Hundreds of metal detectors and bomb de-arming kits have been donated to help clear minefields and unexploded ordnance as part of the latest package.
The Defence Secretary, Rt Hon Ben Wallace MP, said:
“Russia’s use of landmines and targeting of civilian infrastructure underline the shocking cruelty of Putin’s invasion. This latest package of UK support will help Ukraine safely clear land and buildings as it reclaims its rightful territory.”
According to a statement:
“The deliveries are the latest in a continuous supply of support that the UK has been providing Ukraine throughout 2022 and which will continue in 2023. The UK has also a significant package of air defence systems, including more than 1,000 air anti-air missiles and 125 anti-aircraft guns, to defend Ukraine against Russian strikes on its cities and infrastructure.
The UK was the first country in Europe to send military aid to Ukraine, sending thousands of NLAW anti-tank missiles early in 2022. Since then, the RAF has flown over 240 flights to move thousands of tonnes of military aid from the UK and international partners, ranging from sophisticated missiles to clothing to support troops through the harsh winter. The UK continues to liaise with the government of Ukraine to ensure that future supplies meet the tactical demands of the conflict as it evolves.”
Since the start of the war, The UK has provided military aid to Ukraine including but not limited to the following:
– Over 1,000 VALLON metal detectors and 100 bomb de-arming kits to clear mines and make safe reclaimed territory, homes, and infrastructure
– More than 1,000 missiles and 125 anti-aircraft guns for air defence
– NLAW anti-tank missiles
– Training for over 11,000 personnel from the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) with a goal of training 20,000 in 2023
– Stormer vehicles, Starsteak and AMRAAM anti-air missiles, anti-aircraft guns, radars, and anti-drone technology
– Multiple-Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS)
– M109 155mm self-propelled guns and L119 105mm light guns, and artillery and small arms ammunition
– Over 200 armoured vehicles and 100 logistics vehicles, Sea King helicopters, maritime Brimstone missiles and autonomous underwater mine-hunting vehicles
– £2.3bn ($3.1bn) of military aid in total
Excellent news, let’s hope all NATO members and other like-minded countries continue to do the same and support them throughout this horrendous conflict.
The sooner Putin’s regime is destroyed the better.
02 JANUARY 2023Ukraine conflict: Russia relocates bombers to Far East as Ukraine targets western bases
LINK
It’s good. I really wish the uk and other nations would give more. This is a serious conflict and if the pressure let’s up of Russia they will press forward. Im surprised a sky sabre system hasn’t been given and a extra replacements ordered. It’s free advertising. 240 flights I thought it would be much more now. I’m assuming a lot of stuff is thong by road/rail. This is the perfect opportunity for the forces to get rid of kit that’s sitting around. Replacements need where gaps appear. 2023 needs to try and end this. Push Russia to the border,… Read more »
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We only have one sky sabre system so far and it’s being used in Poland. The only modern ground-based air defence we have is starstreak which is short-range. Would Rapier even be a useful thing to send? Our ground-based air defence is severely lacking… Don’t worry though the RAF will do everything 😄
I would think rapier would be useful against drones and helicopters. I assume the reason we haven’t donated, is we don’t have any spare that are in workable condition.
Only 1 system! I was thinking they would have the 5 by now. Ordering more now would hopefully be a bit cheaper. At £250m for the 5 and all the manuals, spares etc an extra few units shouldn’t be too much.
The idea of loaning stuff to Ukraine should be used and when the conflict ends they can hand them back if there’s anything left.
Surely we are buying more than 5!
The contract was for 5 total systems. I don’t know the exact make up of a system but normally it would be something like 1-2 radar vehicles, a command module, power module, 4-8 SAM launchers, reload truck etc etc.
I think the 250m is a good price and they could hopefully get another 3 systems for around £100m.
I don’t know the build time but an order for an extra 5-8 systems would be a great purchase. Give 5 to Ukraine and they can return them when they are finished with them.
Thanks. The British Army (Royal Artillery) operated Rapier Fire Units and also took over the RAF Regiment’s FUs many years ago. Total of 124 FUs bought by UK. I hope 124 systems have not been replaced by just 5, no matter how much better they are! I’m joking – I am sure there will be many follow-on orders. We do not have 5 of the new systems to spare even if we order a handful more – build time would be many, many months or possibly a year or more. We either see if we could refurbish some of our… Read more »
There is a possibility that you could marry the CAMM missile with the Rapier Dagger and Blindfire radar along with the electro-optic IR sensor. Which depend on know many units were not broken ip and scrapped. CAMM in particular is radar agnostic. It can use pretty much any 3D search radar for its initial guidance and get it pointing to an intercept point. Whereby its own active radar can take over. So long as it has its data-link for mid-course corrections it should be relatively easy to integrate the two together. The main issue with using the Rapier’s sensors, is… Read more »
Thanks for the answer Davey. Are you proposing such ad hoc systems to boost the UK’s meagre figure of 5 Sky Sabres or to supply the Ukrainians?
I just might be, stranger things have happened. I think as a Country we fail to exploit what we already have for other uses. The last Field Standard C Rapier had a really good search and tracking radar, along with a thermal imager. Even though the radars were both the older generation of mechanically scanned radars. They both had had pretty good resolution and clutter rejection. By modern standards they lacked the up to date signal processing that Sky Sabre uses. If Rapier’s radars are predominantly being used for just threat searching and not tracking. Then getting an ASRAAM pointing… Read more »
I was wondering about the deafening silence on providing a sky sabre, I think there are various reasons, so few produced, cost, fear of what is a new state of the art system falling into Russian hands, even Israel being protective of its IP. I did wonder a month back when it was reported that Isreal had given permission for foreign Countries to use some weapons with its IP to Ukraine (with UK specifically mentioned) if it might just relate to LandCeptor but not holding my breath. What it does show mind is just how few Air defence systems the… Read more »
I suspect that the West’s superiority in aircraft based defence and attack systems, that have worked very well for the past 30+ years, has lulled it into a false sense of security. This puts it in a difficult position when trying to assist an ally that is facing a peer enemy, Russia. Worse still Russia has, for at least that time period, targeted its defence spend heavily into AD assets that would face the Wests’ aircraft. As a result there are just not the products that can be quickly supplied to Ukraine, with, given the training required and no desire… Read more »
The UK’s lack of ground based air defence is indeed quite strange. We haven’t had long range SAMs for a very long time, and although sky sabre is a capable system, it’s hardly able to fulfil the same set of missions as Patriot or S-400. This may be a result of air superiority giving us all a false sense of security, but both the French and Americans have put more into this capability than we have. For the Russians it’s actually doctrinal: their war plans have revolves around strong SAMs for decades. How much would it really cost to get… Read more »
I remember being driven as a kid down ‘Bloodhound alley’, the A1.
France and Italy have bought land based aster systems so prices are available. I can’t remember how much they paid.
It’s priorities and land based sams above short range haven’t been needed.
They can’t stop all incoming weapons and are vulnerable to a capable military
Your looking at around $500 million per battery for SAMP/T.
I very much think it’s a capability we need but I would rather see us begin to develop a son of SAMPSON radar for it that could then be rolled in to the type 83 program.
So it would be a UK radar using Aster missiles, the Italians do something similar.
considering the heavily spending on AD, there seem to be quite a few Ukrainian drones making it to Russian airfields. Which make you think what Nato cruise missiles would do
The RuAF seems to have been relying on its SHORAD systems to counter these random attacks. In this it has been pretty successful. Why this limitation on themselves we don’t know. A favoured possibility is that it doesn’t want to expose more than it absolutely needs to, of its medium and long range systems, given the US/NATO INTEL systems listening and watching. Were there to be a NATO attack no doubt both ground and air AD assets would be fully deployed. Certainly when a pair of UkAF Su-27 attacked Russia proper a couple of months ago they were chased home… Read more »
I find it unlikely that they (the Russians) have not deployed there air defence systems now. Engels air base is a long way in side Russia and has I believe been hit twice.
