The rise of a great power: starting with military industry

At present, the development of the Iraq War has become a war of attrition between the United States and the Arab world.

The current consumption of both sides is mainly in the air force, missiles and bombs. The United States has mainly lost fighter jets, pilots, bombs and missiles, while Iraq has lost fighter jets, pilots, missiles and losses after being bombed.

目前而言，美国采购一架F-16战斗机最新型的价格是3000万美元，采购一架F-15战斗机最新型价格是6500万美元，采购一架F/A-18战斗机价格是4100万美元。

至于A-6、A-7、A-10、F-14战斗机、F-117战斗机、F5战斗机、F-111战斗机、F-117战斗机都是处于存量的，美国不再生产，或者生产线已经拆除，或者生产线已经封存。

Even when the United States launched the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, it did not purchase these fighter jets, but instead purchased more F-15 fighter jets, F-16 fighter jets, F/A fighter jets and F-22 fighter jets.

Although the F-22 fighter has been successfully developed, the United States also made up its mind in 2001 to invest huge sums of money to mass-produce the F-22 fighter. Lockheed Martin has undertaken the production order of 295 F-22s. However, the F-22 fighter has not yet been delivered for service, let alone formed into a fighter.

Therefore, since its birth, the F-22 fighter has been hailed as the most powerful fighter in the world and the world's first fourth-generation fighter. However, so far, the F-22 fighter has not appeared on the battlefields in Afghanistan and Iraq.

American fighter jets are often more expensive, but now the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have also raised prices in the international arms market.

Due to their outstanding performance, the prices of Soviet-made fighter jets and air defense missiles have skyrocketed. A MiG-29 fighter jet costs $2000 million, a Su-27 fighter jet costs $5000 million, and other aircraft are not cheap either.

When it comes to price increases, Russia is definitely a master.

As for air defense missiles, Aegis air defense missiles are not cheap!
There are also "Vanguard" portable air defense missiles, which cost $8 each.

A single shot from an anti-aircraft machine gun or anti-aircraft cannon is not expensive, but the quantity is large, so it is easy to produce hundreds of thousands or even millions of rounds.

What the two sides are competing for is financial resources!
"Boom~~"

A Tomahawk cruise missile was intercepted and exploded in the air.

The price of a Tomahawk cruise missile is between 120 million and 200 million US dollars!
Every time the joint forces launch a Tomahawk cruise missile, not every Tomahawk cruise missile can hit the target, but a large portion of them will be intercepted.

Faced with Iraq's powerful air defense firepower, the Tomahawk cruise missiles had only about a 5-15% chance of hitting the target, of which 60-70% were intercepted, and the rest were within the error range.

"Boom~~"

An F-16 fighter jet was unable to dodge and was hit by a medium-range air defense missile, exploding directly in mid-air.

Some fighter jets were hit and exploded in mid-air, leaving the pilots with no chance to parachute; some fighter jets were hit on the wings or tail, leaving the pilots with the choice of parachuting to escape.

Then an air battle broke out between the two sides.

Long before, the joint forces had reached a consensus that they must first destroy Iraq's air force and air defense firepower to gain air superiority.

Only by gaining air superiority can the Joint Forces Air Force launch a massive bombing on Iraq, thereby winning the Iraq War and occupying the entire Iraq.

The United States has already invested a huge amount of money in this war. Only by winning the war can the United States make up for its losses and make huge profits. This is already a consensus within the United States.

This is also the consensus of other allied countries, as the casualties are not small, especially the loss of aircraft and missiles.

If Iraq is occupied, they will follow the US troops stationed in Iraq and get a share of the profits, which will be enough to make up for the losses.

If the Iraq war fails, then they will gain nothing and the Americans will definitely not pay for their losses.

Iraq also cannot afford to fail. Once it fails, Iraq will be destroyed and its fate will no longer be in the hands of the Iraqi people.

This is especially true for Saddam and others. The Americans clearly came to destroy Iraq. Even if they occupied Iraq and supported a puppet government, they would first destroy them completely.

For the Iraqi people, who have suffered greatly in the Gulf War, they have only hatred towards Europe and the United States. If they fail in this war, they will become slaves of a conquered nation.

For the Arab countries, if the Iraq War ends in Iraq's defeat and Iraq is occupied by the Americans, it will be a major blow to the Arab League and the Arab Coalition, as well as a heavy blow to the integration of the Arab world.

Over the past decade or so, thanks to the efforts of the elites of Arab countries, the Arab world has initially achieved integration, and the Middle East has achieved a rare decade of overall peace.

This is also an important reason why the Arab world was so angry when the United States launched the Iraq War without going through the United Nations.

The Afghan war has made the Islamic world very dissatisfied, so much so that many people in the Islamic world have gone to Afghanistan with guns to join the guerrillas and fight against the coalition forces.

The United States' re-launch of the Iraq War made the Islamic world extremely angry.

On the Internet in the Islamic world, the most common news is how many missiles Iraq has intercepted and how many aircraft it has shot down. Another common news is how the missiles and bombs of the coalition forces have destroyed a school, a hospital or a nursing home, and the complaints of children, students and the elderly against the Americans.

On the Afghan battlefield, the most common news in the Islamic world, apart from the guerrilla ambushes on the coalition forces and how many coalition troops and puppet troops were destroyed, is that the coalition forces blew up a mosque, and coalition soldiers entered the villages to rob, burn, kill and loot, harming Afghan women and shooting babies to death.

On the first day of the renewed war, the intensity of the war was extremely fierce.

Whether it is the number of cruise missiles launched, the number of precision-guided missiles and precision-guided bombs launched, or the number of fighter jets deployed by both sides, the whole world is focused on the battlefield in Iraq.

Military commentators from various countries have become extremely busy, whether they are writing articles or participating in TV programs, they are much busier than usual.

The strength comparison between the two sides, the types of weapons and equipment, which missile and type of aircraft were shot down, the international oil and energy prices on that day, the latest statements of both sides, the changes in the troop deployment of both sides, etc., these are all hot news.

Military commanders from various countries are also focusing on the battlefield in Iraq, analyzing the changes in modern warfare through the Iraq War, what are the bright spots that can be learned, and what are the shortcomings of their own side.

If it were our side, how would we launch an attack or defend?

Every war always attracts the analysis and learning of military commanders from various countries, so as to improve their own level and fill in the gaps on their side. (End of this chapter)