Weapons Development of a 1980's WWIII thread

[Kubo Caskett]

Back on AH.com I started this little topic that frankly should have gotten more attention than it had: www.alternatehistory.com/forum/threads/weapons-of-the-1983-wwiii.321188/; of course I do believe this can still continue, just not on that site.

Anyway, the rules are still the same; discussions and/or pictures of the possible weapons (firearms, vehicles, missiles, etc.) that exist and could exist are necessary and above all, welcome. Of course the difference here is that this should serve as a source for a WWIII in the 1980s in general instead of being a specific one (including the one from the Able Archer TL).

[Epic History]

The Iowas might get partially turned into Marine assault ships, or just further advance into being Guided Missile/Battleships. The F-14s will get a ton of upgrades as well.

[Kubo Caskett]

Jul 24, 2016 9:39:38 GMT Epic History said:

The Iowas might get partially turned into Marine assault ships, or just further advance into being Guided Missile/Battleships. The F-14s will get a ton of upgrades as well.

I think the same might apply to whatever the other fighter aircraft in terms of upgrades, especially that of China and Japan.

Anyway I found this interesting gem, from Sweden no less:

While it's only a mockup model, the Swedes were seriously considering making a production version of out this baby (which is called the Strv 2000 btw); perhaps if Sweden were to be dragged into the conflict (more likely by the hands of the Soviets), then I would imagine it would be investing a lot of money into getting this out to the front lines.

[Kubo Caskett]

Seems like I need to bump this thread again, especially with these gems, which are the candidates for the failed Advanced Rifle Program of the late 80's:

Had a war broken out by that time or last longer than a year if it started in the early 80's, one of them would have seen testing on the battlefield and I mean a baptism of kinds. Though for the G11 (the second one from the top), that might get out to the production line earlier than the other three given that it had a head start in 1969.

Oh and this one too:

This (the Colt Automatic Rifle/Machine Gun/whatever) would be a cost friendly alternative to the FN Minimi; a good choice for those factories that can't afford to make the latter.

[Kubo Caskett]

Another update this time with some goodies for an 1980's WWIII:

The FGR-17 Viper, a successor to the M72 LAW that would have seen the light of day had it not been cancelled or at least revived in case of wartime:

The Greek ARIS IV rocket launcher, cancelled IOTL but would have been pressed into service in times of war or not given Greece's close proximity with then member of the Warsaw Pact, Bulgaria:

[orvillethird]

I think both sides would likely use full-size aircraft converted into drones to aid in drawing SAM fire or taking pictures. It could be the last flight for a number of F-86's and F-8's which were too old to serve in combat.