JIMK wrote regards UAV strikes on Russian airfields “The RuAF seems to have been relying on its SHORAD systems to counter these random attacks. In this it has been pretty successful.”” Are you sure? Seeing as there have been numerous very successful attacks on Russian airfields by the Ukraine using drones and Ballistic missiles, For example Engels 2 was struck on the 5th and 28th of December resulting in Moscow dispersing the aircraft based there to outlier airfields. Millerovo was struck on the 25th Feb 2022 We saw similar in the Crimea and at least 2 captured airfields inside the… Read more »
“The RuAF seems to have been relying on its SHORAD systems to counter these random attacks. In this it has been pretty successful.”
Do you really believe any of this?
Oh dear your back with your desperation and nonsense! The only successful thing about the whole Nazi invasion of Ukraine is to show to the west how wrong we were to be worried about the Russian bear (piss stained, badly injured, sticky fur cat more like) for the last 50 years.
JIMK wrote: “I suspect that the West’s superiority in aircraft-based defence and attack systems, that have worked very well for the past 30+ years, has lulled it into a false sense of security. This puts it in a difficult position when trying to assist an ally that is facing a peer enemy, Russia.”” I personally cant see that seeing as the Western European nations own a most impressive range of AAA systems, the most modern of which are cutting edge tech: Long range: The following countries operate the Patriot Missile System: Germany Romania Holland Spain Greece Poland has it on… Read more »
The trouble for the Russian Air force is that the Russian military targeted its spending in AD so much that a major threat to Russian pilots is being downed by their own AD units such is their incompetence in operating their own systems.
Your first paragraph makes no sense! Why would it place the west in a difficult position and where has the Russian defence spending been targeted? Not into AD assets it seems, more like into the pockets of every wanker in the dirty Nazi uniform above Captain!!! You do post less propaganda since the Russian Nazis are continuing to lose, but what you still post still has a whiff of Nazi shit about it.
Uk has done plenty. Its the other hangers on that are lagging. France is conspicuous amongst that group and tbh Italy and Spain could be doing a lot more. As for Germany….
Germany has now given more than the uk! The may have been slow to start but have made up for it. France is still giving valuable Truck mounted artillery amongst other items.
I know what Germany and France have given. Both have had to have it dragged out of them. Germany is bigger than UK anyway and what it has promised is not necessarily what has bern delivered. I think Kiel Institute has the figures etc. As for France yes it has given somd artillery but so has UK – and s log more plus shells etc. France also supplied the Russian army post Donbas (2014) with thermal imaging sights for their tanks. I’ll let you decide what to think of that.
I was just replying to u saying about the hangers on and that the countries mentioned should be doing more.
I think French companies sold kit to whoever would buy it. They are both the only people to have sold military equipment to questionable countries.
Best thing about us all being allies is even countries giving a little adds up to a lot
And these it appears. Buy one get one free!
“The photos show the fold out wings and advancer sensors that help navigate the missile towards two targets, before it splits into two submunitions and strikes multiple targets. The projectile is likely supplied by France to be fired by the Cesar self-propelled howitzers that were sent to Ukraine last year.”
Ukraine LIVE: ‘Bonus’ tank missiles deployed to destroy two Russian tanks with one shot (msn.com)
France has also decided to provide AMX-10 RC AFV to UKR. Uncertain re capability and utility of vehicle–outside my wheelhouse.
I saw that this morning. Ukraine really is a melting pot of vehicles. It has a 105mm gun and machine gun. Whatever keeps them safe just now.
I think countries should start lending kit to Ukraine and get back what’s left when the fighting is over as Ukraine won’t need all of it.
So things like Bradley’s, CV90, warrior etc etc. MBT and anything else they need right now.
Lend-Lease II?
Yeh, saw that this morning. Also read the US will supply Bradley vehicles and Germany will supply Marder IFVs. Good decisions, good stuff.
if you put on a pair of rose tinted spectacles you could think of the AMX-10 as a light tank; it does have a 105mm gun. But it is wheeled and VERY light …half the mass of a T72. Ukraine really needs those Leopards to be confident of retaking the Russian defensive positions I think.
Curious to learn the extent to which lessons learned from UKR conflict will be incorporated in weapon systems designs, and well as the pace of development. Munitions and drone tech. are obvious choices for near real-time responses. 🤔
Wonder what lessons learned will be incorporated into future armor designs?
…as well…🙄
Wonder why we haven’t given them any of the old rapier system since we are getting rid of them. I know they don’t have the longest of ranges but having them positioned around power plants would certainly help.
Same with some phalanx as they can be based on land if memory serves me right. Again not great range but good around key installations. Which could release some of the longer range sam systems to go around cities.
I don’t think we even have enough Phalanx systems for the navy as it is….
The problem is that we do not have any spare Phalanx, I think we bought @40 and to be honest that is barely enough. The other issue is that the US did develop a land based version but very few were built.
IMHO the best option available is the German Flakpanzer Gepard, which Germany is refurbing and handing over.
Some good Gepard vs drone footage out there. Very capable as long as it has a clear field of fire.
You’d like to think the gifting of everything we’ve recently withdrawn that’s still useful has been discussed.
If something like Rapier isn’t already being transferred then it’s probably because it’s been deemed too old or complex to support with training, spares, munitions etc.
It was mentioned on a previous thread that the rapiers were scrapped as soon as they left service and before it kicked off in ukraine.
Yes just before last Christmas… when the danger of war in Ukraine was building. Clearly as usual not a jot of anticipation or lateral thinking occurred. I suspect even though the prospect of a conflict was understood (if rather too casually I fear) that they simply didn’t expect it would form or probably ever last long enough to think such support would become relevant. What great insightful leaders we have.
You have to be joking…🙄
It’s a shame some of our European/NATO cousins didn’t start the main military aid till long after the invasion had started…. I honestly believe that the UK’s decision along with the Americans to send lethal military aid in the weeks before the invasion had a decisive impact in stopping/slowing the initial Russian advances…
Javelin and NLAW will go down in history for the role they’re playing.
I agree with you it helped them initially hold the line and take the fight to an enemy that thought it would be over and done with in days or at best a few weeks.
Not much heard about them recently.
Well as we know the war very much shifted focus into a ranged war using artillery with most media focussing on the deployment and use of HIMARS but I don’t doubt these weapons are still been put to good use by Ukraine!
JIMK wrote: “”Not much heard about them recently.”” Maybe not, but they have already made their mark upon the Russians who despite having the largest and best equipped army in Europe designed specifically for rapid armoured thrusts into enemy territory have since March 2022 averaged about 100 metres a week. Meaning Moscow is scared of advancing into enemy territory on mass, based on how its armoured forces have been decimated on the battle front. Currently on the 125km Kharkiv battle front there are approx. between 23 to 27 Russian BTGs with 10 MBTs and 20 BMP3s (armed with a 100mm gun) to… Read more »
Good points but rapid thrusts don’t seem to figure in the current Russian plan which may be, as you suggest, down to the UA’s possession of those weapon systems. The Kharkiv front doesn’t appear to be a Russian priority, they seem to be concentrating on liberating Donbas by inching forward, attracting in more UA reserves for decimation by artillery.
JIMK wrote: “”The Kharkiv front doesn’t appear to be a Russian priority”” Actually, it’s a much bigger front than people presume. The Sept Ukrainian offensive halted at the Oskil river. It’s a natural defensive line one Moscow should have had no problem defending and yet 3 months down the line not only has Moscow failed to hold the line, it has lost approx 20 miles to the east of the entire length of the Oskil with Ukrainie threatening all the towns and cities along the P66 highway (which became the main supply line from Russia into occupied Ukraine after the Kharkiv… Read more »
As you say, a very interesting area strategically and definitely one to watch. Thanks.
