Chapter 88 of 100

Chapter 88

15 min read3,667 words

"Frankly, I don't see much of a problem. Iraq can still put up a facade, trading a fake target for an American missile. In the end, it's still a gain..."

"Can a facade eliminate the enemy?" Hu Wenhui retorted sharply, firing off a series of questions: "Can a facade achieve tactical objectives? Can a facade prevent the enemy from accomplishing their combat intentions?"

"Furthermore, can the tanks Iraq uses as decoys emit the heat signature of an active engine? Can the radar they use as decoys fool the U.S. EA-6? After Iraq's fighter jets are camouflaged, can they take off and compete with the F-14? Can artillery, once camouflaged, evade counter-battery radar?"

Hu Wenhui's barrage of questions immediately silenced everyone. △↗ Battlefield deception is a profound science with significant importance in war, but you must first understand the enemy's reconnaissance methods. If you don't know how the enemy conducts reconnaissance on the battlefield, talking about deception is like looking for fish in a tree.

To be blunt, both the PLA and the Iraqis have a long way to go in terms of reconnaissance methods.

"But this doesn't prove anything, the U.S. military's strength is undeniable. However, this doesn't mean that the war levels of Iraq and Iran are very low, right?"

"No, using the U.S. and Iraq as examples, I just want to illustrate the importance of systems in war. Whether it's Iraq or Iran, most of their combat units fight independently and do not form a cohesive force. The air forces of both countries focus on striking each other's air forces and rarely provide ground support. The army's tanks either sit in fortifications as fixed artillery or enter cities alone. At the beginning of the war, Iraq managed the 'miracle' of advancing 14 kilometers in 7 days with T-72 tanks! This clearly shows the disconnection between logistics support and combined arms operations!"

"In modern warfare, if weapons and equipment cannot form a system, the result is that the enemy will break through one link on the battlefield and cause a complete collapse. However, if a complementary system can be formed, even an army like Iraq's can pose a significant threat to the Americans!"

When Hu Wenhui finished speaking, not only were all the experts present stunned, but even Secretary Huang, who had been low-key, raised his head.

Iraq can stand up to the U.S.? Even if you told this to Saddam, he probably wouldn't believe it.

If someone else had said this, everyone would have dismissed it as empty boasting. But when Hu Wenhui said it, it couldn't be ignored.

To put it bluntly, Hu Wenhui's ideas may not be the best, the most correct, or the most efficient, but they are definitely the most likely to be implemented, because—Hu Wenhui has the money.

"Comrade Hu, could you elaborate on how the Iraqi army can be built into a system?"

"Information!" Hu Wenhui said confidently and decisively, "Let information flow through the army like blood. A body without blood is dead, and an army without information is useless! By reconstructing the Iraqi army through an information network, I believe they can have the ability to stand up to a high-tech army."

"Could you elaborate on your information network?" Secretary Huang asked, his pen never stopping as he continued to write.

"Of course, is there a blackboard and chalk here?" Hu Wenhui looked around and asked the audience.

"Ah, yes!" The experts nodded in unison and scrambled to find a mobile whiteboard and a black marker from the corner of the meeting room—this was a luxury item in the 1980s, and Hu Wenhui had never even seen one in Xiucheng!

Everyone thought Hu Wenhui would be at a loss in front of the whiteboard, but they watched as he skillfully fixed the whiteboard in place, uncapped the marker, and began to draw with confidence.

"First, let's talk about Iran's F-14s. Although the Tomcat dominates the skies of the Iran-Iraq War, it's important to note that Iran's F-14s are not without losses—there are three confirmed shoot-downs. However, unfortunately, the F-14s were not shot down by MiG-25 Foxbats or other Soviet-made fighters. All of these shoot-downs, and I mean all, were achieved by the MIM-23 Hawk missile, which is equipped by Iran's air defense forces."

"This not only exposes the incompetence of the Iranian army but also indirectly proves the importance of information to the army. Clearly, Iran's air defense forces and air force are completely separate. This phenomenon also exists in the Iraqi army. So, what if we bridge the gap between the Iraqi air force and air defense forces? What would be the result?"

"First, there would be no gaps in Iraqi airspace, and the air force could help compensate for the shortcomings of ground-based early warning radars. Ground radars could guide the air force to set traps for the F-14s, luring them into the air defense zone. With both sides working together, the Matra Super 530D missile could end the F-14's myth. The key is whether the ground can guide the radar-off Mirage F1 to approach within the 530D's firing range, offsetting the range advantage of the Phoenix missile."

