Kinophile

US Army lagging.. @The_Capt have you heard much ref CDF integration and TTP of Drones since the war began?

AGLs could be awkward, depending on sea conditions? But MGs would be useful for sure. Any kind of suppressive fire would help.

How long before... We see HMGs mounted on seababies, raking those CIWS during attacks?

"specifically designed to counter maritime drones"....

Fully expect this to get hit too. Btw, anyone notice that when UKR damages a vessel but doesnt sink it, they always come back, even quite late, to finish the job?

Fully expect this to get hit too. Btw, anyone notice that when UKR damages a vessel but doesnt sink it, they always come back, even quite late, to finish the job?

FPV, UAV drone op team organic to each ship. 4 guys for a corvette, when in harbour, bump up to 6-8 (2 teams w/ tech support) when faffing around on the waves.

Well, its Russians saying 12 (ie, a lie) so double that as a rule of thumb.

Some but not much, and mostly from non-BSF units (Eg Far East, the North etc).

Even then, strip a crew from one ship in a class to fill out the others. Christ, watch a telegram video or two of FPVs hunting soldiers and go DURRR MAYBE THESE GUYS COULD STAND ON A DECK AND DO THE SAME THING AGAINST A USV? Good God. Two, TWO Drone Ops could have fought off that USV attack on the Sergei, or at the very least prevented the double/triple tap that sank it.

There seem to be two critical items US provides that Europe can't - C4ISR and Patriots. For almost everything else there is a European equivalent or better (Brad /CV90s, HARM /Meteor, NASSAMs, etc). I'm not saying CV90s is better than Brad's, but they are certainly equivalent; if UKR swapped every single Brad for a CV90 would there be a drop in effectiveness? Dump the token Abrams and Leos for a fleet of Korean K2s and you're still rolling. EU arms production rates and quality of machines can absolutely match US. The best (and worst) thing about EU support is that it's non-binary. If the wrong dipsh*t wins the US election then aid drops like a drunk Ivan. EU is slower to get to a point but also slower to leave, and even then intra-member agreements are par for the course. Edit-There is a third US item : world wide logistics...damn.

I'm really interested in how the amidships is the preferred target zone. It's nominally more dangerous to attack, as CIWS can hit you from stem to stern, versus a stern attack where half the ship's armament can't hit you. But if you hit the stern that damage can be compartmentalized - you're working up a "pipe" (the hull) and the damaged zone can be sectioned off. Hit the middle of the pipe and water has many more directions to flow. Also, munitions stores are rarely in the stern so if you want some nice secondaries then go in the middle. If you know the CIWS is not strong and the Bridge is preoccupied with an attack on the opposite side then you have a good chance of striking home. We also know that BSF damage control is not great. An amidships strike is bad but to get double-tapped, that's really bad. Your primary team dealing with the original damage is now dead, wounded or scattered and must be reconstituted. With sh*tty leadership that's unlikely. Like you I'm also extra curious about that lack of maneuver at speed. These corvettes are relatively speedy and "agile". The UKR must be hitting their stern first, as you say. Finally, I thought I saw a UAV strike in the footage, not sure.

Fuel might be an issue, maybe. Money, maybe, but with something like 17%+ of GDP spent on the war there must surely be enough for the BSF. Even then, the lie is put to that by the direct example of Ukraine. Strong leadership always finds a way, and quickly. Lazy, unimaginative and fearful leaders stall, prevaricate and rehash existing tactics and doctrine, to no avail. Thank God the BSF is led by domesticated goldfish, while Ukraine's naval war is led by sharks.

The BSF is no joke in terms of firepower and is still a considerable force, but having destroyed the UKR Navy it lacks the organic units to perform the second of its two missions. First is control the open sea (nominally done, and but not really - in UKR grain exports are at/past pre war levels), second is control the littoral zone. (third would be support inland ground forces with ranged strikes). This course of the war, as with several other aspects, again reminds me of the Russo-Japanese War, specifically Port Arthur. Not a perfect analogy (nothing is) but similar pressures and operational/strategic pinch points. The BSF eradicated the UKR Navy as a fighting force but has failed to control the shores. Its ships are too vulnerable, its training and operational performance are abysmal but where it truly seems to fail is leadership. Operationally, the lack of basic fleeting/convoying and Air support around VIP units (cough Moskva cough Ropucha class cough) is just incredible. I mean, did these guys not read naval history at all ? Are they utterly bereft of any clue in how to deal with their enemy outside simplistic text books? These are old tactics, fully described in any naval warfare text. Old but effective. Even if they are not a full solution (because drones) they still increase the friction against any attack. Stack up the layers and attacks start to fail, or at the least the damage inflicted is lessened. I mean, do something . Are they not looking at current events and past losses? After so, SO many drone strikes why are their ships not bristling with HMGs and search lights? The Ukies do it on land, so it's absolutely possible. Why, when attacks begin are their ships not going full speed, maneuvering like mad and making work for the USVs? Why are helos not in the air, on call, strafing the USVs? Why don't they have their own drone ops onboard, striking back at USVs with FPVs? None of the above is hard or requires integrating new tech (drone ops are self contained). Seriously, wtf? Its impossible to control a hostile shore if you can't even protect your own units in harbour. But hey, if you need a family murdered in their home at night then these useless ****s are just who you want.

...For now.

That's a ridiculously large caveat and exactly the kind of handwaving Der Kapitan is describing. It's completely unrealistic to describe any peace process that does try to take into account US political dynamics. Everything following after that caveat, and no matter how sensible in isolation, is simply wishing for unicorns. It's not analysis, it's "I think".

Oh man, how perfect Esp with how much Putin hates Clinton.

Kerch bridge under attack?... Confirmed - UAVs And USVs... HOWEVER, It might not just be a strike on the bridge, but also on a BSF vessel near the bridge. No reports so far mention the bridge itself getting hit, but all state 'near' is the bridge. Obviously, the the sea is near the bridge Sergei Kotov, corvette, is suggested as target. Interestingly, from wiki : Well, reports now of Yes, the bridge possibly is hit. Question is was it the primary target and the Kotov was defending, or just collateral hits to a strike on the Kotov...

Following up:

Damn right.

Now this would be an interesting development...