With some of the world’s best weaponry, technology, finance and capability to deliver it, the US has some of the best cutting edge armory. Some may be controversial, with politicians, defense companies and troops on the ground all believing in different requirements. But the US Army has today armed itself for all manner of warfare, from smaller counter insurgency, to larger-scale mechanical warfare.
The AH-64 Apache helicopter is America’s best defense against enemy’s ground troops. It is able to attack opposing troops before they come into firing distance of Allied troops. The aircraft has a 30mm cannon, missiles and sensors. It uses its speed, armory and scope to get to the enemy first. It is also used to find rebels and enemy weaponry, so has been central to the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
The Apache is actually controlled by the US Army and not the US Air Force or Navy, which means it can utilize it in an instant. While it will never replace ground troops, it is a vital partner to the success of the soldiers fighting face to face with the enemy.
The M-1 Abrams tank is debatably among the best tanks in the world. Few have been decimated during battle, and it is expected that it would quash its Chinese equivalent, the Type 99 tank. It also won over Iraq’s Russian made tanks in the first Iraq War in 1991.
Today, Isis has taken some of the M-1s from the Iraqi army, but this is said to be because of the lack of training and knowledge of the Iraqi crews, not the vehicle itself. The tank weighs 60 tons, has a 120mm cannon, 3ft of armor and a high-speed of 40 miles an hour.
A highly dangerous weapon, the M-109A6 Paladin is a self-propelled gun and can shoot a 155mm shell 20 miles with its rocket-supported missiles. It also shoots the GPS and laser-guided Excalibur.
It has been little used in the recent insurgency wars, but remains one of the US’s most effective weapons, The National Interest reports.
After almost 45 years in service, the US Army’s Tube-launched, Optically tracked, Wire-guided (TOW) anti-tank missile remains a lethal weapon. It destroyed Russian tanks in the Vietnam War, the Arab-Israeli Wars, the Iran-Iraq Wars and is now in service in the Middle East. Its latest version, the TOW 2B comes in variety of models, including a model with a bunker-busting missile and the Aero model, which detonates before it hits a tank to destroy its outside armor.
An 80 year old machine gun remains one of the US Army’s best guns. The M-2 .50-Caliber Machine Gun or ‘Ma Deuce’ is still used in battles across the world. It was created just as Roosevelt became US President and Hitler had just taken Chancellorship of Germany. The gun has served as an anti-aircraft, anti-personnel, and anti-vehicle gun, with a power more like a miniature cannon. Upgraded versions have been developed over the years, including the M2A1, which features a barrel that changes quicker.