Also if the M32 SMArt missiles appear in Ukraine. Am I correct in thinking that it is only the upgraded German M270 that can fire them or were all NATO units including HIMARS converted?
The round sounds similar to the 15 kg (70 mm RHA armor-piercing) self guiding munitions that are loaded 5 up on various Russian rockets.
JIMK wrote “”Am I correct in thinking that it is only the upgraded German M270 that can fire them or were all NATO units including HIMARS converted?”” The Germans designed the missile so it can be used by any M270 or M142 , which is the main design feature of the M270 system, that said as per the EU mindset the European fire control system fitted to German, French and Italian M270s will not fire any munition which contains anti personal mines JIMK wrote: “The round sounds similar to the 15 kg (70 mm RHA armor-piercing) self-guiding munitions that are… Read more »
Thanks, I thought that the Germans had to upgrade their M270’s software to fire them.
JIMK wrote: “” they seem to be concentrating on liberating Donbas by inching forward, attracting in more UA reserves for decimation by artillery.”” And at a stroke you expose the failure of Moscow to cut short its invasion of the Ukraine despite it overall superiority in every field bar ‘common sense’. On that note it has been reported that Moscow which was expending up to 80K rounds a day is now down to 20k. In order to make up the shortfall, it has drained the stocks of Belarus (and no doubt other CIS states) there has been talk of them… Read more »
The facts of constant partisan activities in all Russian held areas of Ukraine versus basically none in Ukrainian held areas or even newly liberated areas speaks for itself.
I saw interviews with people in Crimea who said they welcomed the Russians in 2014 but after 7 years they now had changed their minds. All the changes they were promised never came and the thugs took charge and use violence and threats to line there pockets.
Russia has been telling its newer troops its the polish with nato support invading Ukraine and Ukraine needs Russia’s help.
Sorry for the delayed response. I get the feeling that many here view the attack on Ukraine as all that the Russians have planned. I don’t, I agree with the view that it is part of a strategy to break the US’s hegemony and create a multipolar world. Maybe at the start they thought that their superiority as you say would lead them to a rapid success with little damage an death. That clearly was not the plan of the US so we are where we are. It may be now that, as part of the revised plan, the move… Read more »
OMG you are so funny! We all know you have a set agenda to push, but even so your so funny with your garbage! And now your an expert in tank warfare! So it’s the US fault then? Pooptin had nothing to do with it!!!!!! Hilarious, sad but hilarious.
@JohninMK why don’t you move to Russia, if it’s so fantastic? If, as you claim, you live in the UK.
Fighting, combined arms warfare, skill set, experience, knowledge and logistics and soldering also doesn’t seem to be in the current Russian plan.
Come on johnskie respond to Farouks posts and back up your own comments and thought process! Sigh, he’s back, alas and as weak and spoon fed as before!
Oh dear 😂😂
Probably because the Ukrainian military won that battle and handed the much vaunted Russian Guards tank regiments their arses.
Arse, hand, hand this is arse 😂👍
Don’t worry they are still being used to kill rapist Nazi Russians, war however moves on and for civvies (like you) interest soon gets lost on the nitty gritty and it concentrates on the big headline stuff. But to alay your fears they are still being used on a daily basis to protect Ukrainian sovereignty as I am sure you will be pleased to know, yes?
I’m not sure that Ukraine could be regarded as sovereign anymore as its financing has been taken over mainly by the US and to a small extent by the EU and IMF.
So that’s your self justification for the invasion? Very weak very weak indeed!
Oh my oh my, you’ve been sniffed out troll bot! Farouk clocked you a while back now Cymbeline has clocked you on other websites, one bring a pro Nazi/Russia fan boy site where you are pushing the same Pooptin fetish shit!
Good news that we continue to support Ukraine compared to some allies
I thought we were a world leader in demining. Pity that we are sourcing 1,000 German made Vallon detectors who have been a little slow to provide arms to Ukraine
Am I correct?
Don’t we use the Vallon ourselves?
Bob wrote:
Yup, I learnt how to use it as part of my C-IED instructors course
Smickers wrote: “”Pity that we are sourcing 1,000 German made Vallon detectors who have been a little slow to provide arms to Ukraine”” To be fair,whilst the Germans did come off the block a lot slower than others, we have to remember the German constitution written post WW2. But in answer to your question, currently Berlin has provided more in aid and weapons than any other nation bar the US. Regards British help,it has to be recognised that the main deciding factor Ben Wallace who got the PM to send over 2000 NLAWS prior to the Russians invading which made all… Read more »
As regards the current govt, Ben Wallace is like a diamond in a chimney sweeps ear’ole. Sunak would have to have taken leave of his senses to sack him.
Indeed too much public support to easily remove him whatever his views of him.
PM would be foolish to replace Ben Wallace who is an excellent minister and was smart to keep out of the Tory infighting last year
I have followed your knowledgeable comments over the last few years along with other contributors like Daniele below
My interest is GB UK Ltd and what we manufacture. Very complex as so many defence projects are international collaborations (NLAW for example) and also we are losing a lot of our prime defence companies to private equity companies/asset strippers. The French, amongst others would not allow this
The uk is slacking a bit. Get more kit there sharpish.
Everyone who had a go at the Germans effort will be having a large slice of humble pie.
I’m just glad lots of nations are helping as it all adds up. Lots more is needed. Stuff is getting destroyed. I saw a polish krab blown up on a video recently.
I thought we had sent the second-most amount of kit compared to the USA.
Interesting that I read a week back from an American commentator, trying to put it into perspective given the enormous financial headline figures, explain how the overwhelming amount of kit the US supplies is surplus, or soon to be surplus weaponary. Even the M-777 was about to be radically reduced in service numbers with the Marines even if that may change now. Seems the priority was to transfer unwanted and/or outdated items or otherwise the odd more modern stuff in lesser amounts to test how they perform in representative conflict conditions. So the mouthwatering costs quoted aren’t quite what the… Read more »
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Those 2000 NLAWs probably saved Ukraine. Without them they would have struggled to get the early upper hand and who knows what would have happened to morale, if they hadn’t been able to pick off the Russian armoured advances. I doubt we will know the full story of who really made the call to send them for another 40 years but whoever it was should get a statue in Kiev.
Nah. Germany was just too afraid of Russia cutting its gas supply. It doesn’t have to worry about that now so it’s giving a bit more aid etc.
France admittedly went one step further – selling the Russians thermal imagers for their tanks post 2014. How nice of them….not.
We used Vallon in Afghan when I was there – 2008/9.
Slava Ukraini.
Amen to that! 🇬🇧 🇺🇦
I didn’t realize we had any anti aircraft guns, Does anyone know what we are supplying?
I would expect them to be 20mm and 30mm ex navy guns. I cannot imagine our having 125 of anything else just lying around.
Maybe the MOD have brought up a batch of used L70s from a 3rd country or something similar? Still an effective piece of kit.
Do we know what if they’re going to be linked any radar sets? MSI have a nice VSHORAD 30mm set up that fits on the back of a lorry with radar.
And in the meantime the UK Army doesn’t even have this sort of equipment (yet)!?
The British army has been very down on AA guns since the late 1970’s for some reason. not sure why. The issue of drones may make them change there mind
The UA are using anything they can get their hands on, bit like us in WW2 and the Doddlebugs, from pinthle mounted machine guns to twin 14.5mm installations on the back of a Technical, ISIS style. Non radar controlled so useless at night and dangerous for anyone down range.
