Great Power contentions

[Montmorency]

I hear Romania is restarting 152mm production. @edyzmedieval




oooooo

Tangential rant: Let's be frank re: the "simplicity" (cf. quantity) argument that the essayist dismissively touches on. Aircraft, given their cost, numbers, and absolute complexity, are currently just platforms where technology is going to produce more of an edge than in almost any other military application. While for the sake of example there's probably no real procurement, technical, or logistical cost advantage at scale for, say, buying 5 T-64BV over a single T-90M, as ground vehicles the former can probably perform at 80% relative to the latter in a cumulative sense for intended MBT roles. They will both have similar speed, maneuverability, and vulnerability on the full-spectrum modern battlefield, and they both even arm the same 2A46M 125mm cannon. So in abstract there's a case for maintaining a cheap old workhorse for mass mobilization in a domain like armor to supplement the crack gear and personnel.

But if you could substitute a wing, or even two, of F-104 for a squadron of F-35, would you make that choice? The technological leap between second-generation and fifth-generation jet computer and missile technology (and especially stealth where available) is simply incalculably greater than that between second-gen tanks and topline 3rd-gen tank armament, armor, and countermeasures, which combat would undoubtedly reveal. What would be the point of, for example, swarming F-104s against a squadron of F-35s if it's not implausible that the F35s can standoff engage and destroy all of the F-104s with zero loss? Because that's what technological disparity can bring in the air.

(These might be videogamish matchup examples - one more than the other - but they serve to illustrate the cross-differences between Quality vs. Quantity branches)

Arguments about the need to recall the lessons of industrial warfare are essential without taking them to literally require a return to thousands of turboprop plane and welded-steel tank units! It just indicates a need to rebalance between desired capabilities and expected aggregate survivability and availability (or lack thereof) in large-scale conflict. Contemporary doctrines will have moved on properly with extant conditions in most respects.