XPost: soc.history.war.misc
On 8/31/2021 10:58 AM, a425couple wrote:
On 8/31/2021 5:42 AM, patrick wrote:
So the US military used some counterbattery fire to fend off the
ISIS-K rockets fired at kabul airport the day before the US military
pulled out of the airport. Did that equipment get left behind?
pyrotechnically deconstructed or c-17'd out? TIA Pat
Good Questions.
Sadly, we will probably never really know.
As to other equipment left behind, I see this on Facebook:
Profile photo for Bob Frome
Bob Frome
Updated August 23
What leftover US weapons in Afghanistan worry you the most?
I know a lot of people are upset over the weapons that the US left in Afghanistan. I recall being very upset over US weapons left after the
Vietnam War, however my thinking on this has changed a lot over the past
few decades. Not only what worries you the most, but probably the more important question is what equipment did we leave behind that will LAST
the longest?
Armies leave equipment after war, period. That will never change.
More complex equipment requires spare parts and people to maintain that equipment (helicopters, aircraft). You need people and spares, both in combination.
Soviet small arms have lasted for decades with small, local shops
fabricating replacement parts. Most large equipment was depleted during
the 90’s civil war.
A big different between Afghanistan and Vietnam was the sheer volume of
weapons that we left the SV military, along with personnel on both sides
who knew how to maintain planes, armor and helicopters. Vietnam used US weapons, large & small for decades after……… that’s not the Taliban in my
humble opinion.
Can this gentleman fly this helo and maintain it?
Are the Taliban better off just continuing to use pickup trucks vs
Humvee’s? Can only canibilize Humvee parts for so long.
The million dollar argument… can the M16A variants survive for decades
in comparison to the AK in Afghanistan? What about ammo depletion over
time and ability to resupply 556?
Can anyone picture your average Taliban soldier keeping the gas tube
clean in an M16 variant? Then again, did we send any piston systems to Afghanistan?
Update: Impressed with most of the answers from the posters below. Just
adding an equipment list below (not sure on 556 numbers):
2,000 Armored Vehicles Including Humvees and MRAP’s
75,989 Total Vehicles: FMTV, M35, Ford Rangers, Ford F350, Ford Vans,
Toyota Pickups, Armored Security Vehicles etc
45 UH-60 Blachhawk Helicopters
50 MD530G Scout Attack Choppers
ScanEagle Military Drones
30 Military Version Cessnas
4 C-130’s
29 Brazilian made A-29 Super Tocano Ground Attack Aircraft
208+ Aircraft Total
At least 600,000+ Small arms M16, M249 SAWs, M24 Sniper Systems, 50
Calibers, 1,394 M203 Grenade Launchers, M134 Mini Gun, 20mm Gatling Guns
and Ammunition
61,000 M203 Rounds
20,040 Grenades
Howitzers
Mortars +1,000’s of Rounds
162,000 pieces of Encrypted Military Communications Gear
16,000+ Night Vision Goggles
Newest Technology Night Vision Scopes
Thermal Scopes and Thermal Mono Googles
10,000 2.75 inch Air to Ground Rockets
Reconnaissance Equipment (ISR)
Laser Aiming Units
Explosives Ordnance C-4, Semtex, Detonators, Shaped Charges, Thermite, Incendiaries, AP/API/APIT
2,520 Bombs
Administration Encrypted Cell Phones and Laptops all operational
Pallets with Millions of Dollars in US Currency
Millions of Rounds of Ammunition including but not limited to 20,150,600
rounds of 7.62mm, 9,000,000 rounds of 50.caliber
Large Stockpile of Plate Carriers and Body Armor
US Military HIIDE, for Handheld Inter-agency Identity Detection
Equipment Biometrics
Lots of Heavy Equipment Including Bull Dozers, Backhoes, Dump Trucks, Excavators
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