Vanir Ausf B

Cope cage on a Challenger? Sacrilege!

Cope cage on a Challenger? Sacrilege!

Cope cage on a Challenger? Sacrilege!

Some interesting details of known Russian video with atatck of T-90M and BMP-3 on Klichchiivka village and from where LNR unit got T-90M tanks.

Grey zone claimed Russians initially shelled dismounting zone with DPICM, then T-90M of 85th motor-rifle brigade of LNR and BMP-3 of 83rd air-assault brigade attacked the village (I think if they are air-assault, they should have BMD-4, not BMP-3, but well). 
I was intrigued that LNR unit got most modern Russian tanks. But why? What is a mistery unit, which appered only in this year? Since some time of researches I encounred an information, that origins of 85th brigade are in 3rd Army Corps. The corps, being formed in Autumn 2022 got T-90M. As I knew Russian 54th motor-rifle regiment of 6th motor-rifle division of 3rd AC, was disbanded and on its place was formed 85th motor-rifle brigade, which was included into 2nd Army Corps (LNR )of 8th CAA. 
I can't find informatin about destiny of 6th motor-rifle division (it had 10th tank regiment, 54th, 55th, 57th motor-rifle regiments). Last information I have found, in mid of January 2023 units of division were moved to Belarus for training. Maybe in this time 54th regiment was disbanded.
From other units of 3rd Army Corps to this time on 72nd motor-rifle brigade still in sight in Bakmut area. 10th tank regiment some time had been waging war near Avdiivka and suffered heavy losses.
 

Two UKR S-300PS were destroyed by probably Tornado-S heavy MLRS strike near Zelenyi Hai village, Mykolaiv oblast. This is about 52 km to contact line. 
Probably local traitor reported about position and Russians after additional drone recon confirmed the target and hit it.
https://twitter.com/GirkinGirkin/status/1691108048062840832

Russian telegrammer says decision to evacuate Urozhaine (Harvest) was completed successfully:
https://t.me/voin_dv/4387
 
https://t.me/voin_dv/4390
 
 

Alas, Russian milblogger wrote today, both BMPT and T-80 got light damages and will be repaired soon. But even on the video you can see most of drones hit in non-critical zones or even missed.

F-16 training update: the first 6 pilots should be ready by mid-summer 2024.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/08/11/f-16-fighters-ukraine-training-delays/

F-16 training update: the first 6 pilots should be ready by mid-summer 2024.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/08/11/f-16-fighters-ukraine-training-delays/

The chief of my partner company has been travelling to Netherland each two months to his wife (she is Netherland citizen) and told me how he had a conversation on this theme with some citizens of Breda. On the question "if Russia invaded Netherland, what would you do?", most of them answered either "maybe nothing" or "we would be escape" 
"Small equipped" professional armies of many EU countries are good for peacmaking operations or for low-intensity border conflicts, not for full-scale war. General Zaluzhnyi has good quote: "In case of full-scale invasion, it's repelled initially by professionals, but then teachers and engineers continuing". If European NATO hopes only on own combined small professioanal armies and air superiority in case of war with Russia (or China) I have bad news for them. So I understand "great arming" of Poland an Baltic states. 
 

Russian telegrammer:
https://t.me/RVvoenkor/51160
 
 

Strictly speaking, Kinzhal is not a classical ballistic missile, though this is really air-launch version of Iskander-M. MiG-31K accelerates itself on altitude 12-15 km and launches the missile, and all way further Kinzhal flies on gradually descending trajectory. Russian Wiki writes, UKR Petriot operators claimed, the velocity of Kinzhal on final stage of trajectory before interception was 1240 m/s (about 3M) - this is in three times less, than claimed by RU MoD. But in today's attack, when missiles entered in our airspace, Kyiv wasn't their target, so their velocity had to be much higher.   

WarGonzo says Ukraine is noticeably pulling back near Kupyansk:
https://t.me/wargonzo/14305
 

The way it works is abstract and not intuitive, but there are sound reasons for it to be the way it is. I think the biggest problem is the official documentation is sorely lacking on details about how the C2 system works in-game, leaving players to make assumptions that are often not correct.

not every day but many times in CM   🤣

The T-62 simulation had me thinking that we wouldn't see much improvement in survivability from the Chieftain. But this new simulation has me thinking that maybe the Chieftain will survive more threats that the M60 wouldn't have survived (at least from lower tier Soviet equipment). Does anyone happen to know which APFSDS rounds the T-55 is modeled with in-game?
 

One of Russian milblogger TG complains that operation of complex strike on Starokostiantyniv airfield failed, because Ukraine substituted real Su-24 on airfield on well-made decoys, which were took for real jets by satellite reconnaissance and local informators also confirmed this is real Su-24. As result all "12 destroyed Su-24" turned out false and huge number of missiles, especially valuable Kinzhals were wasted. Russian milblogger in angry wrote "ineffective informators have to be cleaned"
On other hand Ukraine AF representatives said, that Ukraine has many airfields and highways, which allow to disperse planes and work of intelligence and surveillance allows to react quickly on missile strike threat. 
Some twitter accounts also added, Starokostiantyniv airfield was reinforced in Cold War times, so it can survive even tactical nuke strike, not only Kinzhal missiles. I can't comment true this or not.    

