North Korea: Threat or Blackmailer?

[CRedskinsRule]

Originally Posted by Alvin Walton

...
If North korea has 700 fighter jets then my name is Alice Cooper.
...

From the Library of Congress Document I linked earlier (p.252 actual 291 acrobat reader)

the [North Korean]air force has about 110,000 airmen and is equipped with an aging fleet of more than 1,600 aircraft that includes about 780 fighters, 80 bombers, 300 helicopters, 300 An–2 biplanes, and more than 100 support craft. About 70 percent of the fixed-wing aircraft are first- and second-
generation Soviet-made fighters and bombers, including MiG–15,
–17, –19, and –21 fighters and Il–28 fighter-bombers. The air force
also has many third- and fourth-generation Soviet-made aircraft such
as MiG–23 and MiG–29 fighters and Su–25 ground attack aircraft.

Among its rotor-wing fleet are a significant number of Mi–2s, Mi–4s, Mi–8s, Mi–17s, and Hughes–500 multirole helicopters.

Can I call you Alice now?
(I understand they aren't a threat per se because they are aging, and their pilots get an average of 20 hours flying time a year, just numbers that would have to be shot down)

[Chico23231]

North Korea may have some military numbers, but they couldnt logistically support a war. Fuel and food are expensive. Alot of their vehicles are old too, arent they?

[Alvin Walton]

Originally Posted by CRedskinsRule

From the Library of Congress Document I linked earlier (p.252 actual 291 acrobat reader)


Can I call you Alice now?
(I understand they aren't a threat per se because they are aging, and their pilots get an average of 20 hours flying time a year, just numbers that would have to be shot down)

Good researching.

How many of them are operational?
Cause if they cant fly then they are just lawn ornaments.
If you look at them on Google earth, thats what they appear to be.

And I find it amusing that you would bother to list the AN-2s.

[Alvin Walton]

Phear the mighty AN-2.
160 MPH top speed.

[CRedskinsRule]

Originally Posted by Chico23231

North Korea may have some military numbers, but they couldnt logistically support a war. Fuel and food are expensive. Alot of their vehicles are old too, arent they?

This is why I fear a land war. IF they were to fire off a ton of missiles, then make a dash to SK's front line stocks, the initiative would allow them, most likely to get the needed supplies like fuel and food to keep their military going. I know they don't have a lot of supplies, but EVERY thing in that country is earmarked first and foremost for the military, and they would burn through their supplies in an all out push to get to SK's back stocks. Wouldn't shock me if they have several tunnels that the South hasn't found, (they found 4 across the length of the DMZ), which would allow troops to start behind the frontlines.

[CRedskinsRule]

Originally Posted by Alvin Walton

Phear the mighty AN-2.
160 MPH top speed.

lol

for the record, I just took the words right off the page, and only so that I could call you Alice :cheeky-sm

[Alvin Walton]

Originally Posted by Chico23231

North Korea may have some military numbers, but they couldnt logistically support a war. Fuel and food are expensive. Alot of their vehicles are old too, arent they?

If they massed quickly and pushed south before we got organized I think they could take Seoul.
They wouldnt be able to keep it but it would be messed us very very badly and set the world on its ear.
A lot of Americans (military) and south Koreans would be dead.
Say good bye to the KIA factory.

[CRedskinsRule]

Originally Posted by Alvin Walton

If they massed quickly and pushed south before we got organized I think they could take Seoul.
They wouldnt be able to keep it but it would be messed us very very badly and set the world on its ear.
A lot of Americans (military) and south Koreans would be dead.
Say good bye to the KIA factory.

Forget KIA, where would we get our new Samsung Galaxy S5's from!!! (maybe Apple is prodding NK? hmmm)

[CRedskinsRule]

Originally Posted by Alvin Walton

Meh......their air force and navy are not the concern anyways AFAIC.

Nukes
Chemical weapons
Their large artillery force.
Their large mobile infantry.

Those are the four things I would be worried about most.

I agree, and I might put chemical ahead of nukes, because I could see them more likely using them inside SK, then what nukes they do have.

[Alvin Walton]

Yep....if the chemical wepaons are artillary capable then just shoot them en masse....wait an hour and invade.

[Chico23231]

Would we use nuclear weapons if they invaded SK?

[CRedskinsRule]

Originally Posted by Chico23231

Would we use nuclear weapons if they invaded SK?

no way Obama would authorize nukes for anything less than an attack on the US

[Chico23231]

Originally Posted by CRedskinsRule

no way Obama would authorize nukes for anything less than an attack on the US

What if they really had Godzilla?


Hopefully if not nuclear weapons, Obama could launch Mothra

[BigHairedAristocrat]

Originally Posted by Chico23231

North Korea may have some military numbers, but they couldnt logistically support a war. Fuel and food are expensive. Alot of their vehicles are old too, arent they?

Correct. Half the country is starving now. North Koreans only eat because they get food shipments from outside - i imagine those would stop as soon as North Korea started a war. Also, the article i linked to earlier said those 700 planes couldnt all fly because they dont have enough fuel.

Ultimately, the only real threat North Korea poses to South Korea is in its sheer number of troops. There are no civilians in the DMZ, so if North Korea tried to send troops accross, it would be easily caught on Satellite and South Korea and its Allies could just bomb the crap out of them.

The key would be dropping bombs on them before they crossed into South Korea.

[CRedskinsRule]

Originally Posted by BigHairedAristocrat

Correct. Half the country is starving now. North Koreans only eat because they get food shipments from outside - i imagine those would stop as soon as North Korea started a war. Also, the article i linked to earlier said those 700 planes couldnt all fly because they dont have enough fuel.

Ultimately, the only real threat North Korea poses to South Korea is in its sheer number of troops. There are no civilians in the DMZ, so if North Korea tried to send troops accross, it would be easily caught on Satellite and South Korea and its Allies could just bomb the crap out of them.

The key would be dropping bombs on them before they crossed into South Korea.

You put no stock in any threat of tunnels under the DMZ? Some of the 4 we found would allow for some pretty serious troop movement.