This wasn't just empty talk. In fact, most of Iraq's later successes against Iran's F-14s were indeed achieved with the Matra Super 530D missile. However, on one hand, the war had taken a toll on the F-14s, and on the other, the Iraqis never managed to connect their ground radar network with the air force. As a result, they had to use a large number of MiG-21s (J-7s) to engage in close combat and let the Mirage F1s claim the kills against the F-14s.

Just looking at the confirmed F-14 shoot-downs by Iran, the Tomcat was a ruthless MiG killer, with devastating results!

Hu Wenhui then drew five blocky planes with antennas on the whiteboard and continued.

"At least under the premise of limited air superiority, Iraq's communication relay drones would take to the skies, providing communication services for a large area of the battlefield. With three to five of these drones working with ground stations, using base station positioning technology, a temporary GPS-like system could be set up. The accuracy may not be as good, but it would be sufficient for the use of stand-off precision-guided weapons. The targets for these precision-guided weapons can be obtained through the high-altitude, high-speed reconnaissance of the Foxbat."

"Next, the Iraqis can not only provide targeting for guided weapons but also provide positioning and status information for every front-line and rear unit. The Iraqi campaign command will no longer be clueless about the front lines; in fact, they can enjoy the advantage of one-sided transparency on the battlefield. The location of every tank unit, every light infantry unit, the location of fuel supplies for logistics units, and the range of every artillery unit will be known."

"In terms of the structure of the campaign command, the Iraqis should try to eliminate intermediate command layers and form joint command headquarters for all branches. The reason is simple: the Iraqis do not have a qualified officer corps, and most of their officers have not received complete military education. Otherwise, they would never agree to tanks entering cities without infantry support. In fact, the clarity of battlefield information will also reduce the likelihood of high-level misjudgments, which should be important for Saddam."

"Hahahaha—" Laughter rippled through the meeting room; everyone understood what Hu Wenhui meant. The order for Iraqi tanks to enter cities came from Saddam.

In fact, Hu Wenhui was very skeptical that if Saddam could see his armored units being destroyed one after another on a real-time campaign screen, he might realize the situation faster and pull his forces out of the quagmire of urban warfare.

In reality, a flatter command structure would indeed be more friendly to the Iraqis. Directly issuing orders from the joint command headquarters to the basic combat units would greatly reduce the likelihood of middle-level officers making mistakes. Additionally, this would help break the problem of each branch fighting independently. The principle is simple: the fewer intermediate links on the battlefield, the faster the reaction time. Moreover, such measures that greatly enhance central control would certainly be welcomed by a military-political leader like Saddam.

Hu Wenhui didn't say this explicitly, but the expressions of those present clearly showed they understood.

"Only by forming a system and network can the entire army structure withstand greater pressure and losses. American cruise missiles can evade fixed radar stations, but they cannot evade patrol aircraft that can appear at any time. Similarly, the ground radar network can guide fighters to intercept these subsonic old-timers. The F-14 can shoot down MiG aircraft, but it will face the unpredictable Mirage F1 and the ambush of ground air defense units. The B-1B Lancer's high-altitude, high-speed penetration can be countered by the Foxbat, ensuring it has no way to return."

"Networked command headquarters of all branches can most intuitively and quickly mobilize nearby units to encircle and destroy special forces, protecting the early warning VHF radar. Communication relay drones can ensure that our communications are not interfered with by the EA-6, and the radar of the anti-radiation missile F-111 can choose to cycle on and off, quickly relocating positions, and then command the air force to shoot down or drive away the F-111."

"By doing so, even if they ultimately cannot resist the U.S. offensive, they can certainly cause significant trouble for the U.S. military. In a cost-benefit analysis, this would be a war that is not worth the effort."

The experts exchanged glances. Hu Wenhui was openly talking about Iraq, but everyone knew he was actually referring to the PLA. The system that could work for Iraq could also apply to the PLA's military philosophy. Without a large-scale equipment upgrade, could simply establishing an information network really multiply combat effectiveness?

Hu Wenhui's vision of the future was indeed captivating, but the experts present had encountered many "beautiful on the surface" situations.

"Cough, I have a suggestion." Hu Wenhui knew that empty talk alone could not influence the PLA's military thinking; there had to be concrete examples: "Given that our military trade with Iraq is completely unstructured, could I be allowed to submit a comprehensive solution to the Iraqi procurement side?"

"A comprehensive solution?" Secretary Huang's pen, which had rarely stopped, paused. Intuitively, he felt that a new world was opening up before him.

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