So, to extend this idea from the Iran-Iraq war ends early topic, suppose that war indeed ends early, and Saddam decides to have a go at Kuweit, maybe even KSA, this topped by inching closer to a nuclear weapon, you name it.
How would a DS in 1985 look like then? And what would be a reasonable political-geostrategical evolution to that, considering that USSR is still strong, and Gorbachev is not in charge yet, or if he is, he just came in? I am guessing that the soviets will be eager to give the US a bloody nose in retaliation for Afghanistan, but also they don't want a nuclear Iraq, so they will support Iraq materially to try to have them cause as much damage a possible against the US, but of course not start WW3 for Iraq.
On the tactical level, how would the two opposing forces look like in 1985, most iraqi weapons are the same as in 1991 (except things like MiG-29 and Su-24), and possibly Iraq would get the long range S-200 (SA-5 in US parlance) from USSR along with a few more late model MiG-25PD and MiG-23ML.
Conversely, the americans would have a large percentage of older (and more vulnerable) aircraft playing a major part (F-111, F-4, A-7, A-6, AH-1 etc.), very few F-18, AH-64, F-16C and also fewer F-117, no F-15E, also few if any DU armoured M1 tanks, no Patriot ABM etc. etc. What else would there be different in the US and their "allies" camp? Would France (a major weapons supplier for Iraq, probably having clinched or on the verge to some large contracts, like Mirage-2000 and even 4000) and UK be in? How badly could this reasonably go for the US?
How would a DS in 1985 look like then? And what would be a reasonable political-geostrategical evolution to that, considering that USSR is still strong, and Gorbachev is not in charge yet, or if he is, he just came in? I am guessing that the soviets will be eager to give the US a bloody nose in retaliation for Afghanistan, but also they don't want a nuclear Iraq, so they will support Iraq materially to try to have them cause as much damage a possible against the US, but of course not start WW3 for Iraq.
On the tactical level, how would the two opposing forces look like in 1985, most iraqi weapons are the same as in 1991 (except things like MiG-29 and Su-24), and possibly Iraq would get the long range S-200 (SA-5 in US parlance) from USSR along with a few more late model MiG-25PD and MiG-23ML.
Conversely, the americans would have a large percentage of older (and more vulnerable) aircraft playing a major part (F-111, F-4, A-7, A-6, AH-1 etc.), very few F-18, AH-64, F-16C and also fewer F-117, no F-15E, also few if any DU armoured M1 tanks, no Patriot ABM etc. etc. What else would there be different in the US and their "allies" camp? Would France (a major weapons supplier for Iraq, probably having clinched or on the verge to some large contracts, like Mirage-2000 and even 4000) and UK be in? How badly could this reasonably go for the US?
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