The warfare analysis departments in our military are probably working overtime on how to cope with the reality of 21st Century fighting, from drone defence upwards.
What they have undoubtedly concluded so far in their analysis is how inept, incompetent, corrupt, untrained and useless the Russian military is.
On the one hand, if that were correct it doesn’t say much for the UA’s much vaunted NATO supported abilities given their lack of progress eastwards over the past couple of months. Whilst on the other, the Russians targeted destruction of Ukraine’s electricity generating and distribution capabilities seems miraculous for a ‘incompetent’ ‘useless’ military.
What is miraculous is that the Russian air force have not dominated Ukraine’s air space since day one of the war against 79 outdated UAF Mig 29s , Russia the military joke meme of the world 😂😂😂 go join your fellow Orcs johnski and fertilize the Ukraine fields.
No miracle possible. The Mig29/ SU-27s/Su-25s may be ‘outdated’ but they are still very effective weapon delivery systems especially in a country the size of Ukraine. You also fail to take into account the very capable and large UA AD system, chunks of which are still operative. The very mobile Buk especially, when fed by NATO derived targeting data, looks particularly deadly. A perfect shoot and scoot weapon. The RuAF appear to be running their Su-35 as CAP staying behind the front lines but still giving quite good protection out to about 150 miles, forcing UkAF aircraft to fly low… Read more »
JIMK wrote:
From what I have read , the Ukrainians have set up an online battleboard (based on Amazon servers no less) where any sighting of an aircraft , drone or missile can be reported via app, phone, computer it has proven to very effective in warming AAA assets of incoming.
https://i.postimg.cc/ZYrCcb15/Opera-Snapshot-2023-01-03-233853-www-theguardian-com.png
You’re completely wrong again. Not surprising really. Progress eastwards, would that include the re – taking of Kharkiv Oblast? Kherson? The encircling of Kremina? The repulsing of every Russian assault on Bakhmut ? It says even less for the Russian military that 10 months on and over 100 000 casualties later, for a military that modelled itself on deep strikes, it has barely moved 40 miles from its borders. Remember your predictions in early February about Russia rolling up to the Polish border in mere days?. Do remind us how that went. Oh, and slamming cruise missiles and drones into… Read more »
We can argue as to why they were necessary but tactical withdrawals as per Karkiv/Kherson are a valid tactic. In the latter Russia pulled 20k troops plus 5k vehicles out with virtually no losses. Not sure re your Kremina comment, 5 days ago our UK MoD was saying that RA was reinforcing its positions there. Both Bakhmut and Soledar are under serious attack now on their flanks. The slow Russian strategy is to try to minimise their casualties, the estimates on which, like the Ukraine’s figures, are guesswork and might be higher. Infrastrucure was from memory one of the first… Read more »
JIMK wrote: “”Tactical withdrawals as per Karkiv/Kherson are a valid tactic. In the latter Russia pulled 20k troops plus 5k vehicles out with virtually no losses.”” That’s a very interesting version of what actually transpired and the reason I can state that. is at the time news and reports coming out of Russia revealed that the Russian forces (yes Russian and not the separatists as was post event reported) were caught completely by surprise , resulting in a total rout. the Kharkiv offensive began on the 6th of September ended 7 days later on the 12th over that 5… Read more »
JIMK wrote: “”Infrastructure was from memory one of the first and prime targets in both Iraq and Libya by what I assume you would call the USAF and FAF/RAF etc “modern, competent and well led military”. The only difference I can see is that the Russians didn’t hit them in the first few days and killed few civilians, sorry ‘collateral damage’ in doing so. The objective, achieved by those very efficient forces was clearly to send the countries back to the Middle Ages, that doesn’t appear to be Russia’s in Ukraine..”” Utter tosh, in both Western led theatres only… Read more »
Hs ha ha !! Tactical withdrawals ?? The Russians were routed , abandoning equipment en mass. Russia is now the no. 1 supplier of Ukrainian armour whenever Ukraine advances. Even the hardliner Russian milbloggers don’t peddle that bullshit you come up with. In around Bakhmut, Russian attacks are down to small, platoon/squad sized attacks, they no longer have the numbers for their mass human wave assaults. I wouldn’t be relying on your memory, you don’t seem to recall predicting an easy Russian victory back in February, so your recollection of Iraq or Libya will be skewed. However, the Russian tactic… Read more »
And long may that continue… Lol 😁 Hopefully it’s making things a lot easier for 🇺🇦 forces to push 🇷🇺 out of their country as efficiently as possible.
It really could be any gun from a 50cal upwards from a variety of nations. Maybe bought them from some other supplier. If it goes bang the Ukrainians will shoot it.
Not so sure on that. I remember doing the Earls Court Tattoo back in about 77/78 and during the downtime I used to play about a lot on the Blowpipe simulator, which got me thinking about what happened to all those launch pods. Then I had a quick look up as to how it actually performed and it was absolutely awful. During the Falklands it turns out even the Argies had it and only returned a hit rate of 1 – 100 (GR3 XZ972) and we only managed hits in single figures on slow moving aircraft/helicopters. Just shows you how… Read more »
Doesn’t matter where they are coming from, tbf this is a prime example of our soft power coming into fruition. That we are able to go around the world and purchase said items publicly or through clandestine methods doesn’t matter as the end goals the same.
Apparently the U.K. has been the lead nation in scouring the world for kit and munitions to send to the Ukraine with initial focus on things that are familiar/compatible with existing stuff.
But all the internet fan boys say we are not doing much. 😀 Germany is apparently taking the lead now after parting with a handful of IRIS-T and don’t forget the US is sending a single Patriot battery. Seems strange that British intelligence is not broadcasting the munitions it’s procuring, many from Chinese and Russian Allie’s or that country’s as far away as Australia seem to contribute cash to UK operations to do this. The Ukrainians seem to devote more praise and thanks to the UK than any other nation so perhaps they know something the fan boys don’t. Slava… Read more »
Some of what we supply is sourced from a third country.
This was interesting Graham.
Happy New Year by the way!
Notably, CEO of Kestral, Liaqat Ali Beg, travelled to Poland, Romania, and Slovakia in May and June 2022.
The report claimed that Islamabad is supposedly part of an air bridge for supplying weapons to Ukraine.
It is apparently using defence suppliers and contractors operating in foreign countries to channel these shipments to Ukraine.
The report revealed further that the UK is using Pakistan’s Noor Khan Airbase in Rawalpindi as a key base for the transportation of military equipment for the Ukrainian Army.
LINK
I wonder if there are any military secrets left for the media to uncover and report!
It may be part of a wider information campaign against the Russians as well though to let them know they are alone. A lot of what the UK does is covered by such operations, remember all the blame placed against the French not helping in 1982 then it turns out that French intelligence was assisting British intelligence is procuring all the Exocets on the market. It’s interesting to see just how involved the UK is behind the scenes, if they are the ones shipping ammo from Pakistan to Ukraine. Apparently large numbers of African countries with surplus war stock have… Read more »
Believe current operating philosophy of UK security and military services could be summarized as follows: ‘Ivan, payback is a bitch!’ 🤔😉
There’s more and one or 2 in very surprising places!
No doubt!
