What will happen to the old military equipment when replacedBy new advanced equipment

naiveessene

New Member
What. would happen with the old military equipment when it's replaced with new and more advanced equipment. Im talking about 2050 military technology. We would have 7th generation fighter jets, rail guns, advanced tanks, new propulsion etc. Do you guys think old military equipment will still be in service, in other countries, maybe like third world counties, countries that can't afford the new and advanced equipment. So I believe it'll go like this. The poorest counties would probably stock pile on ww2 military equipment and forward on. The tanks, artillery, weapons, 3rd generation fighter jets, etc. By then the cost would be less so they'll buy them and give them there own upgrades. More developed countries would stock pile on, Vietnam war era and forward on to the 2000s. 4th - 4.5generation fighters, tanks, etc. the countries closest to becoming 1st world countries would own 2000s and up military equipment, 5th generation. Fighters, tanks, weapons etc. what do you guys think? Give me your thoughts and opinion on this.
 

My2Cents

Active Member
Doubtful that any of the 3rd gen fighters will still be flyable by 2050 being nearly a century old. And any M-60, etc will also be over 60 years old, let alone the 100 year old WWII stuff, more rust than metal unless you kept it in a controlled atmosphere.

If the major powers are using 7th generation stuff, your 3rd world will mostly be using 5th generation imported stuff, plus the usual ‘roll-your-own’ local new manufacture ‘technical’ items that are ‘good enough’.
 

PCShogun

New Member
let alone the 100 year old WWII stuff, more rust than metal unless you kept it in a controlled atmosphere..
I routinely shoot 80 and 90 year old rifles from WWI even today. Some of this stuff in my collection is dated 1917. Some of the ammunition I shoot is dated from the late 30's.

I expect that in 2050, much of what we have today will have been scrapped and mostly recycled. Some may be in use in some small part of the world. I noticed that Afghanistan had some FT-17 tanks from World War I sitting in a scrap yard and the Taliban were using some old Martini-Henry rifles from the old British occupation.
 

RobWilliams

Super Moderator
Staff member
You regularly hear about .303s being confiscated in Afghanistan, but firearms are different than other military equipment like vehicles or aircraft.

As hardy as those suckers are, if they're not being properly maintained or stored they're done for.
 

bdique

Member
You regularly hear about .303s being confiscated in Afghanistan, but firearms are different than other military equipment like vehicles or aircraft.

As hardy as those suckers are, if they're not being properly maintained or stored they're done for.
Beyond that, bolt-action firearms are a fairly simple machines as compared to vehicles, aircraft, ships, or even other more complex firearms like your MGs and assault rifles.

The capabilities offered by new generations of weapon systems simply outclass these older weapon systems, regardless of how well they can function despite their age.
 

Bonza

Super Moderator
Staff member
What. would happen with the old military equipment when it's replaced with new and more advanced equipment. Im talking about 2050 military technology. We would have 7th generation fighter jets, rail guns, advanced tanks, new propulsion etc. Do you guys think old military equipment will still be in service, in other countries, maybe like third world counties, countries that can't afford the new and advanced equipment. So I believe it'll go like this. The poorest counties would probably stock pile on ww2 military equipment and forward on. The tanks, artillery, weapons, 3rd generation fighter jets, etc. By then the cost would be less so they'll buy them and give them there own upgrades. More developed countries would stock pile on, Vietnam war era and forward on to the 2000s. 4th - 4.5generation fighters, tanks, etc. the countries closest to becoming 1st world countries would own 2000s and up military equipment, 5th generation. Fighters, tanks, weapons etc. what do you guys think? Give me your thoughts and opinion on this.
One thing you have to take into account regarding the operation and maintenance of combat jets is that older technology doesn't necessarily mean it's cheaper overall. If you're operating aircraft for which parts are no longer available, you'll have to reverse engineer components and produce them yourself, and finding people with the experience to work on outmoded avionics could be a lot harder than you think. So really you're probably better off purchasing combat jets for which there is already a support structure in place. That's my opinion, anyway. Paying through the nose for inferior platforms that will most certainly be vulnerable to all kinds of threats in the event of a conflict is probably not going to go down very well...
 
Top