Originally posted by paul g
View Post
right, we all know i am guilty of banging on about the British Army all of the time but i'm not gonna come out with a ridiculous and sh|t stirring comment such as "in areas like small arms, comms and AFV's we've got far better stuff that the Irish" because even if we had - it's just a malevolent comment to make but particularly when you are way off the mark and cannot substantiate this claim so to that end i've briefly drawn a few comparisons of equivalent kit to see how as you put it "we [the Irish DF] have far better stuff than the british [British Army]"
well let's have a little reality check shall we?
lets start at basics:
Small Arms:
Steyr Aug v Heckler & Koch A2:
The AUG is an outstanding rifle but the Irish DF version is dated with poor optics and the lack of picatinny rails as standard. the HK A2 has some of the highest reliability rates for any assault rifle, it has far superior optics with the ACOG and comes with picatinny rails and bipod legs as standard.
so how is this Irish DF equivalent "better stuff than the British"?
??? v Dedicated Marksman Rifle:
the Irish DF infantry don't have a DMR but we have the 7.62mm L129 'Sharpshooter' designed to take on the enemy at ranges beyond that of a 5.56mm Assault Rifle, increasing our kill capability.
so how is this Irish DF equivalent "better stuff than the British"?
??? v Minimi:
the Irish DF infantry don't have a 5.56mm light machine gun which offers a higher rate of fire with a much lighter ammo load for troops but we have the Minimi - up to 2 per section.
so how is this Irish DF equivalent "better stuff than the British"?
MAG v GPMG:
the Irish DF still use the original FN MAG whilst we use the L7A2 which is an improvement on the original FN MAG with a enhanced feed system and better gas settings for superior reliability.
so how is this Irish DF equivalent "better stuff than the British"?
??? v Benelli Combat Shotgun:
the Irish DF infantry don't have a combat shotgun but we have the semi-automatic 12 guage Benelli shotgun for use in close combat.
so how is this Irish DF equivalent 'better stuff than the British"?
AI96 Sniper Rifle v L115 Sniper Rifle:
the Irish DF are still using the 7.62mm AI96 which entered service in 1992 whilst we have moved on and adopted the 8.59mm L115A3 - a large-calibre weapon which provides state-of-the-art telescopic day and night all-weather sights, increasing a sniper's effective range considerably. The L115A3 long range rifle fires an 8.59mm bullet which is heavier than the 7.62mm round of the AI96 and less likely to be deflected over extremely long ranges due to the weapon also being suppressed to protect the firer from detection.
so how is this Irish DF equivalent "better stuff than the British"?
Comms:
Bowman V SINCGARS
Bowman took a while to get there but it is a nationally independent fully encrypted HF/VHF/UHF VoIP and Date comms system with integrated GPS at section level
the Irish DF crypto still comes from the USA so no matter how secure you think it is - someone always else has the key. SINCGARS is an ageing comms system and is not fully integrated into all Irish DF vehicles and aircraft to the level that Bowman is with LCD's and Battlespace Situational Awareness in almost every vehicle even at platoon level.
so how is this Irish DF equivalent "better stuff than the British"?
AFV's:
Standard Infantry APC: MOWAG Piranha V Warrior
Warrior p|sses all over the MOWAG in most respects other than road speed. Warrior has better off road performance, is better armoured and better armed (12.7mm MG v 30mm Rarden Cannon) than Piranha III. it has a 48hr full CBRN capability as standard (and even has a toilet onboard!).
it has a fully night fighting capability with integrated latest generation thermal optics
a Warrior can destroy a Piranha III while a Piranha III cannot destroy a Warrior.
so how is this Irish DF equivalent 'better stuff than the British"?
RG32 v Panther
the RG32M is an outstanding vehicle but most importantly, the Panther (STANAG Level 3 (Level 4 for TES version in Afghan)) has much better blast protection than the RG32M (LTV STANAG Level 2). they are both pretty similar in other respects but ours offer much better protection for her crew.
so how is this Irish DF equivalent 'better stuff than the British"?
Scimitar V Scorpion
we replaced our Scorpions over 15 years ago with the superior Scimitar. better engine, better main armament and better reliability.
so how is this Irish DF equivalent 'better stuff than the British"?
??? v Challenger 2
the Irish DF don't have an MBT but we have the world class combat proven Challenger 2.
so how is this Irish DF equivalent 'better stuff than the British"?
even our new MTP uniform, our Osprey Body Armour and Mk7 Helmets are among recognised as some of the finest soldier systems in the world.
i could go on to mention Apache Gunships, GMLRS, Mastiff's, Springers, Close Support Tankers, Fuchs CBRN etc., but i wouldn't want to embarrass you.
now i tried not to be drawn into this Paul G, but when you make wild comments like this to try belittle the army i have devoted most of my life to - i won't stand by and let others think you are right when you are blatantly so very very wrong and end up showing your self up at the expense of the honourable lads serving in the Irish DF. even after taking the time to draw the comparisons above i am still not going to say "in areas like Small Arms, Comms and AFV's, the British Army has better stuff than the Irish DF", but the difference above is clear now for anyone to see the real state of play, instead of that according to flippant comments by Paul G.
think about it next time.
Comment