I know we won’t get the full scoop anytime soon, but I’d be interested in knowing the degree of the training the UK is providing to Ukrainian recruits. If I recall, it’s over a shorter period than domestic recruits, so perhaps not to the same degree? Or perhaps they’ve cut out all the fluff of marching etc., and their combat readiness is largely equal? I’d argue providing a safe place for recruits to train, combined with providing highly skilled trainers, is one of the most important things the Ukrainians can be given at this time given their huge pool of… Read more »
It was in a convo I lost to a PSAO 30 years back. WTF do we need to learn marching? Well, it didn’t end well for… me. Soldiers fight, both KORBR and RI Rgrs could march, but, they fought a lot better, because they taught us to use the ground, survive the terrain/weather and master our weapon. Pause, stroking one out, over the SLR. I digress, I embraced the gimpy 😉 Should The UAF being taught to master combat, tactics and marksmanship, the issue is? Good on them, now support them to win this war and if they shuffle past… Read more »
I thought I saw somewhere that it was 5 weeks? Sure thats all going to be fieldcraft though. Any specialist training would be on top of that. I’d expect at the very least training up Ukrainian instructors in the host country providing the kit for them to go back and teach their guys in country. I’d have thought a lot of this type of training might be happening in Germany.
The sad reality seems to be that, regardless of the type and quality of the training the UA conscripts get here and across Europe, large numbers of them end up in trenches in eastern Ukraine having become part of units sent in to replace decimated or worse units destroyed in the main by Russian artillery. I would hazard a guess that training to work in wet often frozen trenches, WW1 style under artillery assault, is not in our training package.
You must live a sheltered life Johnski , Wagner using human wave tactics dying in the masses , ex convicts with 2 weeks training trying to take Bahkmut for 2 months now which has no strategic worth apart from apparently being the easiest target to gain ground and Wagners leader has just said in a leaked video they can’t take it , even if they did they have lost so many troops hard for them to be backed up , REALITY CHECK FOR YOU JOHNSKI ,lol. The cannon fodder is with the Orcs.
Both sides are dying in numbers there. Given the amount of resources that both sides have put in and continue to move there, I would respectfully suggest that both Kiev and Moscow have a different view of the strategic worth of Bahkmut than yourself. Look at it on a map and bear in mind that it has had 7 or so years of being turned into a key fortress town on the Donbas defence line.
Not me saying it , just about every western military analyst who seem to know better than your fanboy peasant army generals , I seem to remember your prediction of VDV units wiping the floor with the Ukraine army 😂😂 RIP VDV struggled to get near Kiev let alone the Polish border😂
Ah, maybe the same analysts that have been forcasting that Russia was about to run out of missiles etc every month since April? Like most militaries, Russia has changed its operational senior management controlling their forces in theater once it became clearer what the actual tasks were as opposed to the plans worked out before they started. I do remember, but I also remember General Miley saying that he expected the Russians to be in Kiev in 3 days. Apart from almost every commentator being wrong footed on their intentions it is clear that many Russian plans didn’t survive contact… Read more »
They did run out missile thats why they went to buy from Iran . Also went to NK for restock in shells , all well known famous arms manufacturers and good quality I’m sure😂
There is not much evidence that they actually got anything from NK. The small drones seem to be in use as an extra weapon, nothing to do with Russia’s missile stocks.
Using Shorad drones instead of cruise missiles has everything todo with their shortage.
Why would you use cruise missiles rather than SHORAD against cruise missiles?
Put these words in order: straws, clutching, stop, at, fucking, Nazi, sad, you.
😄
Russian plans haven’t survived contact with fuck all! They had no plans, plus now they have no credibility at any level in the military and you have your Nazi mate Putin to thank for that! Cheers Pooptin you have made the Russian military come out in public as an absolute joke!
Thought at one point that you may have been guilty of a little hyperbole in convolving Mad Vlad and the Orcs w/ the neo-NazIs. Lo and behold, read an article recently which stated a certain percentage of former East Germans are actively advocating for the Russians, both at home and abroad. Apologies, really thought you were being at least slightly facetious. You know, after pondering this…wonder whether there could be a ‘fifth-column’ element w/in multiple former Warsaw Pact countries? 🤔😳😱
Mate Russia is the new Nazis, certainly under Pooptin! Have a quick look at their football leagues as a very easy and obvious example. Cheers!
It may not be surprising but I think their support is as much for the ‘Soviet’ system of which Russia is the last major example. A system that gave them free education, often housing, medical support etc that many now miss having ben treated generally as lower class citizens in Germany than the West Germans. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/sep/16/germany-east-west-gaps-persist-30-years-reunification
That really reveals you as a tired and bitter old communist that has been unable to accept the dissolution of the old Soviet Union. Like Putin, you’ve found a convenient scapegoat in Nato/Ukraine/ US etc and continue to push Putins distorted and blatantly false narratives .
The fact that you’ve decided to support nazi imperialist aggression says it all. If you hate Western democracy so much, why don’t you join your erstwhile fellow travellers like Snowden, Philby etc and go sample the delights of living in a dictatorship ?
I’m sorry but trite comments like that just show you up.
Every military has plans and I don’t think that either the US or NATO or the Ukrainians currently regard the Russian military as a “joke” let alone an “absolute” one.
Every comment you post trying to justify this illegal invasion shows you up, every single time! The Russian military is a joke in regards to basic soldiering and military planning! But I’m sure your vast subject matter experience will make you think different.
I bow to your superior ability in these areas.
If you are using more missiles and artillery than can be replaced, then ipso facto you are running out. You seem to be untethered to maths as well as facts . Russian manufacturing capacity has been severely curtailed since they began their genocide and they are unable to replace missile and rocket munitions in anything like the quantity they have been spraying them around.
That is a truly impressive comment. To have made it you must have had access to some of the most classified data in Russia. Well done.
No, not really. It’s basic maths and independent thinking and research. Not relying on supposition and bullshit from delusional Russian fascists.
General Miley has never struck me as being ‘the sharpest tool in the box’.
Why the American spelling of ‘theatre’ – are you American?
Maybe but he got to Chairman of the Joint Chiefs so he had some skills and cunning. Spelling of theatre came from the leftovers of my failed attempt at French O level a long while back, Get confused with centre as well.
Mate his predictions over the last 10 months have been hilarious, but he conveniently ignores them when asked or questioned about them….maybe time for some Nazi cut and pastes!!!!!!
I suppose its Johnskis job to carry on regardless , it pays his heating bill.
He has no choice! Once a mouthpiece always a mouthpiece!
👍
Wish it did, at my lowly level even a packet of Mash would be welcome.
A sheltered, computer led drone like puppet existence as a mouth piece for the new Nazis!
😂😂😂
FFS here you go again, the Rapists arty isn’t decimating anything, the only blokes even gaining a few feet of ground every so often aren’t even Russian mil, it’s the nonces, criminals and dross of Wagner! As for operating in cold wet trench systems, nope probably isn’t in the training package but soldiering skills are, and those skills can be used and adapted to every environment, situation and location on the planet! But alas, you don’t know that do you as you have never experienced it!
No I haven’t, never claimed to have but I do admire your confidence.
I think you need to check on the current progress of the Wagner assault forces against the UA in the Soladar area. Not bad for ‘dross’ troops as you call them.
And yes, the UA is being at least decimated as shown on social media by the sad sights of thousand of graves, with their blue and white flags, being dug and filled in fields across Ukraine..
How many months has it taken to capture 30sq Kms of sod all ?how many sq kms has Ukr liberated in the same timeline? Rough count of 110000 orcs dead at the moment I believe! Of course the Ukr are taking casualties but at least they know what they are dying for unlike your lot!
And of course all these dead lay at the feet of one man,that madman in the Kremlin with his three day special operation !
Statistics can prove anything especially when based of the figures put out by organisations on all sides plus random others with vested interest in a war.
You surely can’t believe that one man in a country the size of Russia makes the decisions, he is the public head of a group, just like Biden. Plus he never gave a timescale, unless you can link to it. Good luck.
P.S it was I believe General Miley who said 3 days.
Oh dear Russian fan boy troll, caught out yet again!
Um, where?
Silly me🙄 So Russia is a democratic country after all! Who would have thought it?
What has being a democratic country got to do with it?
