unmanned speedboat is equipped with a remote-controlled machine gun capable of being operated with laser accuracy up to a range of 50 kilometers, reportedly the first of its kind in the world."

This cannot be correct. That machine gun is a fifty [.50] caliber weapon, stabilized, quite accurate, laser guided aiming, very destructive. BUT NOT able to fire to a range of fifty kilometers as advertised? More like five [5] kilometers and NOT fifty?

* The use of the USV of such small size to a degree is reminiscent of the French Jeune Ecole naval theory from the late 1800's?

"The Jeune École ("Young School") was a strategic naval concept developed during the 19th century. It advocated the use of small, powerfully equipped units to combat a larger battleship fleet"

Most specifically, myriad numbers of coal-fired, steam-powered torpedo boats to overcome and defeat in naval battle the much larger and much more formidable warships of the era [late 1800's]. Asymmetric warfare with the small and weak overpowering the strong and big primarily through the use of technology - - torpedoes being the advanced technolgy in the case of Jeune Ecole.

A massed attack by numbers of fast moving torpedo boats - - under cover of darkness, negating the overwhleming firepower advantage of the pre-dreadnought battleships of the era.

Indeed, Jeune Ecole was a very attractive theory on paper as presented to politicians formulating a defense budget. A very cheap alternative to a massive and very expensive ship building program.

It should be understood that "Death Shark" USV is first-generation technology and a concept that can go in a variety of directions. Including increasing substantially the organic firepower available to the remote operators of the USV. These USV can proliferate in prodigious numbers, being much less costly than a major warship, and yet pose a significant danger to any manned warship afloat, of any navy in the world, and right now too!!

Naval warfare of the future will be fought by vast fleets of USV and underwater UV, deployed and controlled from "mother ships" and remote locations? This is plausible!

Le Jeune Ecole was a valid theory and concept but was over one hundred years too early? The Israeli employing modern technology have now vindicated the French?

coolbert.

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