In this era where every second counts, the price of war is not only blood and fire, but also mountains of gold. Do you know that in modern warfare, the cost of some high-tech weapons is so high that it can be described as "sky-high"! The 1990 Gulf War cost the participating countries $113.3 billion in just 42 days, while the Russian-Georgian War in 2008 burned $200 million, although it lasted only five days. In these wars, what weapons have become the real "gold-swallowing beasts"? How did they become an instant hit and become a huge expense on the battlefield? Are you ready to listen to the hidden stories behind this?
Before we get to know these "gold-eating beasts", let's talk about the cost of war over the years. Wars, past and present, have always rocked the world with their staggering cost and destructive power. For example, the Gulf War, which lasted less than two months, could almost support the annual budget of a small country! The Russo-Georgian War, which lasted only five days, was astronomical every day, although it was short.
The current war is more like a high-tech contest. Although traditional artillery shells and firearms still occupy a place on the battlefield, those high-tech weapons, such as guided artillery shells and smart bombs, have become the new favorites on the battlefield because of their precision strike capabilities and high cost. Take a shell, for example, a seemingly simple shell, the price of which is enough to jaw the average family. 155mm shells cost about $500 each, while smaller 105mm shells cost about $400. And that's just the basics of unguided shells.
If it is replaced with the M982 "Excalibur" guided artillery shells commonly used by the US military, the price of each is as high as 68,000 US dollars. Don't worry, more exaggeration is yet to come. For example, the M142 "Hippocampus" rocket launchers provided by the United States to Ukraine cost more than $100,000 per rocket. Think about it, once these shells are fired at full strength, the amount of money consumed is simply astronomical!
Not only that, but the artillery shells used by the Navy are also a significant expense. The price of the main ship shells of different countries, such as the Italian Otto Melera 76mm naval shells, is between 700 and 900 US dollars each, while the 127mm naval gun shells carried by the Aegis warships of the United States, Japan and South Korea are as high as 1200 US dollars each. These naval guns may be just a number in peacetime, but once war comes, the economic pressure behind this number can be imagined.
Let's talk about the "rain of bombs" in the air. The bombs dropped by warplanes, whether they were 250 pounds or 2,000 pounds, cost no small amount. In the case of the US Air Force bomb, a modification kit of JDAM (Joint Direct Attack Munition) costs $20,000, and the cost of the entire bomb is even higher. When these bombs sprung up from the sky, the financial burden was self-evident.
But do you think that's the pinnacle? Those real "big guys" are the main ones who burn money. For example, the cost of the B-2 stealth bomber is as high as 729 million US dollars each, and a bill of 100 million yuan is beating for a single takeoff. The F-35 fighter jets are no exception, costing about $115 million each, and maintenance and flight costs alone cost a lot of dollars a year.
At sea, aircraft carriers are a veritable "money pit". The construction cost of the Ford-class aircraft carrier in the United States is as high as $13 billion, and the entire life cycle cost of an aircraft carrier may be close to $50 billion. Every time you set sail, it is not only a huge consumption of fuel and maintenance costs, but also the take-off and landing of countless carrier-based aircraft, and every time it is a huge consumption of money.
In the face of these sky-high prices, how do countries weigh their use? Advances in technology have indeed improved the performance of weapons, making them much more efficient and accurate on the battlefield. It also means that, in some cases, these exorbitant investments are worth it. For example, precision-guided weapons can reduce accidental injuries and collateral damage, saving subsequent political, economic, and humanitarian costs.
But on the other hand, it also forces military strategists to be more budget-conscious, because every use can involve huge sums of money. This is not only part of military operations, but also a game of economic calculations. How to maintain military superiority and control the ever-expanding military expenditures is a difficult problem that every military power must face.
With the intensification of the global arms race, the high cost of developing and procuring weapons systems has also attracted widespread attention and controversy. Is the huge military expenditure worth it given the limited public resources of society? This is an issue that requires the joint consideration of all governments, the military, and the public.
The "most expensive" weapons of modern warfare in general demonstrate mankind's determination in the pursuit of scientific and technological progress, and also reflect the complexity of modern military strategy. Although these sky-high weapons are powerful, their use and maintenance also cost a huge amount of money, which is behind the economic strength and strategic choices of each country. Every pull of the trigger is not only the beginning of a military operation, but also an accumulation of economic burdens. War is never simply a matter of artillery fire and gunsmoke, it is also a contest of money and resources. How to find a balance in this high-cost game is a challenge that countries need to face in the future.