“You surely can’t believe that one man in a country the size of Russia makes the decisions, he is the public head of a group, just like Biden. Plus he never gave a timescale, unless you can link to it. Good luck.” Wrong again, and in that sentence, you demonstrate the paucity of your knowledge of politics along with your thin understanding of economics, commerce and the military. There is no comparison between Putin and Biden. One was democratically elected by the people, the other assumed power in an opaque way and since then has murdered, imprisoned and poisoned his… Read more »
The arms bazaar in Peshawar and the smaller traders in vicinity of the Kyber Pass have vast amounts of first-class American weaponry and ammunition for sale. Much of which is being sold by the Taliban.
Suggested this before. I wonder if HMS Montrose could be added to the donations list too? Could be used with the Sea Kings and a revitalised HMS Monmouth? Both might have some useful life in them yet if not wanted by the RN. Might be hard get through the Dardanelles though.
Happy New Year 🇬🇧 and 🇺🇦 success on all your battlefronts!
Not hard but impossible to get into (or out of) the Black Sea, The Turks have implemented a rigid ‘no warships, apart the ours, shall pass through’ policy. Even warships allowed under the Montreaux Convention are prevented.
Few restrictions on merchant shipping though.
I was wondering if they might be able to get through if Ukrainian flagged and crewed? Turkey is also building a couple of frigate/corvettes for Ukrainian Navy. I wonder how Russia views that.
Ukraine is a country on the Black Sea as is Russia, warships of neither are allowed through. Were the Turkish built ships you mention to be delivered whilst the fighting continues do you think that they would make it past the Black Sea Fleet’s Kilos?
Black Sea fleet Kilos? Ha ha ha hilarious, as those four submersed coral reefs are only still afloat as the Ukrainians using western weapons, intel and Ukrainian bollocks have not yet decided to sink them! That is before the half trained incompetent crews don’t set them on fire first! Give your chuff a break and put down your Russian 👜
The USN doesn’t seem to share your opinion of the Kilo, describing it on occasions as a ‘black hole’ and very hard to find. As you would expect from any modern diesel electric submarine.
They are currently stuck in the Black sea, moving about in a pure defensive posture due to Ukraine and the West dominance of the Black Sea! All systems and platforms can be dangerous in the right hands, but those hands will not appear to be Russian I’m afraid johnskie.
Stuck in the Black Sea? All four Russian fleets have Kilos, the ones operating out of Tartous seem to give NATO exercises the most problems that we know about.
Like I said the ones we are taking about, the 4 in the Black Sea, are, in fact in the Black Sea and they have no option of coming out any time soon! Come on Johnskie stop the hyperbole and diversion answers.
You got me there, got a bit carried away. But I’m not sure how the West dominates the Black Sea. I’d say it was Russia followed by Turkey in that role.
Got carried away? How picture of Putin or a raped Ukrainian female? Nonce Russian bot fanboy. The west dominates the Black Sea the same way western weapons are dominating the battlefield pal! The only reason the Nazi warships and subs are afloat is because the west has not yet decided to sink them. That’s a reality your Russian fan boy bot brain cannot fathom.
It can’t fathom it because it flies in the face of logic. You may not have spotted it but to the north of the Black Sea is the are known as Crimea. For hundreds of years it has been a fortress. With its current armaments in place it dominates the Black Sea and beyond.
Put some facts down on paper instead of continually spouting propaganda. Where and what exactly are the “Western assets dominating the battlefield” as you put it?
If there is a fanboy round here you fit the bill rather well.
Don’t worry the Russians don’t have warships they have currently two classes of platform, relics and targets!
Which category would you put the Zircon hypersonic missile equipped frigate Admiral Gorshkov that they are sending on a World trip in? You know, the missile the Pentagon say they have no defences against.
They will of course won’t they! As for which category, definitely a target! Next?
Just a question but how many of these wonder weapons does the ship carry? I will guess not many and by the time the last one is being launched the frigate will be on its way to the bottom of whatever ocean/sea it’s in!
And will be tracked and followed every inch of its voyage by the very best Nato and US attack submarines, for which that frigate will have no defence against. Crewed by peasants and led by incompetents, most of its equipment is probably up for sale in the classifieds of Wagner Times by the XO.
Spot on 😂😂😂
Lots of opportunities for practice then. Especially as there is a reasonable chance that a Russian attack sub will be with her. I suspect that the quality of Russian crews are much the same as the other navies of similar size with equivalent hardware. I am sure that thee are readers of this forum who in their military careers had a healthy respect for the Russian military, apart from in the 90’s perhaps. As for flogging stuff, from reports its not ex Russian stuff that’s hitting the Worlds arms markets via Ukraine, its the NATO ‘gifts’. On the Wagner front,… Read more »
Took a while for your FSB handler to get back to you huh ? I expect that you know as much about naval undersea warfare as my dog, however, I and many others here would back a US 688 class or an Astute over any Russian underwater tomb. From the Kursk, the Kuznetsov, the Moskva etc it has been a shambolic tale of corruption, incompetence and general ineptitude in parallel with other branches of the Russian military. There’s little evidence thus far from their performance in Ukraine that they are deserving of any respect either now, or in the past.… Read more »
Health rather than a non existent FSB handler has slowed me down. Next stop the Horton, Airborne will tell you where that is. I made no comment as to who’s attack sub would do better, just that it would be “practice”. Corruption is in the eye of the beholder so I suppose you see no problem when our military and especially the US, take good jobs with the companies that they have purchased products from? The Pentagon has said that they have no defence against hypersonics so whilst you may not think they are worried about the frigate I suspect… Read more »
Wrong dick head, prisoners get a sentence plan, as dictated by his offence and implemented by his Offender Manager, while inside! He has to follow this sentence plan, which is not negotiable, to the letter, and any none compliance or adjudication inside, can impact his release date. Cons get a CRD and then and EOS/License date. He can be released on his CRD (or not depending on his sentence plan compliance and his risk assessment) but as that is not his end of sentence he can be recalled at any time until his EOS date! So, I have just shown… Read more »
When you have to resort to simple insults, like your first three words, I know you are floundering.
WTF was that all your comment about, apart from you showing us all that you know the inside of our justice system rather well.
You struggle I understand and refuse to challenge, as you know fuck all! “Even in our legal system prisoners are free…..blah blah” You draw a comparison with our legal system and your fav Nazi states, and in drawing you to the obvious conclusion their is no similarities as we have rules and procedures to follow and NONE of those allow early release AT ALL to go into an illegal war! But alas you don’t care as you don’t underestimate as you have a script to follow which you cannot deviate! You lose on every post, simple because you do not… Read more »
Hypersonic are nothing new, they’ve been around for a long time, a single Russian frigate that may or may not be armed with vapourware missiles won’t be causing many sleepless nights in the White House. I think that you’ll find that the Iskanders, Buks, Kalibrs etc are hammering Ukrainian civilians and their hospital and homes, not exactly the benchmark for military feat of arms . Wasn’t it a Russian Buk system that downed a Malaysian airliner in 2014? Skilled operators ? Incompetence or a warcrime ? Do please tell. Ukrainians however are successfully advancing against the Russian invaders by skilful… Read more »
Love the intentional avoidance of my point. Yes hypersonic ballistic and other missiles have been here since the V2 but what has that got to do with the introduction of hypersonic cruise missiles? Which the US is spending a fortune on to catch up. Also your lack of awareness on what those Iskanders and Kalibres have been hitting. Plus your MH-17 red herring, who did it, unproven, immediately after the US claimed to have radar tracks that they wouldn’t even show Dutch Intelligence. Surely it would be logical to assume that if they proved Russia did it they would be… Read more »
Wow, that’s rich from you, accusing me of red herrings and avoiding the point. MH17 was proven to be a Russian military operation, it was all over the media back in 2014, your memory , along with your sense of self worth is failing you. My point about the hypersonic missile equipped frigate still stands, it may or may not be armed with them, they may or may not work, it’s just another empty threat from a desperate Kremlin. Ultimately, the dead Ukrainian civilians can’t tell the difference between hypersonic or subsonic at the point of impact. The world is… Read more »
He is very desperate as they are now recruiting for the “low level tank turret display team” from their chubby, pale and soft online trolls, and he is very scared!
