The new gadgets promise to make the war quicker and less bloody than Desert Storm a decade ago, military analysts say.

The US army plans to quickly deploy its new Shadow 200 spy plane if the United States goes to war against Iraq.

In the Persian Gulf, the US navy has America's newest attack jet -- the F-18 Super Hornet -- ready for its first extended wartime action.

The US air force is planning a swarming air campaign against Saddam Hussein that would utilize new ways to use precision-guided munitions.

"A major factor will be precision weapons, and they are far superior today to the ones in Desert Storm. It's unbelievable," said retired Rear Adm. Phillip Smith, a former P-3 Orion pilot.

"I think militarily we will be successful in not too much time. I'm not one of those who thinks we can do it in three days, like I recently read," Smith said.

"We have more firepower," added Claude Bolton Jr., the Army's assistant secretary for acquisition and logistics,

In an interview, Bolton listed battlefield improvements made during the last decade. He spoke of the emerging Shadow surveillance drone, better night vision gear, a new communication network called "Force 21 Battle Command, Brigade and Below," and an improved model of the Apache tank-killing helicopter.

"We had good capability in situational awareness in the Gulf," said Bolton, a retired Air Force major general and former jet fighter test pilot. "I would say it's much improved now."

(Xinhua News Agency December 27, 2002)