Anticipatory Retaliation: Warfighting Stuff

October 05, 2005

Warfighting Stuff

Bravo Romeo Delta

Another entry from the file 'Things That Should Not Be, But Are, And Are Pretty Sweet'

... a proof-of-concept device that would allow an infantryman to spray a continuous stream of razor wire. Soldiers could use the system to establish hazardous obstacles in stairways, hallways, or other urban settings.

... and delivered at rates up to 400 ft (122 m) or razor wire per minute.

Launched by Bravo Romeo Delta at October 5, 2005 06:17 PM | Missile Tracks

With all due respect, this doesn't sound all that impressive to me. What you're describing is really nothing more than a device which unreels wire from a spool. The wire is going to be heavy, and a soldier carrying this thing probably isn't going to be able to carry anything else.

Is any soldier really going to want to go into city fighting really going to want to carry one of these in preference to a rifle? Is it really something which is going to be useful enough of the time to justify adding this to front line rifle platoons?

At best it's the kind of thing that engineers might keep one or two of in their trucks, but they wouldn't be using them to fill stairways; they'd be using them in the same kinds of situations where they'd be laying mine fields.

Posted by: Steven Den Beste at October 6, 2005 08:28 PM