Oh dear more guff! The Russian fan boy shit is quite sad you know! Its the Wagner scum who have moved a few hundred metres in months, does that make you proud, that after 11 months of combat you get excited about a bunch of private military prisoners having the only success on the ground! And may I add we don’t use the term “frontal assault troops” in the UK, that’s a Soviet terminology for a part of their military. Oh dear another mistake johnskie! You make so many it’s fun to read!
So your happy that someone who got, let’s say 10 years for rape did a 6 month shitting their pants tour, and are now free men, with zero rehabilitation, to go and crack on as before! Wow, that post of yours is one of the most fan boy bot nonce yet! So just to confirm, you are happy that dangerous convicted criminals don’t have to serve their sentence if they deploy on an illegal invasion, which is in fact against international law?
As for the quality of the Russian crews…..ha ha ha haaaaaaaaaa FFS!
They ‘go on as before’ as you put it and they are back inside. Incidentally many are dead and many crippled, it was no easy path to freedom, they didn’t have to take it.
Er they don’t go back inside! Jesus Christ you know so little, or more likely cannot change the narrative you are set! Easy path to freedom is to do what the rest of the civilised world does, they follow their sentence plan and leave jail having completed the required parts, courses and tasks, not leave early to take part in an illegal war for freedom after 6 months. But, you do seem sad sone of these scum bags get hurt and die! Full time mouthpiece for the Nazis and you are proud of it!
So to confirm you support the use of prisoners, who have not finished their sentences, sentence plans or rehabilitation, to enter into an illegal war for freedom after just 6 months? A simple yes or no will do! Alas, we all know you are not allowed to be so clear in an answer, but it’s fun to see you squirm!
“A world trip” it’s going to be at sea for a long time then! Can’t see many countries welcoming an Orc warship for many goodwill visits😀
If you work on the basis that only the 40 or so countries that support sanctions (mainly in the West) will not welcome them, then that still leaves most of the countries in the World with a seashore likely to welcome Russian Navy ships.
Really anywhere north of the equator is out so that leaves you with Africa and maybe India if they are feeling brave enough to show any support for Pootin. NK Iran and Syria are nice places I believe😂
Algeria, Egypt, Mayamar, Vietnam, Cuba, Venezuela from the top of my head plus, as you imply many south of them. As I have said before, many countries are either openly or quietly applauding Russia’s actions as punching the colonialists on the nose. Sadly for us in the UK there is a strong chance that retribution is coming beyond the uplifted NG price, much by self infliction, like the large amount of insurance and trade related income by forcing Russia/Iran/India in particular to start their own marine insurance businesses. Voting patterns in the UN are changing, an alternative to the $… Read more »
Oh my you are such a Russian fan boy!
That is just a side effect of reporting what I see going on in the World. If you want to sit in your bunker seeing what you can out of its slits then so be it. I’d rather be on the top of a hill seeing all round. Clearly a more dangerous position, as shown by the flack I get from a few here, but so be it.
You know nothing and only see what you are told to see! Very sad you are actually trying to use a military analogy when you have never served! But hard for a mouthpiece troll to serve I suppose, but as an Englishman from MK, as you like to claim, even sadder that you didn’t have the balls to give it a go!
Colonialists?? There’s only one country invading another and trying to claim its assets as its own and that’s Russia. And not for the first time in its sordid history. The rest of what you’ve written there is Kremlin derived supposition and bullshit.
Those countries that you declare are ‘applauding Russia’s actions ‘. Virtually without exception are tin pot dictatorships, where human rights and political freedom are none existent. Myanmar for example is little better than an armed camp. They’re not and never will be examples of good governance , most of their economies are on life support, mainly due to endemic corruption, the leaders of those countries are responsible for numerous genocides and attacks on their own citizens and on their neighbours, it shows how little you know that you would hold that group up as a viable alternative to anything else.… Read more »
Love it. India and China, those tin pot dictatorships, buying Russian oil and NG as fast as they can to sell to the EU as ‘non Russian’ making a nice little markup. There are traders all over the World thanking the Russians for their bulging wallets. At our expense! What is “good governance” or “endemic corruption”? The current status quo of part of history. We, Europe and the US have only got to our place at the top of the pile down to our use of both of them. Our hands are not clean. What is so good about ‘Western… Read more »
“Putin says ….” So it must be true then. Are you really that gullible? That’s not a hill you think you’re sitting on , it’s a locked bunker. Good governance…. let’s see, I suppose at the least it’s free and fair elections, respect for international borders and law, not committing genocide or torturing and imprisonment of political opposition. Or the opposite of Russia, China, and the various other countries you cite as the applauders. Telling as well that you cite the madcap antics of MAGA Republicans as some kind of democratic struggle, it’s nothing of the sort. I was no… Read more »
That was a very desperate reply to you, getting angry isn’t he!
Just more of his standard deflection and fathomless whataboutery.
Oh you are getting desperate in your Russian pro invasion fan boy grumpy replies! We can all see it and find it sad, amusing but sad!
Russian reservists hilarious! Many years ago he did 12 months training sat in a camp with no kit, logistics, combined arms skills or technical training whilst being bullied! Wow what a pool to draw from!! Ha ha haaaa brilliant, your bluster just gets funnier!
Oh dear oh dear!
Yup, but still no refuting the key economic points. Regardless of the views expressed here the power in the World is shifting into the Eurasian landmass away from the Oceanic powers. The fears of Halford Mackinder look to be coming to pass after 100+ years. Look him up.
More guff!
You’ve got admit though after his ‘break’ he is coming back with lots of new ‘truths’😂 makes you wonder if he has been on a new course in Orc land doesn’t it?
He is back after a period of re-education and has to go full flow or he will be called up to the low level tank turret display team! He is petrified mate.
Did you check out Mackinder? British by the way.
Did you condemn the illegal invasion of Ukraine by Putin yet? Russian by the way.
Yes, some of Ukraine is indeed now Russian.
We like to call those part temporary Nazi enclaves johnskie, soon to be liberated by the Ukrainians!
No, most of the time I can’t be bothered to spend my time explaining here what is going on on a wider horizon which the handfull of you here find so incomprehensible, splattering threads with not much more than insults and opinions..
Quite what the many other readers here make of it I don’t know as anyone who comments tends to get jumped on by the aforementioned self appointed hit squad.
Still I suppose you are happy in your echo chamber basking in the superiority.
Your getting angrier though aren’t you. Very amusing.
Not anger, just frustration.
Go and stand in a corner and join your other wanker mates! Should do the job. As for Parts of Ukraine now being Orc land you said it yourself it’s Ukraine🙄
Like I said, angrier and angrier!
Most posters find you an amusing and incoherent Russian echo chamber. No one who comments gets jumped on, only you, as you are a troll who refuses to condemn the illegal Russian invasion, push out a Nazi/Russian narrative and has been doing so since 2014. Also you post propaganda, and when proven wrong on 99% of the time, refuse to debate or defend your position. Troll work.
Had the same thought, however, unfortunately, Gunbuster stated HMS Montrose refit would be expensive and protracted. HMS Monmouth, in all probability, even more so. Doesn’t mean it couldn’t be done, given sufficient time and budget, but…🤔
Good stuff!
