Weather has often played a crucial role in the outcome of military wars. Some of the campaigns, especially during World War II, were won or lost solely on account of weather. The concept of war has changed significantly since WW II. Any war in any part of the world leaves a chapter of lessons learnt which includes role of weather. These lessons get incorporated by the global military centers in their strategy to enhance and update their war potential.
Conventional wars as the name suggests, is the combat between two nations or group of nations without the nuclear weaponry. The belief is that the number of combatant troops and the quantum of material with them bring victory for the better side. But the recent wars go beyond this point to say that quality counts more than the quantity. Focus from mere technology shifts to superior technology. This superiority by itself is able to deliver conventional weapons of tremendous power with unprecedented accuracy to inflict crippling damage on the adversary.
The concept of concentrating military forces in the battlefield may become orthodox in the near future as these can be tracked easily by Global Positioning System (GPS). Forces could become vulnerable and get destroyed from afar. Military forces in large numbers can also get located by unmanned surveillance aircrafts-both long and short range-and get eliminated by bombs or missiles dropped directly on the forces by GPS. Warfare in future may therefore be waged by small groups or teams, equipped with weather experts and weapons, operating from stand alone locations but connected well with all the other teams through a network.
So far so good, accurate weapon delivery remains a dependent function of weather parameters. Be it, Beyond Visual Range (BVR) platforms or flying machines for interdiction or tactical support in the battlefield area, the complete operation is weather dependent and sometime decisive. Inclement weather conditions may be gainfully utilized for own advantage by carrying out swift operations, thereby inflicting surprise on the enemy.
Higher the degree of sophistication of weapon, more dependence on weather for its delivery. Light conditions for the infra red sensors, temperature profile for thermal seeking device and accurate wind conditions to achieve desired trajectory are of paramount importance for weapon delivery. In short, stringent weather conditions are not only desirable but essential to accomplish target allocation and destruction. Weather has no boundaries and is not limited to a particular band of height. Future wars, even when fought in space, will encounter space weather which by far remains a complex and little known entity.
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