[RL]Will melee weapons ever return to active military use.
Posted: Wed May 27, 2020 9:50 pm
Watching the new wh40k trailer does makes me wonder:
Click here to watch on YouTube
Short lecture (without being a real expert on the subject):
While ranged weapons like bows existed since stone age, melee fighting was prevalent until 19th century (and returned during ww1 trench fighting, as well as during ww2). Even when firearms were introduced, plate armor technology could keep phase with them till 17th century- the reason why plate armor, and with it melee weapons eventually, was phased out was economic- plate armor was expensive, for a price of a single full plate suit it was possible to equip a large number of soldiers with firearms.
Then advanced artillery got developed, resulting in most of modern military casualties being from artillery/fragmentation and not from small arms.
Last 30+ years though saw a major development in military body armor- resulting in for example, according to some sources that I read, personal firearms like AKs no longer being considered by Afghanistan militants an effective weapons vs US soldiers body armor, and RPGs starting being used as an anti-personal weapons.
It does makes me wonder how this trend will continue, especially considering different nonpowered and powered versions of exoskeletons currently being tested- assuming full body armor cover and effective protection vs fragmentation, artillery strikes might become a much less effective vs infantry- requiring a much closer hit to be effective. Combined with standard firearms being no longer effective, it will be very entertaining if in say 15 years we will end up with RL version of 40k combat- power armor covered infantry being largely uneffected by artillery, and requiring bolter style personal weapons/antitank weapons to bypass armor- meaning that because of ammunition weight limitations, suppressive fire is no longer an effective tactic, and infantry is able to reliably close range to melee. Resulting in melee range armor piercing weapons which do not require ammunition, like a modified chainsaws, becoming commonplace.
In other words, its going to be entertaining if Games Workshop somehow were able to predict future military developments better than an actual experts on the subject, and we will end up with "For the Emperor, CHARGE!!!" shown in the trailer as a valid military tactic in a few years.
Click here to watch on YouTube
Short lecture (without being a real expert on the subject):
While ranged weapons like bows existed since stone age, melee fighting was prevalent until 19th century (and returned during ww1 trench fighting, as well as during ww2). Even when firearms were introduced, plate armor technology could keep phase with them till 17th century- the reason why plate armor, and with it melee weapons eventually, was phased out was economic- plate armor was expensive, for a price of a single full plate suit it was possible to equip a large number of soldiers with firearms.
Then advanced artillery got developed, resulting in most of modern military casualties being from artillery/fragmentation and not from small arms.
Last 30+ years though saw a major development in military body armor- resulting in for example, according to some sources that I read, personal firearms like AKs no longer being considered by Afghanistan militants an effective weapons vs US soldiers body armor, and RPGs starting being used as an anti-personal weapons.
It does makes me wonder how this trend will continue, especially considering different nonpowered and powered versions of exoskeletons currently being tested- assuming full body armor cover and effective protection vs fragmentation, artillery strikes might become a much less effective vs infantry- requiring a much closer hit to be effective. Combined with standard firearms being no longer effective, it will be very entertaining if in say 15 years we will end up with RL version of 40k combat- power armor covered infantry being largely uneffected by artillery, and requiring bolter style personal weapons/antitank weapons to bypass armor- meaning that because of ammunition weight limitations, suppressive fire is no longer an effective tactic, and infantry is able to reliably close range to melee. Resulting in melee range armor piercing weapons which do not require ammunition, like a modified chainsaws, becoming commonplace.
In other words, its going to be entertaining if Games Workshop somehow were able to predict future military developments better than an actual experts on the subject, and we will end up with "For the Emperor, CHARGE!!!" shown in the trailer as a valid military tactic in a few years.