Saw today that KMW in Germany are producing Boxer-based 155 mm SPGs for Ukraine. I see that as an excellent thing, not just to see Germany stepping up and aid going to Ukraine. But, also, to have Ukraine joining the Boxer eco-system. They’d make a great replacement for the Soviet-origin BMPs that they operate and produce, and if they can get a deal like ours for domestic manufacture then we might be able to get some interesting modules developed- seeing as they seem to like GMLRS, mortars and Brimstone for starters.
Hopefully, they can speed up the timeline for delivery.
“It is being proposed for various customers. In 2022 Germany approved the sale of 18 units to Ukraine. First units are planned to be delivered in 2025.”
LINK
I’ve seen video of them firing. You would not be impressed. It was bouncing around like a fat kid on a trampoline.
It doesn’t look good. The turret seems far too big for the vehicle. There are lots of truck mounted artillery about already at good prices.
As is so important with artillery units it’s the support vehicles that matter just as much as the actual guns.
Looks a bit like a Maginot Line gun turret plonked atop of an off the shelf 8×8 chassis. As you say there are a few already available and proven alternatives out there.
I think a lot of that may be to do with how the modules fit onto the body and need to clear the cab? I agree, not a pretty looking vehicle!
I guess the advantage with Boxer is the mobility compared to a standard truck, as well as higher levels of protection- not sure how either compare in the real world against a true tracked SPG though (however, theoretically the Boxer has the advantage over tracks in terms of maintainability and deployability). You get that at a price though, I’d imagine…
A lot of gun for that size chassis. Pretty good in the mud which is surprising, I wonder what we made of the tests?
LINK
Hunting the video but can’t find it. Was talking about recoil. Video I saw it was rocking and bucking all over the place. Maybe your video is more recent but the one I saw wasn’t slow mo and looked like it was firing with a bigger charge.
That could in fact be the case, David. I’ve seen the video you refer too and it looked a little bit shakey, to say the least!
“The chassis proved to be able to withstand the 60 tonnes recoil force generated when the gun shoots with the maximum charge and at the worst-case elevation.”
LINK
Forsprung durch Technik?
Pretty ugly but as long as it does the job. I still think tracks would be better, or bought alongside the K9 Thunder.
Whilst tracks do make a lot of sense in terrain like that in Ukraine, the shear size of the country and lack of ‘tank’ transporters, makes moving them around a major problem compared to wheeled vehicles.
Exactly. I posted a link above which gives some indication as to how it operates in conditions similar to what you might expect in Ukraine during the winter months.
It was also interesting to note the UK presence during the tests.
A Tracked version has also been tested, designed to fit inside the A400M.
That looks much better (cosmetically and technically) than the Boxer mounted version.
Tracked is a possibility too. “With numerous modules already available, ranging from the RCH 155 artillery one to the MEDEVAC, passing by recovery, command post, infantry fighting vehicle, armoured personnel carriers and other, all developed to be installed on the Boxer 8×8, a native modular vehicle, Krauss-Maffei Wegmann of Germany, part of KNDS, decided to enter the infantry fighting vehicles world with an innovative concept that has been designed with the same modularity in mind. Therefore what has been named Boxer tracked is able to fully exploit the already existing modules, as well as a new one unveiled at Eurosatory… Read more »
Haha, that’ll come in handy then…!
To be fair, have they actually run these modules through full testing tc. yet, or are they still a demonstration of a concept? if it’s the latter, then they may have to run up production tooling, etc. I agree though, you’d hope that they could run them through at an express pace.
Either way, I think this is a good step for Ukraine away from Soviet/Russian designs that will set them up well for the future.
“have they actually run these modules through full testing tc.”
I have no idea, but even as a demonstration concept, it would be a very useful piece of kit for Ukraine to have right now.
True, you only need to look at the “Brimstone delivery truck” they cobbled together to see they’ll use what they can get!
It looks very top heavy? But what do I know?
Maybe better off opting for the Russian version in that case!
😎
New Russian invention, tanks fitted with ejection system.
I know the company that could supply the ejection seats, the pilots just love them!
Daniele,
A lot more info here:
Cheers farouk, I’ll have a look.
I trust your instincts Daniele. Old engineering saying – ‘if it looks right, it is right’. The converse is true.
I woudl rather have the tracked version that Niegle has pictured. Looks like turret sits lower and the tracked chassis will spread the giant recoil forces better.
Interesting to go with a full turret – CAESAR does not have one.
Yes, just looked at at the link farouk provided.
I’d also read the Boxer SPG variant is one of the most expensive of the options available, unsure if that is accurate though.
Last I heard the army was veering towards a tracked solution for FM Fires.
That looks all wrong – massive artillery turret for vehicle size and mounted very high. I’d be surprised if the chassis can take repeated impacts from firing forces.
In that case, the DONAR Self-Propelled Artillery Gun might just be the better option.
LINK
Did anyone else noticed about Sea Kings being donated? See following link
https://www.navyrecognition.com/index.php/naval-news/naval-news-archive/2022/december/12652-united-kingdom-to-supply-sea-king-helicopters-to-ukraine.html
Hi, just joined. How many F35s will we get do you think?
OT so I apologise, but have you seen the new Army recruitment advert? FFS total shite, group of squaddies, in normal combats, but with head torches, (specialist kit nowadays) wading through flood water saving civvies from flooded cars!!!!! Fuck me, can the Army please borrow the RN and the RM recruitment advert team for 5 minutes to try and get this recruitment shit right!!!!!! Join the army, get wet, have no PPE, and wade through water saving civvies….mum, dad, I want to join the Army as I’m a fucking lifeguard…..
Damn, your posts are always more entertaining than mine! 😁👍
You are far to kind 🤪👍
While MACA is important and indeed HMG fall back on the military, while cutting them the rest of the time, I cannot help but feel there is too much PC stuff going on in that ad.
Wearing a uniform and killing potential enemies with kinetic effect is not PC but is actually what the military is for, but they do not like to say it.
It also flies in the face of the previous CGS own speech when he wanted the army to fight “when warfare is at its most feral” or words similar.
Agreed mate, MACA is all part and parcel of the job, but the priority is to fight, with the intent of winning or degrading the enemy! Sometimes over the last free years this main intent has been forgotten! I’m not knocking the people joining as they will always be respected and supported by most of us, I’m just bored with the passive and PC agenda, in what is a nasty, smelly, scary and dangerous business! Cheers mate!
Free years mmmmmm fat fingers again, few!
Thanks AB. I will look out for the ad. Recent army ads have been garbage; the last ones were totally woke. Totally agree that RN and RM have got it right and RAF one is not bad – although impression is that you have to be a girl to fly a fast jet! This MACC stuff is a sideline, not the main event. At least they didn’t show Toms passing a Covid kit on a stick to some civvy sitting in a wet and windy car park. The army has lost its way with nearly everything – recruiting, procurement etc… Read more »
OT, Breaking News: Sleepy joe has announced the projected shipment of Bradleys to UKR. Eventually, the field may be leveled.
But not Abrams – and only a single battery of Patriots.
US has apparently adopted an incremental approach, perhaps to not unduly alarm Russian military. Anticipate any residual M-60s from varied sources and perhaps earlier model Abrams by late spring/ summer. Patriot batteries are rather expensive, there will be a practical limit. Of greater longer-term concern, based on this past week’s performance, may be the US Congress. Predict virtual gridlock for the next two years. This does not augur well for continuing UKR funding. The currently approved funding could prove to be the final installment. Mad Vlad may be able to snatch victory, or at least a stalemate, from the jaws… Read more »
Plus Germany is promising another battery of Patriots to add to the US’s.
The US is definitely reluctant to supply Abrams as it may be too heavy for Ukrainian bridges, uses a lot of fuel and according to reports is very maintenance intensive.