Article

2010-12-03 China-Japan-Koreas

Satellite images show S.Korean shelling ineffective

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Posted by Water Modem 2010-12-03 11:44|| || Front Page|| [4 views ] Top

#1 That is terrible. The S.Koreans were betting a ton on the ability of the K-9/K-10 gun system to be able to fire quickly and accurately in a counterbattery role. Of course it didn't help that they were under fire. Also they lost 2 of their K-9 SP Howitzers to the initial attacks - not complete vehicle kills, but unable to return fire due to damage, and one more had a gun malfunction, allegedly a dud shell stuck in the barrel after insufficient propellant charge that didn't fully ignite (dont ask me how they screwed that up). And for the ineffectiveness of the rounds that hit, they didn't have permission to return fire until after the Norks stopped shelling (and were back in the revetments).

This means 2 sets of things need to be fixed: gun & crew function and accuracy (that's training issue as much as anything else), and faster command links.

Looking at it as a whole, you can chalk a lot of it up to simple tactical and strategic surprise.

Tactiaclaly speaking, the gun crews were not ready for a real-world engagement including quickly losing 3 of their guns from the battery - the shock of battle on the defending side can be severe even when you are expecting an attack, but surprise does even harder things to men under fire.

Strategically, the chain of command andthe Command Control and Communication (and Intel) systems were far to slow to respond, whether due to peace-time limitations, complacency or politics; no matter the cause, surprise revealed the C3I to be inadequately prepared for this event.

South Korea has some readiness training to do. A lot of it, and it includes really cranking the C3I systems and the command elements, as well as the gun crews and equipment.

Posted by OldSpook 2010-12-03 13:27|| 2010-12-03 13:27|| Front Page Top

#2 As obsessive as the ROK used to be over tactical arms, there must be some severe heartburn over this. Were I in charge of their artillery at a command level, those gun crews would be competitively drilling until they could put fire in an orange crate at 20 clicks at sustained rate of fire.

Posted by Anonymoose 2010-12-03 14:43|| 2010-12-03 14:43|| Front Page Top

#3 Better they figure all this out now than when the real shooting war starts ...

Posted by Steve White 2010-12-03 15:00|| 2010-12-03 15:00|| Front Page Top

#4 Doc, with the way things are going in the north, thet shooting war may be only a matter of time, possibly measured in months. It all depends on what the Nork oligarchs do when the realize they are near collapse, up against the wall figuratively and are weeks away from being up against a wall, literally.

Posted by OldSpook 2010-12-03 15:52|| 2010-12-03 15:52|| Front Page Top

#5 These kind of SNAFUS = GLITCHES should be expected when one's strategic strategy is mostly "defensive", aka LOSE/GIVE-UP-GROUND-THEN--RETAKE.

'Tis not what you have at the Front(s) but what is held in ready reserve, etc. in the rear.

IMO ARTIC read, US-SOVIET = COLD WAR "FULDA GAP" + "NORWAY" PRIMARY SCENARIOS is [Post-Cold War] now ON THE KOREAN PENINSULA + ISRAEL???

Posted by JosephMendiola 2010-12-03 19:18|| 2010-12-03 19:18|| Front Page Top

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