Contrary to speculation in that thread that this is a bug it is in fact WAD. My source for that is BFC 🫠

The CM spotting model has a high degree of variability. It's just the way it is, and it's definitely WAD. That's not to say that tactics don't matter. They can weigh the dice heavily one way or the other but you can do everything right and still lose on bad dice rolls. That's X-COM Combat Mission, baby.
Units share spotting information with other friendly units within about 32 meters (4 action spots). This doesn't happen instantly and it doesn't guarantee the enemy will be spotted by the unit receiving spotting information. Rather, it gives a 50% bonus to future spotting checks against that enemy unit. So again, bad dice rolls can still kill you and sometimes will. Also, this info sharing only matters if the receiving unit has not previously spotted that enemy unit or had C2 information on that unit shared with it, because after one of those things happens the friendly unit will have the spotting bonus for the rest of the scenario even if the relevant enemy unit moves to a different location.

Interview with an unnamed Lt Col. in Ukraine's air defense command. Some interesting bits.
Last December, prior to the arrival of Patriot missile batteries, the Ukrainians were considering the evacuation of Kyiv. Recent Russian Ka-52 loses are likely from British ASRAAM fired from trucks. https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/russian-bombers-us-patriot-surface-to-air-missiles-ukraine-dh6x8vcgn

The interviewed Lt. col. mentioned this recent Russian switch of targets.
The Russians have adapted their tactics to avoid Patriot batteries, he said, focusing on striking cities far from the capital, such as Odesa, which are not yet covered. They are also upgrading old missiles with advanced technology and radar-absorbent skins. In recent weeks Moscow’s focus has been trying to take out the Ukrainian airfields from where British Storm Shadow missiles are launched, hitting command and logistical centres deep inside occupied territory.
“The strikes on airfields are a tribute to Storm Shadow. Thank you very much, UK, because they really proved to be very effective. With Storm Shadow, you launch a trap missile and an anti-radar missile. All at the same time in the same direction. So the Russians, if they try to intercept Storm Shadow, get an anti-radiation missile hit on their radar. Plus traps. Very, very effective stuff.”

The interviewed Lt. col. mentioned this recent Russian switch of targets.
The Russians have adapted their tactics to avoid Patriot batteries, he said, focusing on striking cities far from the capital, such as Odesa, which are not yet covered. They are also upgrading old missiles with advanced technology and radar-absorbent skins. In recent weeks Moscow’s focus has been trying to take out the Ukrainian airfields from where British Storm Shadow missiles are launched, hitting command and logistical centres deep inside occupied territory.
“The strikes on airfields are a tribute to Storm Shadow. Thank you very much, UK, because they really proved to be very effective. With Storm Shadow, you launch a trap missile and an anti-radar missile. All at the same time in the same direction. So the Russians, if they try to intercept Storm Shadow, get an anti-radiation missile hit on their radar. Plus traps. Very, very effective stuff.”

Relevant text:
He disclosed that in December Ukrainian authorities had been on the brink of ordering the complete evacuation of Kyiv due to the intensity of Russian airstrikes. “Not many people know this, but Kyiv was on the verge of evacuation,” he said. “There was one battle that, in my opinion, determined the fate of Kyiv and the Russian campaign to destroy our energy sector, when 49 cruise missiles were launched at Kyiv.”
In a desperate 15 minutes on December 16, Ukraine fired dozens of missiles from its Soviet-era S-300, American Nasams and German Iris-T systems to save the city from total blackout in freezing temperatures.
“If we had allowed this strike to succeed, Kyiv would have had to be evacuated. And it is very difficult to evacuate two and a half million people,” the colonel said.
 

The interviewed Lt. col. mentioned this recent Russian switch of targets.
The Russians have adapted their tactics to avoid Patriot batteries, he said, focusing on striking cities far from the capital, such as Odesa, which are not yet covered. They are also upgrading old missiles with advanced technology and radar-absorbent skins. In recent weeks Moscow’s focus has been trying to take out the Ukrainian airfields from where British Storm Shadow missiles are launched, hitting command and logistical centres deep inside occupied territory.
“The strikes on airfields are a tribute to Storm Shadow. Thank you very much, UK, because they really proved to be very effective. With Storm Shadow, you launch a trap missile and an anti-radar missile. All at the same time in the same direction. So the Russians, if they try to intercept Storm Shadow, get an anti-radiation missile hit on their radar. Plus traps. Very, very effective stuff.”

Relevant text:
He disclosed that in December Ukrainian authorities had been on the brink of ordering the complete evacuation of Kyiv due to the intensity of Russian airstrikes. “Not many people know this, but Kyiv was on the verge of evacuation,” he said. “There was one battle that, in my opinion, determined the fate of Kyiv and the Russian campaign to destroy our energy sector, when 49 cruise missiles were launched at Kyiv.”
In a desperate 15 minutes on December 16, Ukraine fired dozens of missiles from its Soviet-era S-300, American Nasams and German Iris-T systems to save the city from total blackout in freezing temperatures.
“If we had allowed this strike to succeed, Kyiv would have had to be evacuated. And it is very difficult to evacuate two and a half million people,” the colonel said.